Ghost Towns of Florida - Centralia

Exploring at Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area, a vast and scenic wilderness located in Hernando County, Florida. Along the way I explored what was once part of a town called "Centralia". It was a booming logging town from the early 1900's until the late 1920's. Once the resources were used up, all the old growth Cypress trees cut down, the town was abandoned. It was a thriving town with many amenities for its workers. Trains traveled in and out of town delivery and dropping off supplies and timber from the surrounding forests. Many of the old roads used are now overgrown paths, the railroad is long gone but remains from that can be seen here in the woods along with some other remnants from the sawmill and town. It's nice to come here and take in the history with the beautiful surrounding nature. It's a vast wilderness with lots to explore so you never know what you may come across. The town had a population of around 2,000 people. There was a boarding house, a hotel, restaurant, drug store, church, school and even a movie house. A railroad line went into town for hauling lumber and delivering supplies. The town existed from around 1910 through 1922 and today only traces of the town remain. Nature is reclaiming the site and is now protected and part of the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. *I will need to point out that it's prohibited and illegal to dig for artifacts or metal detect here as it's a protected monitored preserve on state land. Leave no trace and take only memories please. Much of the town today is long gone so who knows how much longer these remains will be here, but hopefully for generations to come people can come here and learn about the history. To explore here you'll need to pay a small fee at the entrance where you can find maps and a kiosk by there also describes some of the history on the area. It is a popular area for diving and lots of other recreational activities so be sure to check hunt dates before visiting. It's nice to drive around the forest roads which is very scenic and walk along the various tram trails out here as well. There are many off trails to explore are several trailheads with walking trails as well. Be sure to track where you go because it's easy to get lost in this preserve. I hope you enjoy the video and adventure, thank you!

Here is some in-depth history on the area and you can see photos and more videos on my website here: https://floridatrailblazer.com/2018/0...

History of Centralia: http://www.fivay.org/centralia.html
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/fl/c...
Historical Marker of Centralia: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=110443

Hiking and Recreational Information: https://myfwc.com/recreation/lead/cha...
History of Chassahowitzka: https://myfwc.com/recreation/lead/cha...
Chassahowitzka WMA: https://myfwc.com/recreation/lead/cha...

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