1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to Haunted Road, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener. Discretion is advised. 3 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 2: You might say that Birmingham, Alabama, was faded to become 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 2: a center of industry, a place made rich by manufacturing 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 2: products and shipping them across the globe. But all of 6 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 2: that prosperity came at a cost, a human cost. Birmingham 7 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: quickly became a center of iron production, but smelting all 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: that iron ore was a laborious job that was deathly dangerous. 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 2: Men sustained terrible injuries and were sometimes cooked alive from 10 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 2: exposure to the molten iron. And as racial inequity and 11 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 2: hostility toward Black Americans grew, the burden those men bore 12 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 2: became disproportionately more perilous. The sloss furnaces contained the ghosts 13 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 2: of some of the darkest moments in Birmingham history. And 14 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 2: it's all still there today, being relived by those who 15 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 2: won't or can't leave it behind. I'm Amy Bruney, and 16 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 2: this is Haunted Road. When Birmingham was founded in eighteen 17 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 2: seventy one, its planners envisioned a rich future in an 18 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 2: Appalachian Valley in north central Alabama. The city sat at 19 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: the crossroads of two railroad lines on one of the 20 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 2: world's richest mineral Deposits hopes to establish a town with 21 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 2: considerable industry were so high that investors in the Ellaton 22 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: Land Company, the founding company of the city, named it 23 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: after Birmingham, England, the epicenter of the iron industry in 24 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 2: the UK. The plan worked thanks in large part to 25 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: Sloss Furnaces, a processing plant that extracted iron from rocks 26 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 2: by superheating the iron ore, converting it into liquid iron, 27 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 2: and cool it into a solid that was then sold 28 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: and used for countless purposes. Sloss Furnaces was built in 29 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 2: eighteen eighty one, named after Colonel James Withers Sloss, one 30 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 2: of Birmingham's founding fathers. Sloss played an important role in 31 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 2: the founding of the city because he convinced a major 32 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 2: railroad of the day to lay tracks through the fledgling town. 33 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 2: In its first year, Sloss Furnaces sold twenty four thousand 34 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 2: tons of iron. Along with other manufacturing plants, Sloss became 35 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 2: so profitable so rapidly that Birmingham became known as Magic City, 36 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 2: a nickname that came from the fact that the city 37 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 2: grew so quickly it seemed to be by magic. By 38 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 2: the mid eighteen eighties, Birmingham was a bona fide manufacturing hub. 39 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 2: Demand grew so quickly that its owners began construction on 40 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 2: a second furnace just a year after its opening. Combined, 41 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 2: the furnaces could produce over two hundred and fifty tons 42 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 2: of iron a day. Slas Furnaces National Historic Landmark describes 43 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 2: the physical structure sixty feet high and eighteen feet in diameter. 44 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 2: Sloss's new Whitwell stoves were the first of their type 45 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 2: ever built in Birmingham and were comparable to similar equipment 46 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 2: used in the North. Local observers were proud that much 47 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 2: of the machinery used by Slass's new furnaces would be 48 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 2: of Southern manufacture. It included two blowing engines and ten 49 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 2: boilers thirty feet long and forty six inches in diameter. 50 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 2: According to the podcast Homespun Haunts, pig iron, the main 51 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 2: product of the furnaces, gets its name from the shape 52 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: of the cooling trenches the workers would dump the molten 53 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 2: iron into cool These trenches looked like a sow feeding 54 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 2: piglets in eighteen eighty three, Sloss Furnaces won a bronze 55 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: medal for the best pig Iron at the Louisville Exhibition. 56 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 2: Iron was extracted in the two furnaces through a hot, 57 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 2: dangerous process. As the Slass Furnaces Tour describes, Iron ore, limestone, coke, 58 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 2: and hot air were continuously fed into the furnace, which 59 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 2: would reach temperatures of thirty eight hundred degrees. As the 60 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 2: materials moved down and hot air moved up in the furnace, 61 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: two products accumulated in the bottom or hearth, molten iron 62 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 2: and slag. The iron and slag were withdrawn or tapped 63 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 2: through two holes called notches. About every four hours, the 64 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 2: iron notch, located at the base of the furnace was opened, 65 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 2: allowing the molten iron to flow out of the furnace. 