Alvira Bunkers in a Ghost Town in Pennsylvania

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Alvira, Pennsylvania — The Lost WWII “Ordnance Town” in the Susquehanna Valley

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Where to find Alvira (1884-2198 Alvira Rd, Allenwood, PA 17810) or 41.136248, -76.959330
Scroll down for a car or bike tour of the interesting features of the game lands and the ghost town.

Alvira (near Allenwood, Union County) was condemned in 1942 so the War Department could build the Pennsylvania Ordnance Works (POW) and the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot—a TNT plant and munitions storage complex with ~150 concrete “igloo” bunkers. The plant ran for less than a year, residents were never allowed to buy back their farms, and many of the bunkers still dot today’s State Game Lands 252. A declassified Department of Energy memo later confirmed that ~100,000 lbs of uranium metal turnings from the Manhattan Project were stored in four of those igloos (Nos. 112, 120, 137, 146).

What you can see today. More than a hundred concrete igloos remain in State Game Lands 252; open ones are dim, most are locked. Foundations and small cemeteries survive in the woods.

But also the area has old factory foundations and remnants, several cemeteries, a large lake, ponds, marshy areas and many species of wildlife. Birds you can see include the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Eastern Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Bitterns, along with smaller birds like Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers, plus shorebirds and wading birds in late Summer.

Why Alvira Matters

A whole town erased for the war effort. In spring 1942, the federal government used eminent domain to seize 8,500+ acres, evicting families across Gregg Township (Union Co.) and neighboring townships in Lycoming Co.; Alvira (founded 1825 as “Wisetown”) disappeared.

Industrial scale, brief life. Construction engaged ~10,000 workers; TNT output reached ~360,000 lbs/day, yet the lines shut after ~11 months as needs changed. The site then shifted to storage as the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot.

Manhattan Project link. Uranium-234 metal turnings from the Manhattan Project were stored on-site during 1943–44 in specific bunker magazines—documented in DOE legacy records.

Plan Your Visit (maps, directions, GPS)

  • Official map: Pennsylvania Game Commission PDF for State Game Lands 252 (parking, roads, boundaries). State Game Lands 252 Map (PDF). Pennsylvania Government
  • Getting there/GPS: A popular access point is near 41.13618, -76.95924 along Alvira Road. Trip guide and photos: PA Bucket List — Exploring the Abandoned Alvira Bunkers. pabucketlist.com
  • Background & field notes: Atlas Obscura — Bunkers of Alvira and Uncovering PA — Alvira Bunkers offer wayfinding tips and what to expect. Atlas Obscura
  • Birding/nature overlay: Site guide from PA Birds for SGL-252 (parking and trail pointers). pabirds.org
  • Cemeteries: Find A Grave — Alvira Cemetery (memorials, photos) and a list of the gravestones.

History of Alvira and the Ordnance Works

  • Condemnation & demolition (1942): Farms and the village were taken; buildings were razed, residents promised a buy-back that largely never came.
  • Production (1943–44): The Pennsylvania Ordnance Works (operated under contract by U.S. Rubber) manufactured TNT; about 150 igloo bunkers held explosives and later other munitions.
  • Depot era (1944–): The site converted to the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot for storage and transfer. Tours for dignitaries appeared in the late war years.
  • Manhattan Project storage (1943–44): DOE records confirm ~100,000 lbs of uranium metal turnings stored in magazines 112, 120, 137, 146—a rare, documented nuclear-era footprint in central PA.

Further reading/overviews:

  • Hands-on Heritage — Lost No More: Alvira and the Ordnance Hands-on Heritage
  • Williamsport Sun-Gazette — Abandoned military bunkers still open on state game lands. sungazette.com

The bigger picture: other U.S. communities taken for WWII munitions

What happened at Alvira was part of a nationwide GOCO (government-owned, contractor-operated) build-out of smokeless powder, TNT, and LAP (load-assemble-pack) plants that displaced farms and towns:

  • Badger Army Ammunition Plant (WI) — 10,500 acres seized; massive propellant plant; long cleanup and prairie restoration.
  • Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant (KS) — 10,747 acres; Prairie Center community razed; largest smokeless-powder plant of its day.
  • Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (IL) — ~40,000 acres, ~450 farms vacated; later became Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and other public uses.
  • Ravenna Arsenal (OH) — ~22,000 acres, ~1,300 people displaced on short notice.
  • Weldon Spring (MO) — TNT/DNT ordnance works later became an AEC uranium feed materials site, directly tied to Manhattan Project/Cold War activities.

These facilities illustrate the wartime tradeoff: rapid production capacity at the expense of communities, followed by decades of environmental remediation and repurposing.

Dam and Pump House Remains on the West Branch of the Susquehanna

Directly east of Alvira, on the Susquehanna River’s West Branch, are the remnants of an old dam. Concrete structures are visible to kayakers and a deep pool lies downstream of the remains. There is also an old wood path or dam across the river here, leading to or part of the old dam. This was built before Alvira was taken by the government, but was used in some way for the TNT works, probably for water for industrial uses. On the shore west of the dam are some ruins of old concrete structures belonging to the installation’s pump houses.

Practical Guide: What to Look for on Site

  • Bunkers (“igloos”): Earthen-bermed, arched concrete with heavy doors; some unlocked but most secured. Note the roof oculus that admits a shaft of light. Respect closures and do not enter unsafe structures.
  • Traces of Alvira: Stone foundations, road beds, and small cemeteries amid second-growth forest.
  • Rail & roads: You’re walking a landscape that once held 17+ miles of rail and 50+ miles of roads built in months for the war.

