PA Urban Exploration, Frick's Lock photos and Centralia photos - Forgotten Pennsylvania

The State of the Game

noreply@blogger.com (Spampoet) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 18:30:00 +0000

What's new, Pennsylvania? As you can tell, we haven't been doing a whole lot of exploring lately -- we're farther apart and have less free time than ever. It's been over five years since we started blogging our journey across this side of the Susquehanna, and the places we've come to know and love have gone through a lot of changes in that span. Here are a few of the big changes:

Centralia

The town that started it all for us has continued to suffer, until recently. John Lokitis, the well-known youngest man still living there when we first visited, has been evicted and seen his home destroyed. But for the eight remaining residents, some good news emerged this year: After some legal back-and-forth, a lawsuit filed by the residents was settled this Halloween; they received a cash payout of nearly $350,000 and permission to remain in their homes for the rest of their lives.

Huber (Ashley) Coal Breaker

The Huber breaker, also known as the Ashley or Blue Coal breaker, has not fared so well. A Philadelphia trucking company purchased the property in October, along with 26 acres of land. While there is not a timetable for demolition of the breaker, it seems like the only likely outcome of the purchase.

Frick's Lock

Some very positive developments in the preservation of Frick's Lock, we're happy to report. This past spring, the village was rehabilitated and tours were given through the once-forbidden town in October (a big month, it seems, for abandoned places in PA). No doubt the more thrill-seeking explorers will lament the boarding up of some truly compelling houses, but I think it's a great story of a combined public-private effort to save a piece of Pennsylvania history that, when we explored it, looked all but lost to decay. Exelon deserves credit for this one.

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So what's going on with Linfield, you might be asking? Or Concrete City, or Pizza World? Stay tuned, we'll be revisiting these popular urban exploration sites soon!

Guest post on Outta the Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:04:00 +0000

The guys at Outta the Way! were awesome enough to invite the ForgottenPA crew to write up a guest blog for National Sharing Month. Since they haven't yet been to Concrete City, Steve (aka Al) wrote up a recollection of that trip, almost four years on.

Read it here!

And if you love the abandoned, offbeat, and out-of-the-way things Pennsylvania has to offer, be sure to Like them on Facebook too!

Linfield Revisited.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 May 2011 22:30:00 +0000

I was able to meet up with an ex-employee of the massive Continental Distillery in Linfield, PA today and take a tour of the site. Needless to say, it makes Michter's look like a tiny drop of water in a lake. Here's a link to my personal blog with a few photos from today. If you have any questions, post them up and I'll try to get an answer for you!

A huge thanks to Dave for taking us through!

Continental Distillery

A second set from Michter's

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:57:00 +0000

The owner of Michter's and I had the distillery open briefly on July 24th for a few people that were in town that had ties to the place. Here are a few photos. Enjoy!

We're still here!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:54:00 +0000

Don't worry fans, we are still here, just very busy. With the warmer weather will come new explorations. We've been keeping an eye out for new stuff to check out. Unfortunately with the scarcity of land, many historical and/or abandoned places are getting razed for new development. Municipalities are also getting more active in eliminating "eye sores" and "blight properties" to cut down on crime and make the area look nicer. BUT, with the recent economic recession, a whole new supply of abandoned and now-forgotten buildings has been created. While we tend to think of forgotten and abandoned places as old farmhouses, cabins, industries, or other large buildings, we can't forget the new, recently abandoned stuff- like all the K-Marts, Circuit Citys, Linens-N-Things, and other buildings that aren't traditionally thought of as abandonments. They are just thought of as "empty storefronts" and truly forgotten until something else moves in a few years down the road. So get out those cameras and start documenting abandonments you come across! Of course, please don't trespass.

Centralia sets from Protocollie and Aaron

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:05:00 +0000

We're glad to have these two sets, taken in early and late fall respectively. You might remember Protocollie's Abandoned Turnpike set from a couple months ago, and we're glad to feature more of his work.

Aaron's set has some interesting things we haven't seen before, including a new heart-shaped sign -- this one says it's from Kingston, NY.

Thanks again guys!

