Ashland, Pa

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One of the smallest towns I have ever seen. This is a little coal mining town in Pennsylvania. It is home of the Pioneer Tunnel where you can take a little train into the coal mine just to see what it is like and you can get out of the train and walk around inside a little bit, the guides also carry lights for turn them off for a minute just so you can see how dark it is and only then do you really understand the term pitch black. This particular coal mine isnt a working one anymore but it is very interesting just to go inside and see what it is like in a coal mine. There is also a gift shop that has some cute little momentos (including some large pieces of coal if you need a stocking stuffer for some naughty people around christmas). The town itself is really just one main street with a few shops on it, but not very much. People do visit Ashland to go on the Pioneer Tunnel or the Lokie, steam locomotive, around Mahanoy Mountain, but really it is just a very small town without any tourism. The only reason I have been there is that my Grandparents live there. Not much of a draw if its completely out of the way, but definitely cool to see a different kind of life in a tiny little town. Also, if you happen to be there, there is a Mothers Statue which is said to be the only statue in America dedicated to mothers. Also nearby, which is kind of interesting, is the town of Centralia, Pa which is almost completely evacuated, the government is trying to buy everyones houses but some people refuse to leave, I believe the town currently has 9 residents and is the least populated town in PA and the zipcode has actually been revoked because the goverment has closed all operations and foreclosed on all land, except for the few that refuse to take their offers. But this town has been on fire for about 50 years, there is coal burning underground under the town.

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Photos

Main Street
this right here is pretty much the entire town

Centralia
steam escaping from the ground

The end of the road
I think its route 61, it just dead ends here now so it doesnt go through centralia

Centralia Road
The pavement broke up because of the fire under it