Sloss Furnaces has had their share of tragedy in the 90 years that it was open as a furnace. In the early 1900's, James "Slag" Wormwood, was foreman of the "Graveyard Shift", the period between sunset and sunrise, where a skeleton crew of nearly 150 workers toiled to keep the furnace fed. During the stifling summer months, temperatures throughout the plant would reach more than 120 degrees. Lack of sleep, the heat, and low visibility made working the furnace literally a "living hell" and only the poorest of workers, desperate for employment, would work it. These workers, mostly recently arrived immigrants, were forced to live in cramped housing located on the furnace site, and could be forced at any moment to return to work. To impress his supervisors, Wormwood would make his workers take dangerous risks, forcing them to speed up production. During his reign, 47 workers lost their lives, ten times more than any other shift in the history of the furnace. Countless others lost their ability to work due to accidents, mishaps, and even a recorded explosion in the small blowing engine house in 1888 that left 6 workers burned blind.
Over the years local authorities have been informed of all types of the unusual sigthings and reports. Many reports have been phoned into local law enforcement ranging from seeing lights on in the buildings to hearing the machines running when no one was at the furnace. Many reports have been explained. Many of those reports have not. Locals speak of the furnaces as a very evil and scary place.
Middle Tennessee Ghost Chasers have been invited to investigate this deemed haunted location. The Sloss Furnaces have been featured on shows such as Airline and The Scariest Places on Earth. Middle Tennessee Ghost Chasers plan to see first hand if in fact Sloss Furnaces is haunted or is it just local urban legends past on year to year. Middle Tennessee Ghost Chasers unlike many paranormal investigation groups, go in to a location to debunk any claims. When debunking hits a dead end, then they set up equipment such DVR “digital video recorders”, night vision cameras, handheld Mini DV cameras, audio recorders, and other scientific measuring equipment to document possible evidence. To learn more about Middle Tennessee Ghost Chasers visit them on the web at http://www.middletennesseeghostchasers.com . Learn more about Sloss Furnaces at http://www.slossfurnaces.com/
