Inside the Ohio ghost town that gave birth to a Hollywood legend but now sits as a 1940s 'time capsule' due to its derelict houses and deserted stores

Derelict houses, deserted stores, a near-empty mall, and fading street murals - an eye-opening documentary takes viewers on a tour of a languishing city in Ohio. 

Urban explorer Devin Dark ventured to downtown Stubenville, which he explains was once a booming industrial district known for its steel production and coal mining.

It also lays claim to fame as being the birthplace of iconic crooner and actor Dean Martin.

However, 'as America couldn't rival with cheaper prices overseas, the mines and plants shut down in the 1980s' and the city 'has lost half of its peak population of 40,000 people.' It now sits 'stuck in the 1940s,' according to Devin.

As the filmmaker wanders through the city's historical downtown, he highlights that 'there is not a soul walking here' and most of the stores appear to be abandoned. 

One appliance store he peers into still has dozens of washing machines on the showroom floor gathering dust, while a shuttered video game store has hundreds of games on the shelves gradually aging. 

Devin explains as he looks through the window: 'Wow, look at that! I think it has to be abandoned.

'There's PlayStation 2 games on the left there... Xbox 360s on the shelf... This place is a time capsule.'

Other closed spots he comes across include an old bank, multi-story hotel and gas station with a vintage car parked outside. 

During his tour, Devin explains that Stubenville is also known as the 'City of Murals' for its collection of giant artworks adorning various buildings. 

The Ohio tourism website notes that there are currently '24 larger-than-life murals painted on buildings throughout the city creating an "outdoor" art museum. 

'From Pioneer Days highlighting the Ohio Valley's part in westward expansion to Dean Martin (the city's native son) and the Rat Pack to dramatic scenes of steel workers in the now closed steel mills, the murals present local history in a colorful and novel way.' 

Later in the documentary, Devin explores a residential area which he finds in a dilapidated state and he ventures to the Fort Steuben Mall.

While it thrived after opening in 1974, Devin finds the mall to be a shadow of its former self. 

He says, as he wanders around the empty shopping center: 'Because of the jobs being taken out of the area, people just don't do retail shopping anymore and it leads to another dead mall here in America. 

'[It will] probably eventually be shutdown... There's really not many stores.'

The camera pans around to show that many of the stores are closed, bar a GameStop and a JCPenney.

Summing up his visit to Stubenville, Devin says: 'Most of these houses in the town were built for either miners or businessmen affiliated with the mine of the steel plant. 

'Since they dropped over 50 per cent from the 1940s, we have about half of the houses in town completely vacant or demolished by now.

'I kept finding more and more homes and family-owned businesses left behind and abandoned. It's a sad sight to see but a reminder of what big corporations do to the little guys.

'I really hope that this town and city could find some economy and some of these buildings don't have to go even more downhill but it has been a beautiful day, a beautiful explore.'

Many viewers have thanks Devin for sharing his insights. 

One fan wrote: 'Grew up in Ohio. Went there once in the early 90s. Remember it being more vibrant. Just shocking to see the transformation in the last 30 years. Loved the video.'

However, some have highlighted that other areas of Stubenville are alive and kicking but these were not shown in the documentary.  

One commenter wrote in response to the YouTube film: 'I'm glad you got to visit our city and appreciate what it was and some of what it is now, but Steubenville is not an abandoned ghost town. 

'It may not be what it once was, and yes many businesses and homes are abandoned, but there's so much more here. 

'There have been a lot of new businesses opening up in the past decade and even past few years, many of which you walked right past and didn't say anything [about]. 

'Most of these places are closed on Sunday or have limited hours but have brought a lot of life to our city. A lot of families have been moving here from bigger cities around the country for the smaller town community and pricing.'