Off the Beaten Track of Harrisburg Pa Area: Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine, Ashland Pa and Centralia

Last visited 8/22

Today was an adventure for Nathan...just get in the car and off we go! I decided to take him to the Pioneer Tunnel in Ashland, Pa. This is about one hour north of Harrisburg, north on interstate 81. It's very easy to find, and travels through some beautiful Appalachian Mountain scenery. It must be incredible once the trees start to change in the fall...maybe something to think about if you would like to visit. Find more information here: http://www.pioneertunnel.com/

Outside the mine

Beside a large lump of coal

We decided to do the combo ticket, which allows you to do both the tunnel ride and also the overground train ride, both lasting about 30-ish minutes each. You can also do one or the other. If you are prone to being cold, the tunnel ride is around 52 degrees year round, so bring a light jacket. Also, both rides are rather bumpy, and they have a disclaimer about bad backs, necks, or being pregnant. Don't take these lightly, as some of the jolts can be severe. I have back problems, but I was able to do this ride without a problem. Just beware.

On the tram riding down into the tunnel

Hard wood beams still hold up the mine

Nathan and Bob, the mine mule

Our tour guide was an authentic miner, and shared several of his own stories with us

So, some of the cool things that we learned today include that 75% of all anthracite (hard ) coal is mined in Pennsylvania, and 60% of that is sent to China. Children as young as 8 were used in the mines to take care of the mules used to pull the coal carts out of the mine. Since the mules lived most of their lives under the surface of the earth, most were blind.

You may have heard of the canary singing in the mine to determine if there was deadly methane gas present. Our guide said that it was much more reliable to use rats or field mice as they couldn't fly away and were easily manipulated with snacks. Besides the methane gas that would be at the top of the cave passageways, there was also something called Black Damp, which is a combination of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas. The methane gas is highly combustible, and so a good miner would watch their head lamp to see if the flame started to burn stronger and brighter and take precautions for possible explosions. The black damp would cause the head lamp to decrease in brightness, and due to the very low oxygen levels, would kill a man quickly.

Centralia, Pa is best known for the ongoing fire that has been burning in abandoned coal mines since 1962. They had used an old strip mine to dispose of their trash, which, obviously, started to smell. After a town meeting, they decided to do a controlled burn on the trash pile, which went awry. Since then, the government has bought out most of the former residents of Centralia, leaving only 11 residents. The location of the town is only 2 miles from the mine, but you can easily drive right through it. The houses are torn down and nature has taken over the previous town effectively. You cannot easily access the areas where you could see the smoke coming out of the ground any longer. And, the fire has actually moved west and is approaching a new town in its way.

For lunch we went to a small diner called, May's, right down the road from the mine. It was relatively cheap, and the food was okay. I would suggest going for the ice cream options, as the cheese steak was small but good, and Nathan had the cheeseburger down in about 4 bites. The butterscotch sundae was worth the money.