Beware! This Abandoned Alabama Factory Will Haunt Your Dreams Tonight

Sloss Furnaces, which began operations in 1882, is an abandoned steel making facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Over the years, this abandoned facility has been the subject of many paranormal investigations, making it allegedly one of the most haunted places in Alabama.

flickr/Bill Blevins

As the legend goes... during the early 1900s, James "Slag" Wormwood, a foreman at the furnace, was known for overworking his night shift crew. He treated the workers terribly by forcing them to work in 120+ degree heat. In an attempt to impress his supervisors, Wormwood would force his workers to take dangerous risks. This situation was literally a "living hell" for these workers. Desperate for employment, even the poorest of workers would work under the supervision of Wormwood. While Wormwood was the "graveyard shift" foreman, a total of 47 workers lost their lives. This astounding number was 10 times greater than any other shift in the history of Sloss Furnaces.

flickr/Francis Storr

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flickr/Melissa Dooley

One fateful evening, Wormwood fell from the top of "Big Alice" and into the molten fires below. "Big Alice" was the name of the largest furnace. Many people believe the workers of the "graveyard shift" all banded together and tossed Wormwood into the molten fires as revenge for being treated terribly. But did they?

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Here are a few shots of the furnace’s underground tunnels:

flickr/Max Wolfe

flickr/Brian McHugh

According to Birmingham police records, there have been more than 100 reports of suspected paranormal activity at Sloss Furnaces. Several witnesses have come forward claiming to have seen ghostly apparitions hanging around the facility. After being shown a couple of photos of former workers, James Wormwood was a common identification among several of the witnesses. Other witnesses have reported hearing strange noises and feeling sudden drops in temperature in certain parts of the facility. Most of these occurrences are reported in the months of September and October, during the old "graveyard shift." Strange!

flickr/Rob Briscoe

The Alabama Foundation for Paranormal Research conducted an investigation of Sloss Furnaces in 2003. Here’s what they had to say: “There is no doubt Sloss is a hot spot for paranormal activity. During our investigation, we pulled data that confirms through our scientific methods and approach that energies are present and cannot be explained. Sloss is one of the most paranormally active places our team has investigated.”

Two psychic investigators from the TV show “AIRLINE!” investigated Sloss Furnaces in 2005. During the middle of the recording, one of the investigators began bleeding all of the sudden from a cut on his right hand, halting the investigation. Even though the investigation was halted, the camera crew was still able to catch images of the ghostly apparitions on film.

For a quick tour of Sloss Furnaces, be sure to check out the video below!

For many years now, Sloss Furnaces has been inactive. However, the facility has become a popular venue for concerts and special events. The most popular event held at the facility is Sloss Fright Furnace – Birmingham’s largest and most popular haunted attraction.

Many people believe the ghostly apparitions reported at Sloss Furnaces are simply hoaxes, while others believe it is indeed the spirit of James “Slag” Wormwood. What about YOU? What do YOU believe? Let us know in the comments below!