The Road To Hell Is Paved With Graffiti Penises

Centralia’s underground coal veins have smoldered since 1962.

1. In 1962, volunteer firefighters burned a landfill in Centralia, PA, not knowing that they’d ignite a whole network of coal veins under the town.

Via: weburbanist.com

2. Pavements buckled. Temperatures rose. Sinkholes clawed out swaths of sidewalks, spewing carbon monoxide.

Via: adventuremyths.com

3. The town was evacuated and stripped of its zip code.

Via: flickr.com

And in the years since, Centralia’s infamy has attracted swarms of disaster tourists, urban decay photographers, bored teens armed with aerosol cans.

Via: flickr.com

As you’d expect, the road to Centralia now looks like:

Via: flickr.com

Via: forums.playfire.com

Via: bertabroad.wordpress.com

Bart’s handsy summer camp director uncle.

Via: flickr.com

Where are the dicks even leading us?

Via: toochplatz.com

Oh.

Via: toochplatz.com

Wow, rude.

Via: travelwp.com

Wow, hella rude.

Via: travelwp.com

Not even true though.

Via: toochplatz.com

Hm.

Via: toochplatz.com

You’re an adult now, Pacman. You gobble whatever you want.

Via: bertabroad.wordpress.com

5. This is starting to feel like the internet.

Via: flickr.com

Someone started a comment thread.

A scathing review of Philip Roth.

Via: forums.playfire.com

Via: flickr.com

7. There are even banner ads.

Via: forums.playfire.com

Anonymous gripes and pleas.

Via: flickr.com

It’s alright, bb.

Via: toochplatz.com

9. A smattering of kindness.

Via: flickr.com

Via: toochplatz.com

Mostly, a lot of wilderness, cracked asphalt, blistered roads gone to seed.

Via: flickr.com

Via: zrepp

Via: flickr.com

Temperatures exceed 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the heart of the underground blaze. The coals will continue burning for another 250 years.

Via: flickr.com

Via: flickr.com

Via: flickr.com

Read more about the Centralia coal fires here and here. The town’s remaining 8 residents promise you the town itself is quite boring and beg you to leave them be.