Research & Resources

  • Maps & logistics
  • History & site guides
  • Primary/official nuclear-era documentation
    • DOE Legacy Management memo (PDF): “Pennsylvania Ordnance Works — ~100,000 lbs uranium metal turnings stored in magazines 112, 120, 137, 146 (1943–44).” lmpublicsearch.lm.doe.gov
  • Local news & programs

FAQs

  • Is it legal to visit? Yes—portions of the former depot are on public State Game Lands 252 . Follow posted regulations; this is active habitat management and hunting land. Bring blaze orange in season.
  • Is anything left of the town itself? Cemeteries and scattered foundations remain; the village was razed during WWII.
  • Was Alvira unique? No. Dozens of GOCO plants displaced communities nationwide (Badger, Sunflower, Joliet, Ravenna, etc.).
  • How is Alvira tied to the Manhattan Project? DOE records show uranium turnings from the Manhattan Project stored in specific igloos on site in 1943–44.

Car or Bike Tour of Alvira

Alvira is located on what is now State Game Lands 252, so make sure to take precautions during hunting season, as hunting is popular pastime of local residents.

Stop 1: Parking lot and first bunker

Location: Your starting point at 41.136248, -76.959330.
What you’ll see: A paved parking area where you can begin your exploration. The first WWII-era concrete bunker is immediately adjacent to the lot.

Stop 2: Drive east along Alvira Road

Location: Drive slowly along Alvira Road.
What you’ll see: As you drive, you will see “igloo-style” bunkers from the Pennsylvania Ordnance Works, which was built here during World War II. Some of the bunkers are easily visible from the road, while others are farther back in the brush.

Stop 3: Alvira Cemetery

Location: In the middle area of the road at 41.13057, -76.94942 is a cemetery.
What you’ll see: A small, historical cemetery remains from the former village. Many of the gravestones have been toppled, but it offers a poignant connection to the lost community. Grave records are available here and here.

Stop 4: Remnants of the Former Town and Washington Cemetery

Location: At the end of the road at a turn around.
What you’ll see: Look for other subtle signs of the former village of Alvira, such as former sidewalks or the stone steps of the old Evangelical church, now overgrown by the landscape. Information on the graves at the site is available here.

Stop 5: Water Pump Station Ruins and Remnants of Old Dam

Location: A few miles east of the game lands and Alvira, off Route 15, along Fritz Station Road, on the banks and out in the Susquehanna River. One of the best ways to see the dam and ruins is by kayaking from the river access ramp in Montgomery at the bridge over the Susquehanna there.
What you’ll see: The ruins of the old water pump-house and dam that once supplied water to the ordnance works. Just north of this site is a very old railroad bridge that is still used. And as you paddle south from Montgomery you can get a vantage point looking west, at the cliffs just north of the site, you will see some amazing geologic formations, unrelated to Alvira.

Stop 6: Additional Bunkers and Game Lands

Location: Explore further down the grass and dirt roads that branch off from Alvira Road. These are sometimes gated, so bike or walk them for access.
What you’ll see: From the gated access roads you can see more bunkers further into State Game Lands 252. These routes often have more vegetation and require more careful navigation.Take a device with GPS so you don’t get lost as the trails and roads all look similar to one another.

Back the roads/trails are many more bunkers, remains of structures, and some lakes and ponds and marshy areas. More recently, food plots for animals have been planted.

Stop 7: Gravesite of Matthew Brown at 41.12458122097892, -76.95442959578494
Matthew Brown (1732–1777) was an early Scotch-Irish settler of White Deer Valley in present-day Union/Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. He appears on the 1775 tax list, served as one of White Deer Township’s first overseers of the poor, and fought in the Revolutionary War. He died of “camp fever” in 1777 and is buried with his wife Eleanor near today’s Allenwood federal prison site. He was the father of Rev. Matthew Brown (1776–1853), later president of Washington and Jefferson colleges.

Stop 8: The Four Anthracite Towers at 41.147052132161214, -76.93619371037411 (may be behind a gate in the prison grounds). Used to store daily deliveries of anthracite coal for fueling the TNT operations.

Stop 9: The Stone Church (Not a Regular Stop because it exists on Federal Prison Grounds) at 41°09’20.6″N 76°56’01.1″W
The Stone Church in Alvira, PA, is the last remaining building from the lost town of Alvira, now located on the grounds of the Allenwood Federal Corrections Center. Originally called Christ’s Lutheran Church, it was a focal point for community meetings and was the site of a petition against the government’s seizure of land for a World War II ordnance facility. Today, it’s a historic site, sometimes used for special events like concerts and services, but is not generally open to the public and now in very bad repair.

History: The church was the center of community life in Alvira before the federal government acquired the land in 1942 to build a TNT production facility. Residents were forced to leave their homes, and their town was demolished to make way for the ordnance works and numerous concrete bunkers.

Community Hub: The church served as a meeting place for community members to voice their opposition to the government’s plan. The church is maintained by the Montgomery Area Historical Society and is only open for special events. Visitors can see it on special occasions, such as the Christmas service.

Significance: It is a symbol of the town’s history and the broken promise made to residents, who were told they could buy their land back after the war