The Legend of Lincoln Mill
The Legend of Lincoln Mill
The Lincoln Mill opened in 1860 and was one of Manayunk’s numerous textile mills. In March 2021, the mill was purchased by a local developer, who began renovations on the building.
On September 2, 2021, Hurricane Ida struck Philadelphia and flooded the mill to historic water levels. The flood damaged the mill’s interior and revealed a hidden chamber in the basement. Bodies were found and a dark truth was discovered about the mill’s past.
During the Great Depression in the 1930’s, Viktor Kane, the mill owner, tormented and experimented on his workers. Many of those workers lost their lives.
Construction has since been halted and the mill is under investigation.
Viktor Kane
In the 1900s, the textile mill industry was on a steady decline. Working conditions were rough during the depression years. Mill owners were seeking ways to boost productivity and make a profit again. One mill owner resorted to extreme measures.
Viktor Kane inherited his grandfather’s textile mill before the Great Depression began. Shortly after he gained control, he began implementing questionable policies. Mandates were implemented and workers were gaslighted into following them. The Lock-ins required the workers to work even longer days and punishments were implemented to punish those that did not comply. The minders were required to be worn to prevent unionizing conversations, stop disruptive chatter, and force a smile. The blinders kept the workers on task, prevented friendships, and shielded workers from the clock. Strings and chains tied workers to their machines.
Workers began to speak up against the mandates and were planning a strike. The charge was lead by by two workers named Lester and Mildred. Viktor was on to their plan and was committed to silencing them and every worker that threatened his operation.
This lead to Viktor building a hidden chamber below the mill where workers that spoke out would be punished. With the help of his accomplices, workers would go missing and would never been seen again. Sylas Grimshaw, the Mill Manager, kept a close eye on the workers and reported any worker that spoke out or did not comply. Edwin Leech, the Night Watchman, guarded the chamber entrance and assisted in luring and trapping the workers in the basement. Gretchen, the Seamstress, designed the uniforms and puppet abominations.
Viktor had an obsession for power and he developed a strong interest in the nature of suffering. With the help of Gretchen and her two assistants, the workers that threatened him became his very own lab subjects in the hidden chamber below.
The dark energy surrounding Viktor’s actions attracted an evil entity. The entity has come to be known as Corruptis and it is believed that it is tethered to the mill and may have possessed Viktor. Viktor and his accomplices kept the operation a secret throughout the 1930s. The ghost of Viktor Kane, his accomplices, and many mill workers haunt the mill and inflict fear on the mill’s modern day visitors.