If you'd like to see your PA abandonment photos on ForgottenPA, send them in an email to spampoet0023@gmail.com, along with a few words about the location.

Urban Ghosts Media

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Here's a site that reminds me a lot of our old buddies at WebUrbanist: a webzine that features urban myth, lifestyle, architecture and -- naturally! -- urban exploration. There's a ton of interesting content and the site layout is about as pleasant as any I've seen. Well worth checking out!

Urban Ghosts Media

Pennsylvania Portal blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:43:00 +0000

Here's a fascinating blog dedicated to exploring the products that come from right here in Pennsylvania. Some are pretty well-known, like Martin guitars and Yuengling lager (my personal favorite beer!), but there are some real surprises -- Pyrex, for instance, is made in PA; I won't spoil the rest, though. Head over to the Pennsylvania Portal blog, and be prepared to lose an hour or three!

Inside Michter's

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:07:00 +0000

So I finally got a hold of the owner the other day and the only time he had to get me in for a tour of the place was today. Here are a few highlights of what is still there!

This is the small warehouse on the site. The sides are leaning, but the owner has stabilized them.
This is a view from the top story (I think there are 6) of the doubler building. The floors are open grate so you can see straight to the bottom.

This is some sort of grain separator in the fermenter/grain building. Still in good shape actually.

Steps leading up to the grain separator and tops of all the silos.

Sweet lookin' old copper piece. Not sure if this is part of the condesing system or not.

View of the column still going the whole way up.

This was where the small barrel-a-day still sat that the tourists got to see. It now resides in Bardstown, Ky.

Inside view of the column still.

Second inside view of the column still.

After going through the column, the whiskey was finished in this large pot still doubler. This is what made the great, unmistakable Michter's flavor.

One of the MASSIVE furnaces with a second in the background.

View of the fermenter tanks through a window.

This is the control board for the pot still and column. No space age electronics here!

Sign on the column still. Pretty much every vat, tank, or manufacturing items has a painted-on label.

This is the beer vat in the basement of the still house. The sour mash came into here before it went into the doubler.

Those are the highlights of the trip. I was surprised at how intact the place is and how good a condition most of it is in.

Follow us on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:00 +0000

I've just created a Facebook page for ForgottenPA -- become a fan! You'll be updated whenever we have a new post, and we will eventually host all our pictures on the Facebook page as well.

Adding CAPTCHA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

I really hate to do it, but we're starting to get spam comments, so I will be adding the word-verification requirement before you can post a comment. Again, I wish we didn't have to do it -- I hate CAPTCHA as much as anyone -- but I don't want the quality of the site to suffer.

The Collection for David and Theresa Bayline

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:00 +0000

On October 31st, 2009, Theresa and David Bayline were killed in a head-on collision on Route 155 near their home in Port Allegany, McKean County. They married on May 2nd.

Theresa was caring, funny, and good to everyone -- family, friends, and neighbors. David was a successful man, and provided Theresa with everything she could want during their short time together.

David's obituary is listed here, Theresa's here.

Donations in their memory have been requested to go to the McKean County SPCA. I'm starting this collection to give people an easy way to contribute through PayPal.

If you enjoy what we do at ForgottenPA, please consider donating. Any contribution is appreciated -- $1 is plenty.

Full disclosure: Theresa was my mother-in-law, but that marriage has since ended. No money will be going to me; 100% of your contribution goes to the McKean County SPCA.

Thanks in advance.

Centralia on WGAL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Our local NBC station WGAL has some pretty good photos from Centralia, both from its boom and the present day. Looks like you can upload your pics there too, so if you've got some, go for it!

We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:08:00 +0000

After a long series of time constraints, my move upstate, and ongoing pennilessness, Brian and I finally have some new photos of our old favorite town, Centralia. Whatever else this blog becomes, I hope to continue documenting the deterioration of the abandoned stretch of Route 61.

