In the early 1940s the government needed some place safe to store highly explosive ordnance, they settled near the town of Alvira due to its spare population and accessibility. These were munition bunkers, used as storage for bombs and ammunition during World War II. Now part of State Game Land 252, the Alvira Bunkers are almost completely invisible to the untrained eye. Many of the trails overlap throughout the property, so make sure you note your location as there is very little cell reception in this part of the state. While only a few ruins remain, if you look closely you can find old carvings in the cement from prisoners, and other concrete structures that have been swallowed by the surrounding forest.ĭown the trail you can also find a concrete dam, completely constructed by German POWs. During the 1940s, the camp operated in total secret, holding thousands of prisoners of war captive. Camp Michauxīelieve it or not, the ruins of and old World War II POW camp can be found deep in the Michaux State Forest. Now, hikers and bikers can explore all 11 miles of this crumbling highway for themselves. To keep motorists safe, the old one was closed down. It didn’t take much time for everyone to start using the new Turnpike. The wider highway meant more traffic could move much faster when traveling across the state. To combat this, the state built Route 76, the new modern turnpike that is still in use today. The road became overwhelmed by daily congestion, and that started creating mile long backups and even accidents. But how did this happen? As more and more automobiles took to the streets, the tiny highway couldn’t support the traffic. Miles of two lane highway and tunnels now sit overgrown in western Pennsylvania, overgrown and mostly forgotten. If you’re in the area, see if Joe’s home. We cooked eggs in the morning and got to ride one of their many horses on the property. I had the opportunity to camp inside one of the vacant homes with Joe’s permission. His vision includes restoring the old homes and hosting workshops, where people can relearn the old trades and lost skills that built this country. He purchased the property in homes to hope to build a community of builders, makers, and self sufficient men and women. Today the property only has one resident, current owner Joe Meyer. In 1950 the mines closed, marking the beginning of the end of Yellow Dog. Like most mining towns, once the ore dried up, so did the town. This combined with increased wages was enough to sway the workers into signing a yellow dog contract, a promise they will never unionize. The housing was built proactively throughout 1910-1920, to try and stop the workers from starting a union. This is one of the best preserved examples of a company town, constructed to provide convenient and close living quarters for the industry workers of the Pennsylvania Limestone Company. Tucked away in the hills on Pennsylvania is an abandoned town, with rows of houses that sit eerily vacant. Below are over 35 of our favorite abandoned locations throughout the state.Ībandoned Places In Pennsylvania 1.
Looking to scope out some abandoned places in Pennsylvania? We got you covered.