Sheppton, PA/ Centralia PA

Sheppton, PA/ Centralia PA

Author: Fred Knoop October 26, 2019 Duration: 1:10:48

Sheppton Pennsylvania like many small towns in Pennsylvania used to live, breath and eat coal.  It was a coal-mining town, just like so many others.  However, on August 13, 1963, three men would enter a defunct mine at Oneida Slope number 2.  Hank Thorne, Dave Fellin, and Lois Bova went down into the darkness at 7:30 AM; two of them wouldn't see daylight for 14 days.  One would never see daylight again.


WikiPedia article about Sheppton, Pennsylvania


WikiPedia article about Blackdamp


www.eastuniontownship.com/thrones-account-of-the-sheppton-mine-disaster/


Sheppton: The Myth, Miracle & Music, Maxim W. Furek. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (December 31, 2015). www.amazon.com/gp/product/1519145985/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


stuofdoom.com/main/?p=3097


Almost a year before the Sheppton incident a very different mining disaster took place.  In 1963 in the little town of Centralia PA a coal fire would start and still burns to this day. Coal mining started in the area around Centralia in the 1850’s.  The mining became a boom and Centralia would grow into a community of 2,761 at its peak in the 1890’s.  Coal would be the lifeblood of the little town but it would also be it’s undoing.


YouTube video (IFZqWRtYvpM)


www.centraliapa.org


WikiPedia article about Centralia, Pennsylvania


WikiPedia article about Centralia mine fire


www.theverge.com/2019/4/2/18290774/centralia-pennsylvania-ghost-town-underground-fire-bacteria-microbes-microbiology-science


www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-centralia-pennsylvania-burning-coal-town-2011-11#some-residents-spent-the-next-few-decades-fighting-to-keep-their-homes-even-though-they-had-officially-been-seized-by-authorities-12


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There's a particular kind of quiet that settles over a small town, a hush that often holds more than it reveals. Small Town Secrets, hosted by Fred Knoop, goes digging beneath that surface calm to find the stories that define a place. Each episode is a journey to a different community somewhere in the world, where the strange and the historical intertwine. You might hear about a decades-old mystery that still divides local opinion, or an architectural oddity with a bizarre origin story. The scope is broad, touching on unexplained phenomena, compelling historical footnotes, and those simply peculiar events that become local legend. This isn't just about cataloging oddities; it's about understanding how these narratives become woven into the fabric of a community's identity, shaping its culture and the people who live there. Knoop approaches each tale with a curious and respectful tone, letting the atmosphere and the details build a vivid sense of place. The podcast serves as an audio travelogue to the shadowy corners of the map, proving that sometimes the most remote locations harbor the most fascinating secrets. It’s for anyone who suspects that the real story of a town isn't found on the welcome sign, but whispered in its diners and remembered in its forgotten buildings.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 80

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