It's been two years, and a lot has changed in town. The "UNDERGROUND MINE FIRE" sign is gone, as well as the green bench and I did not see the street sign at Park and Locust. I was surprised to see windmills on the other side of the mountain, as well! As for the highway, spray-painting has picked up quite a bit, and more importantly, the fissure has widened and spread. For reference, here are a few shots from summer 2007:

Brian took these a couple weeks ago:

Hopefully there will still be an abandoned stretch of 61 in a couple years! Even on the portions where there aren't cracks, the road is much less level than it was back in '07 -- pretty disturbing, now that I think about it, and I think you can see it in the pictures as well.

And while we might not be able to post every week like we did in our heyday, I think we'll have some new explorations coming soon.

Urbandecay on Flickr

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

We're honored to feature these photos from Urbandecay, a tremendous photographer who has visited some notable PA abandonments, including Bethlehem Steel and the Ashley and St. Nicholas coal breakers.

Urbandecay has hundreds more abandonment photos at his Flickr -- be sure to check it out!

Artist Residency in Wilkes-Barre

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:25:00 +0000

I thought our artistically-inclined readers would be interested in Alexis Bhagat's KIELBASY "artist residency," located in Wilkes-Barre. Each project is different, so be sure to check the Kielbasy Reports blog for more info.

I think this is a fantastic project for artists, regardless of location, and I hope we can bring a little more attention to it. If you're interested in participating, be sure to tell them ForgottenPA sent you!

The old W.A.&G. Railroad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:26:00 +0000

These are some photos my wife and I snapped of the remnants of the Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Railroad. The railroad last ran November 7, 1979 and ALL trackage was removed shortly afterwards. Bridges, signs, and buildings were all left to rot.

The southwest facing shot would have been where the massive yard sat. The railroad started as the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad. The brick buildings were part of their shops complex that was located here. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad took over the B&S in the early part of the 20th century and operated it until 1954 when "The WAG" railroad took over.

This shows the dilapidated condition of the office building. The bay window allowed the staff to watch incoming and outgoing trains and yard activity.

In the early 70's, a large portion of the original Buffalo and Susquehanna shop complex burned down. This was also the part that service work was being done on equipment. A new facility was built on part of the already abandoned yard to continue work. This is that building, now occupied by a construction company.

A shot of the rear of the office building. It's still full of stuff, but not train stuff, just junk. Not sure who owns it now but it appears no one has done anything inside for many years.

This caboose sits along route 6 just a stone's throw from the old tracks of the WAG. It was once one of their cabooses.

Another shot of one of the windows of the office building. Notice the curved glass window.

Another shot showing the front. Birds were flying in and out of holes in the roof.

The last shot is of the WAG bridge over Pine Creek in Watrous, PA There are still railroad ties on the bridge, but no rails. The bridge itself appears to be in very good condition.

Blackwell, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:05:00 +0000

This is a town that time has forgotten. The hotel there mysteriously closed in 2008. Below are some pictures from town.

This is the now-closed Blackwell Hotel. The application to serve alcoholic beverages still hangs in the window, along with a note that it will reopen spring of '09. The hotel's website is also still active, but the phone number listed is now disconnected.

Glasses, napkins, plates, and signs are still inside and set out on the bar and tables.

This was the deck area where you could sit out on picnic tables and enjoy the mountain air as you ate and drank.

Alcohol permit and closed till '09 sign on door.

Don't be fooled, this church is NOT brick. It is wood. Each piece of the wood siding was cut and sculped to look like brick. Pretty convincing!

Pine Creek. The bridge in the background was the Conrail railroad bridge. The last train ran the rails in 1989 and everything was removed in 1990. The entire line has been converted into a walking and biking trail via the state's Rails To Trails program.

Protocollie's Set: The Sideling Hill Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:28:00 +0000

On our trip to the Abandoned PA Turnpike, we only got as far as the Ray's Hill tunnel, leaving the longer Sideling Hill tunnel unexplored. Lucky for us, Protocollie has taken an excellent set of photos in and around the tunnel, and we've definitely got a bigger picture of what the Abandoned Turnpike looks like now.

Protocollie has a lot of interesting notes about these photos in his Abandoned Sideling Hill set on Flickr -- it's more than worth heading over there and reading through them. Thanks again, Protocollie!