66 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 2: In addition to the furnaces themselves, the plant contained many 67 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 2: more buildings, including ten boilers that would burn waste gas 68 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 2: created inside the furnace during the iron making process, and 69 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: a pyrometer house which contained the machines that measured temperature 70 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: in the furnaces. According to the Slass Furnaces Tour, this 71 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 2: building is the strongest built building on the site and 72 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 2: would be used to protect the workers if anything went 73 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,479 Speaker 2: seriously wrong with the furnace. This the use of the 74 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 2: pyrometer house prompted the workers to call it the dog house, 75 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 2: saying the furnace would get mad at them and put 76 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 2: them in the doghouse. Those furnaces were powered by blowing engines. 77 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 2: As the tour describes, the blowing engines stand over thirty 78 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 2: feet tall and turned flywheels twenty feet in diameter at 79 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 2: a rate of about thirty revolutions per minute. Each engine 80 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 2: had a steam cylinder on the bottom and an air 81 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 2: cylinder on the top. Steam drove the piston in the 82 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,679 Speaker 2: steam cylinder up and down, in turn driving the piston 83 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 2: in the air cylinder. The moving piston pulled in air, 84 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: compressed it, and pushed it out. These generated a large 85 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 2: amount of noise. The decibel level would compare to that 86 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 2: of standing front row at a rock concert. Cast sheds 87 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 2: cover the areas where iron was poured from the furnaces 88 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 2: and then cooled into pigs. According to industrial archaeology, the 89 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 2: work of breaking and carrying the newly cast pigs was arduous, hot, 90 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 2: and dangerous. Workers wore wooden shoes in order to protect 91 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 2: their feet from being scorched by the liquid iron, and 92 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 2: had to work at a rapid pace to clear the 93 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 2: shed for the next opening of a furnace notch. The 94 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 2: furnaces didn't just generate significant income for Birmingham. Visiting them 95 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 2: was a pastime for locals. The road to the plant 96 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,799 Speaker 2: has significant shoulders so that people could gather and watch 97 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 2: the plant's workings at a safe distance. As Robin MacDonald 98 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 2: wrote in the Anniston Star, people gathered in the smoke, 99 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 2: the fumes, and the steam each night along the viaduct 100 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 2: to watch molten iron and burning slag pour from the 101 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 2: nearby furnace mouths. Some brought their dates, some brought their children. 102 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 2: Some came on Sunday afternoon furnus party picnics. Other Southern 103 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 2: cities had undeniable segregation problems in racial tensions, but Birmingham 104 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:01,239 Speaker 2: had a specially severe and distinct racial division. Martin Luther 105 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 2: King Junior once described Birmingham as the most segregated city 106 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 2: in America. By the mid twentieth century, Birmingham became notorious 107 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 2: for its segregation. This included a series of racially motivated bombings, 108 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 2: most famously the nineteen sixty three bombing of the Sixteenth 109 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 2: Street Baptist Church, which killed four young black girls. Earlier 110 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 2: that year, during the Birmingham Campaign, a massive desegregation action, 111 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 2: the city's Public Safety Commissioner, Eugene bull Conner, oversaw the 112 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 2: use of extreme force against nonviolent protesters, generating worldwide outrage. 113 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 2: These protests were when Martin Luther King Junior was arrested 114 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 2: and wrote his famous letter from Birmingham jail. The manufacturing industry, 115 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 2: including Sloss Furnaces, was highly segregated until the nineteen sixties. 116 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 2: Workers at Sloss were required to keep everything separate. They 117 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 2: bathed in separate bathhouses, punched separate time clocks, and stayed 118 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 2: in separate company housing. As Karen Utts wrote in the 119 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 2: Alabama Humanities Alliance, between nineteen hundred and nineteen fifty, Slass 120 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 2: Furnaces maintained company houses throughout Birmingham's Industrial District. Sloss Quarters, 121 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 2: the forty eight houses adjacent to city Furnaces were designed 122 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 2: specifically for African American workers. They were typical shotgun style structures, 123 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 2: with two rooms set on foundation posts and no indoor plumbing. 