_______________Playwright’s Note_________________ On an icy day in 1997, I visited the town of Centralia, PA. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and they were tearing down St. Ignatius Catholic Church. I set up my small camcorder and began recording the final moments of this landmark church, founded in 1869. A few residents of the town were watching, but as the steeple fell, they walked away to shield me from their tears. A few months later I interview then Mayor of Centralia, Lemar Mervine. He and his wife generously invited me into their home. For almost two hours they unselfishly shared stories of their lives in Centralia and provided glimpses of their fifty-plus year marriage and experiences of this town. Their generosity of time, willingness to share the stories and struggles of their lives, and the kindnesses to both friends and strangers was constant, remarkable and a true gift for so many who visited. This experience was typical of every current and former resident of Centralia that I ever met. Three years ago, I decided to return to Centralia and to the play that was created from the interviews, videos, photographs and shared stories. I realized that of the twenty or so people that were living in Centralia then, only a few remain today. The plant life and foliage now obscure the outlines of streets, children’s playgrounds and parks. This town once boasted more than 1100 residents and 600 building are almost gone. Almost thirty years ago, the town was still very much in the news. Now, only a few of my students admit that they’ve ever heard of the town, and usually it because of a video game/movie reference, or a graffiti highway that was covered over with dirt in 2020. On the 160th Anniversary of its founding, I travel once again up Route 61 from Kutztown – to a remarkable coal town in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. Through this play I want to share the saga of a town consumed by an underground mine fire and provide a voice for what Centralians want to say about their town’s history. I hope that you will glimpse some of the people, places, events and memories of this community: their dignity, respect, humor, and kindnesses they shared with so many people in the face of tragedy. I am grateful to all the people who generously helped to make this and the 1998 production possible. It is to Alexander W. Rea (the founder of Centralia), Lemar Mervine, Anne Marie Devine, Sarah Yeager, Jerry “Slovy” Wysochansky, Joe “Ussie” Shipetski, Jane Benfield and all those that have ever lived in Centralia that this play is dedicated. Deryl B. Johnson, Playwright/Director
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