If you'd like to see your Pennsylvania urban exploration photos on ForgottenPA, send them to spampoet0023@yahoo.com with a few words about the location.

Boyertown House: Hello//Vertigo's set

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:00:00 +0000

We're happy to have this set from Hello//Vertigo from an abandoned house near Boyertown. With any luck, we'll be seeing more of her work in the future.

Thanks again to Hello//Vertigo! Check out more of her work over at Flickr, including a recent set from Linfield.

If you'd like to see your Pennsylvania urban exploration photos on ForgottenPA, send them to spampoet0023@yahoo.com with a few words about the location and time they were taken.

Raybestos Manheim redevelopment.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Here is what happens when a forgotten area gets remembered. 3 years ago nothing was going on with the old Raybestos asbestos plant. This area was all abandoned buildings, tall weeds, asbestos dust, and piles of junk. The area is slowly being redeveloped and some of the old buildings are being renovated to suit the new owners. The site was VERY large as it included an office building, laboratory, knitting mills, warehouses, and production plants. The operations completely shut down by 1998. Most manufacturing was gone by the 80's.

The first photo is of the old Oak St. bridge. This bridge has been unused by vehicles for years. Oak St. itself has been removed on the south side of the bridge.

Looking down the rest of Oak St. below the section that is removed. These were all warehouses and other building connected to the plant. Most have auto reconditioning centers or other businesses in them.

More of those buildings along Oak St.

This is the rail line that once served the complex. The switch in the foreground is the north point of the wye that the railroad uses to turn equipment on. The line crosses Oak St. and Steigel St. and continues north to Ferralgas on Doe Run Rd. There is no service on it in the summer anymore.

This was a little shop of some sort for the asbestos plant. An autobody shop is moving in to it and has completely redone the building. To the right is the abandoned Oak St. bridge and railroad to Ferralgas.

Obviously the old labs. Interesting building. A printing company is moving in and has restored the building quite well- even adding windows that look very similar to what was there. Hopefully the laboratory writing stays!

Another shot. Great architecture for such a plain industrial building.

The whole building. Looks great!

This was the corporate office building. It is slowly being converted into something. Rumor has it that it will be upscale condos for the dealers that do business with Manheim Auto Auction. This building needs a lot of love.

Looking down Steigel St. towards Oak St. Offices would be on the immediate left. Labs on the right.

This was the site of the largest building. The building was bulldozed a few years back. A company called MOJO Barriers is building a large facility on the site now. They make crowd control barriers and will work with Clair Brothers (down the street).

Side shot of the old corporate headquarters. This whole area is very subject to flooding.

Last shot is of the newly paved and refurbished Steigel St. bridge. The pedestrian walkway on the side was for the workers that would walk to the plant each day.

The beginnings of a collection........

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:52:00 +0000

The other day when I was up towards Michter's, we stopped in town at the local antique store. The guy has an awesome collection of decanters, bottles, and signs for sale. All reasonable priced and in mint condition. I picked up 2 really nice jugs. The beginning of my collection! Once I get a free weekend, I plan on calling the owner of Michter's to arrange a tour of the place. I plan on asking him his intentions for the property and maybe even offering to mow the place once in a while or something.

New to this site.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Hello all,

Many of you have probably seen some of my comments posted under some of the posts on this site (as Bluecapriethan). Mr Al Ebaster has given me the ability to make actual posts on here and post photos as well. From time to time I plan on posting up photos of forgotten places I visit- some totally abandoned, some just that are forgotten. I also plan to get a tour of Michter's distillery Lebanon County sometime this summer.

ManaKinn's Livejournal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Amanda's an old friend of mine, and quite the artist. I love her abstracts in particular. Her blog is at manakinn.livejournal.com. She does commissions, by the way!

Neat little find

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:48:00 +0000

So I was looking at some knickknacks in my mother-in-law's house, and I came across this little critter. It's one of those old-timey things filled with liquor. Whiskey, to be precise. And not just any whiskey either:

It was really tempting to pop that thing open and see what Michter's whiskey tastes like, but instead I got on eBay and found an auction for a little bottle of the stuff. It's on the way.