Strange U.S. Cities and Towns There are cities in this country which have been described as being very strange. Why are they strange, because things have happened in them which are unusual? One of those cities is sort of a black hole, not for people, but for their luggage. Did you ever wonder what happens to your lost luggage when you fly? Yeah, probably not, but I will tell you anyway. If luggage is not claimed it goes to Scottsboro, Alabama. Can you imagine the assortment of things they must have found in unclaimed luggage? What happens to it after it sits and no one comes for it? When traveling and talking to other travelers, inevitably the topic of lost luggage comes up especially if people are frequent travelers. Back to what happens to the luggage. It can be the subject of a blind auction where you have a chance to buy a case or cases with unknown contents and later find out it is full of dirty underwear, or full of diamonds or anything in between. It is being said less luggage is lost than ever, but they should add a caveat, there is less traveling than ever so that could be the reason. I would think that during this time of the pandemic one wouldn’t want to buy the contents of someone else’s luggage. In foreign airports there are sometimes auctions of lost luggage. Sometimes luggage is held between two and three months before being sold off. Oak Ridge, Tennessee is sort of a weird place. The current generation might not know the history of the place, but it has an incredible history. During World War II the United States government decided to make that the location of the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the secret project which eventually built the first atom bomb. An entire secret city was constructed. Oak Ridge is about 25 miles west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge became a city in 1942. People from the United States, Britain and Canada were employed there. It still is the site of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex. Human life in the area has been traced back to about 1000 B.C. Ancient mounds were found in the area and uncovered in the 1930s. Los Alamos, New Mexico became the first site which had a nuclear reactor. It was finished in 1944. Los Alamos was also involved in the Manhattan Project and contributed to the first atom bomb being exploded by supplying the explosive uranium-235. At last count the population numbered over 12,000 people. If you have heard about the ruins of Puebloan settlers known as the cliff dwellers, that settlement is near Los Alamos. These incredible buildings were built high on a cliff under an overhang and include some buildings over a couple of stories high. One of the questions always being asked is why did the Indians build something like this so high up and another question is where did they disappear to and also why. Scientists have come up with a lot of theories but the one which makes the most sense to me is the people were trying to protect themselves from unknown attackers. One has to wonder how Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania ever got into predicting future weather. I say this because for years they have been using a groundhog to do it. They claim if he sees his shadow or not is the deciding factor when spring will come. The groundhog is named Phil and only has a record of 40 percent accuracy. So why is a groundhog being used to predict weather. It goes back to ancient times when the Christian holiday of Candlemas Day was being celebrated. That day was celebrated between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. People took their candles to church on February 2 believing this would bring good weather. The tradition changed over the years and in Germany a hedgehog was used in the same manner Phil the groundhog is being used today. Eventually Punxsutawney decided to carry on the tradition. Terlingua, Texas is a very strange place. It is strange for a couple of reasons, one is that it is abandoned 364 days a year, but becomes populated for 1 day. Why would people gather in an abandoned town for 1 day? In this case it is for a cookout which is a huge event. The famous Chili champion events are held here every year. Unfortunately, they were cancelled for 2020 due to the pandemic. Lately the cookout lasts for a week and tickets are sold for around $40 for the week. I guess an abandoned town gives people plenty of room. Cahawba, Alabama was once the capital of the state in the early part of the 19th century, but is no longer. It has a big problem and has been abandoned. Why did everyone leave? The answer to this question is very obvious. They couldn’t take the constant flooding. The town became abandoned right after the Civil War. The Alabama Historical Commission is very interested in the town and wants to create a park there. They are asking for donations which would be used to restore certain old buildings. Centralia, Pennsylvania has to be mentioned. What makes this place so unusual is it not only is over a coal mine, but the mine is on fire and has burned so far for over 50 years and is predicted to burn for another 250 years. There is no way to put out the fire with our current technology. The town was closed down and eventually the last resident abandoned his home. Buildings were then torn down and signs posted warning people to stay out of the area. It doesn’t look like anything will be able to be built there for about 3 centuries. The next place I want to mention has been called creepy by some people. It is Lily Dale, New York. Why would some people say the place is creepy? Perhaps it is because so many mediums live there. They are more than happy to connect you to your dead relatives and friends. The town is not only full of mediums but also spiritualists. It is amazing how they have congregated together; one would think it would hurt business with all this competition in the same place. There are strange places and places which are considered weird in this country. This is for various reasons and taking a tour of at least some of them can be a very interesting adventure. There are plenty of places I wanted to see but just never had a chance to get to them.
|
