The History of Tourist Interest in Centralia, PA

Elaine Langone Center

I will talk about the research that's been done in the Susquehanna University history department to examine tourist interest in Centralia since the mid-1990s. To quote from an abstract: "The town site marks the virtual disappearance of an entire community and serves as a point of political and commercial tension. Although represented frequently by the media as a pilgrimage site, Centralia is officially off-limits to visitors. Although depicted often as a ghost town, Centralia retains 18 residents who refuse to be relocated. Although narrated as evidence of the emptiness of modern technology, Centralia's career as a tourist site depends largely on cyberspace and digital imagery." So far we've found that visitors do not fit into the target audience of governmental efforts at promoting cultural tourism. In contrast to heritage tourism, the appeal of Centralia for its most avid visitors derives from its gothic landscape, its aura of economic and environmental failure, and its status as a bizarre, potentially dangerous modern ruin.