What the hell am I doing in Birmingham, Alabama?

About a month before I left Lexington, KY to move back to the Dallas area, I read a book on Southern ghosts and some of the scariest stories were about the ghosts at the Sloss Furnaces, of Birmingham (and another steel mill that used to be in Birmingham). I thought at the time that might make a good story, but "That's someplace I'll never be."

Then I kind of forgot about it.

Then I got an opportunity to work in Birmingham for three weeks. "Was that were I read about the ghosts?" Maybe. Then I go to work the first day and I see a sign for the Sloss furnaces, which is within six blocks of where I'm working. Oh yeah, now I remember.

One real nasty foreman, on the graveyard shift, that some legends say was thrown from a catwalk into a vat of molten iron by his crew is mentioned in many of the hauntings. He is reported to be burned or on fire and would yell at people to get back to work and sometimes would shove and cause burns on them.
So what am I doing in Birmingham? I have no idea. I'm sure the hell not going anywhere near the Sloss Furnaces.
[nq:1]From 1882 to 1971, Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces transformed coal andore from surrounding acres into the hard steel that would pave ... to produce thousands of products. Birmingham grew to a metropolis almost overnight, earning it the nickname of "The Magic City".[/nq]

But, there was a price to be paid.. more than 60 workers were killed in accidents at the furnace, and if the stories are true many of those souls are still walking the grounds.

"Make no mistake, Sloss Furnace is spooky....many of our crew refused to go back in...we encountered cold spots, orbs, and even machinery that seemed to run on its own..."

Unexplained Team, CBS News

"Being at Sloss is like standing before the gates of hell...Would I ever go back here by myself? No Sir. "
Fox's Scariest Places on Earth

"This abandoned steel mill is haunted. It is filled with the spirits of workers who, for whatever reason, have refused to move on. Caution is advised for thrill-seekers who want to explore Sloss...Casper the friendly ghost certainly does not live there." Beyond Chance, Lifetime TV

Sloss Furnace of Birmingham is considered to be one of the top 100 haunted sites in America.
In 1881, The Sloss Furnace Company was founded by Alabama railroad magnate and entrepreneur James Withers Sloss. Production of pig iron at Sloss Furnaces began in 1882 and continued for almost 90 years until it quit production in 1971. Called "The Fright Furnace", there are many instances of hauntings, sightings, and other unexplained oddities:

· Sloss Industries discontinued the graveyard shift, citing numerous reports of accidents and "strange incidents" that decreased steel production, due to a cruel foreman on the midnight shift at the furnaces that worked his men relentlessly under grueling conditions, with temperatures often rising above 120 degrees. This resulted in an unusual number of deaths on that shift.

· Workers continuously complained of an "unnatural presence"

· A night watchman in 1926 sustained injuries after being "pushed from behind" and told angrily by a deep voice "to get back to work." The man, upon searching the grounds, could find no sign of any other living person.

· In 1971, the night before the plant closed, Samuel Blumenthal, the Sloss Night Watchman, taking a last look about, found himself face to face with "the most frightening thing he had ever seen." He described it simply as "evil", a "half-man/half-demon" who tried to push him up the stairs. When Blumenthal refused, the monster began to beat on him with his fists. Upon examination by a physician, Blumenthal was found covered with intense burns. He died before ever returning to Sloss.
· There have been more than 100 reports of suspected paranormal activity at Sloss Furnaces recorded in Birmingham Police records.