22.02.12
Tucked deep behind the flowing yellow cornfields of northern Ohio are the fading shells of former steel plants.
The factories no longer spew black smoke into the sky, there are no employees patrolling behind their high metal fences, the lights inside are permanently off and there's an eerie silence all around.
The buildings stand as large, empty symbols of the industry that used to keep the Mahoning Valley running.
"This was the center of the steel industry, mostly because of the location, halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, halfway between New York and Chicago … that led to a lot of manufacturing," said historian Jim McFarland.
At that time, jobs were abundant. Generations of families worked at the plants and built their lives along the Mahoning and Cayuhoga rivers. It seemed like the prosperity would never end.
"Everyone worked at the steel mill; it was a good paying job," said longtime Ohio resident Timothy Walton, whose father and grandfather worked at the plants.
Source: Fox News