In Birmingham, Alabama sits the remains of Sloss Furnaces, a former blast furnace used to make iron. It opened in 1882 and ran until the early 1970’s. Around the turn of the twentieth century, legend says there was a foreman running the furnace who was abusive in demands. He forced the workers (many of whom were immigrants and without any other job options) to work long hours in considerably dangerous conditions, always yelling about more production. Some of these workers even died due to the dangers of the job exasperated by the foreman‘s demands. One day around 1906, this foreman was said to be atop the furnace when he became light headed and fell in, killing him instantly. Legend says that his death may not have been an accident but rather his workers revolted due to his abusive behavior. Either way, it’s a pretty gruesome end.
Shortly after the foreman’s death, workers began hearing a disembodied voice demanding they get back to work. Other people were said to have been pushed while near the furnace. As unexplained accidents increased, the workers became nervous about working in the area, especially at night.
Today, Sloss Furnaces is a National Landmark; a kind of living museum for visitors. It is also a popular destination for ghost hunters. It’s been featured on several paranormal television shows throughout the years. Visitors have claimed to see dark shadowed figures, bright floating orbs, disembodied voices, cold spots, unexplained touches, hard pushes and much more.
Sloss Furnaces sounds like a fun place to check out. The next time I’m in Alabama, I plan to.
Photo by: IA Fillm Group