Why would every single person in a once bustling town disappear at a moment’s notice, leaving houses, cars, and even food behind? What caused a once self-sufficient neighborhood to shut down, to the point of literally being wiped off the map? That’s the mystery of Clariton Pennsylvania, and Lincoln Way.

Back in 2007, Lincoln Way appeared as a populated, albeit somewhat rundown dead-end street. Rewind back to the early 1900s, and it was a bustling self-sufficient black town, sheltered from the racism of its surrounding neighborhoods. Now there’s not a building left to speak of, not a road for Google Maps to drive down. So what happened? Theories range from tragic, to supernatural.

@rundownbuildings What on Earth happened here? #abandoned #abandonedplaces #lincolnway #clairtonpa #pennsylvania #creepy ♬ original sound - creepy slowed audios

@heyitsemete Reply to @shirlarella The worst part is, this is a true story. #blm #blacklivesmatter #urbex #creepypasta #urbanexploring #hauntedcanada #horrortok ♬ sonido original - DeTodoUnPoco

One thing that is known, is Clariton’s proximity to a steel mill, now called Clairton Works. Clariton’s economy was heavily tied to the steel industry, and in order to survive the racism of surrounding towns, became completely self-sufficient including local farm to table food.

But when the steel industry fell, so did the town, and that’s where things get spooky. Understandably, young people moved away, and pollution of coke production made life difficult.

@heyitsemete The Beast of Lincoln Way⚠️tw:disturbing topics⚠️ #creepypasta #urbex #urbanexploring #hauntedcanada #horrortok #asl #ghosttown #scary #spooky #deaf ♬ sonido original - DeTodoUnPoco

“I grew up 10 mins from there,” Hipsterghost commented. “In the 90s you could see sulfur streams running down the mountain sides. The smell was horrific, because of the coke plant.”

But does that explain abandoned houses, with cars still in their driveways?

Some people theorize that the government forced an evacuation because of pollution, floods, or abandoned mines in danger of collapsing.

“I was told that people aren't allowed to live there due to collapsing mines underground,” Brian Yanko Jr. commented.

Other legends speak of a red-eyed, four legged monster the size of a horse called the "Beast of Lincoln Way,” terrorizing victims into fleeing.

But according to a piece on the street by Abandoned America, it was all of the aforementioned real-world reasons that slowly pushed remaining residents away until the last house was vacated in 2012. A large fire destroyed multiple homes a few years later before the remaining buildings were destroyed in 2018.

So no, it was not a red-eyed monster that destroyed one of Pennsylvania’s most bustling black neighborhoods. It was quite predictably, capitalism and racism.