A Visit to Three Centralias
It was on a whim back in January that I had the
idea that some day in my life, I'd like to visit all of the towns in
the USA that are named Centralia. It happened to be that our road trip
pathway would put us into fairly close proximity to the three other
towns of Centralia that have a ZIP code. We made plans to visit them
and take some photos of me standing in front of the welcoming signs.
Centralia, Kansas, is the smallest with about 500 people. It is out in the midst of huge corn fields.
The
first Centralia we stopped at was in Kansas. It was also the farthest
off our route, but the adventure into corn country was an interesting
ride, as it was along the old Pony Express trail that we found
ourselves. The nearby town of Marysville had a lot of historical
attractions to explore, which we did not. We did, however, stop at
Wal-Mart for postcards. I mailed myself a postcard from the Centralia,
KS, post office, and told the post misstress where I was from. She was
thrilled about my adventure to see all of the Centralias, and she
mentioned she often gets mail meant for Centralia, Washington.
Centralia, Missouri, has about 3,200 residents. It was very rainy when we arrived.
Centralia,
Missouri, felt a lot like home! It was very rainy, and the little town
had a public square complete with gazebo. The design of the post office
was strikingly similar to the one in Washington. When I went inside to
mail myself a postcard, I mentioned to the postal clerk that I was from
the Centralia, Washington, and that in looking up the town's history, I
found out that both Centralia's have a local historical event called
The Centralia Massacre. I also commented on how the post offices look
similarly. It turns out both were built during the 1930s as part of the
New Deal construction that took place across the country.
Centralia, Illinois, has about 14, 500 people, just a couple hundred less than Centralia, Washington.
Our
final stop was in Centralia, Illinois. We made it to the post office
just in the nick of time for me to mail out a postcard to myself. When
I spoke to the clerk, he was very intrigued that I had been to all of
the other Centralias, and that I came from the one in Washington. He
began telling me about the local history, how there was a huge coal
mining accident in the 1940s. I remarked how coincidental it was that
my Centralia also had a coal mine. We did a brief look of the town and
had dinner at the historic Centralia House.
What is interesting to note is that all four towns have a Locust Street. I got pictures of myself with Sheep standing at all Locust Street signs, too. All of the towns have large water towers with Centralia painted on them, with the exception of the one in Washington.
Though I may be partial to Centralia, Washington, I have to say that my birthplace is probably the nicest in terms of the condition of the downtown, as well as residences being maintained.
What is interesting to note is that all four towns have a Locust Street. I got pictures of myself with Sheep standing at all Locust Street signs, too. All of the towns have large water towers with Centralia painted on them, with the exception of the one in Washington.
Though I may be partial to Centralia, Washington, I have to say that my birthplace is probably the nicest in terms of the condition of the downtown, as well as residences being maintained.
Categories
roadside attractions
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