124 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 2: Until the nineteen thirties. While not a companied town in 125 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 2: the strictest sense. The quarters contained a doctor's office, a commissary, 126 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 2: and offered numerous neighborhood gatherings, including watermelon cuttings, suppers, dancing, 127 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 2: and ball games. By the turn of the century, Birmingham's 128 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 2: iron and steel workforce was sixty five percent black, a 129 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 2: number that would climb to seventy five percent by nineteen ten. 130 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 2: Black employees were only offered the most perilous jobs in 131 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 2: air dangerous industry. Whites populated all the managerial and scientific 132 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 2: roles of the furnaces, while black workers were relegated to 133 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 2: lower paying risk year rolls. There were various ways to 134 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 2: die in the furnaces, including being crushed by an elevator 135 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 2: full of ore like William Mitchell in eighteen eighty nine, 136 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 2: overcome by gas like Julian Wood in eighteen ninety one, 137 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 2: buried in coal from a coal shoot like Levitigus span 138 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 2: in eighteen ninety two, hit in the head with a 139 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 2: bucket of bricks like will Buchanan in eighteen ninety seven, 140 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 2: or simply being found dead on coke oven like David 141 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 2: Tuck in eighteen ninety nine. In November eighteen eighty two, 142 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 2: less than a year after it opened. A horrific accident 143 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 2: took place at Sloss Furnaces. Two black workers, Alec King 144 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 2: and Bob Mayfield, had been lowered into one of the 145 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 2: furnaces stacks in order to clean off a scaffold, a 146 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 2: build up of coke and ore that caused it to malfunction. 147 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,439 Speaker 2: When the scaffold gave way, it sent up a pillar 148 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 2: of smoke and ash, suffocating the men and causing them 149 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 2: to fall into the fire of the furnace. One local newspaper, 150 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 2: whose reporter was on scene as their bodies were recovered, 151 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 2: described a truly nightmarish sight in an article headlined Another 152 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 2: Furnace Horror. The reporter wrote, after removing a quantity of 153 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 2: slag and ore, they drew out the charred and blackened 154 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 2: remains of what had been only a few moments before 155 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 2: two living beings. The bodies were a ghastly and revolting sight. 156 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 2: The skulls were bleached white, The arms of both were 157 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 2: drawn up above the heads, the fingers were clenched tight, 158 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 2: and only small particles of charred flesh remained on blackened bones. 159 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 2: It was a scene that was indescribably horrible. The article 160 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 2: ran directly next to a report of a man's suicide 161 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:03,199 Speaker 2: by jumping into nearby Alice furnace. In February eighteen ninety two, 162 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,200 Speaker 2: an accident notable enough to make the New York Times 163 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 2: took place at Sloss Furnaces. A scaffold collapse caused eight 164 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 2: men to fall fifty eight feet two. John Stanton and 165 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 2: Jake Ritchie, both white mechanics in their early twenties, were 166 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 2: killed instantly. A contemporary report in The Daily Advertiser described 167 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 2: Richie's head as being mashed into a jelly. The other 168 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 2: six men, who were both white and black, were all injured, 169 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 2: five severely. Their injuries ranged from broken limbs and jawbones 170 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 2: to burns and internal injuries. In August eighteen ninety seven, 171 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 2: The Times reported on another death at Sloss, this one 172 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 2: more mysterious. Joseph F. Webb, a painter for the Southern Railway, 173 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 2: was found dead in a tank of boiling water at Sloss. 174 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 2: His body was discovered by a twelve year old boy 175 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 2: who worked at the furnaces as a coke poller. As 176 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 2: the Times described it, the body was and the flesh 177 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,920 Speaker 2: fell off in chunks as it was drawn from the vat. 178 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 2: Webb had last been seen leaving a bar the night before, 179 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 2: and his friends suspected he was murdered and his body 180 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: thrown into the tank. When his body was pulled from 181 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 2: the tank, bruises were visible around his neck. Webb was 182 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 2: a vocal member of a white supremacist order called Regents 183 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 2: of the White Shield, and one newspaper suggested that he 184 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 2: had been murdered by a group of black men. However, 185 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,439 Speaker 2: witnesses said that he was extremely intoxicated on the night 186 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 2: of his death, lending credence to the idea that he 187 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 2: fell in the vat accidentally. This was the theory eventually 188 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:43,079 Speaker 2: settled on by investigators. In August nineteen hundred five workers, 189 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 2: all black men, were severely burned in another horrific accident. 190 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 2: Its loss limestone and ore lining the walls of Furnace 191 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 2: Number one fell on them as they were tending the fire, 192 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 2: causing a terrific explosion of gas and steam. As the 193 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 2: Birmingham Age Harold wrote, two of the men would die 194 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 2: from their injuries in the following days. The flippant description 195 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 2: in the local newspaper indicates the pervasive attitude toward black 196 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:13,319 Speaker 2: people at the time. The article read everything was done 197 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 2: to alleviate the suffering of the men, but as the 198 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 2: hospitals were all crowded, they had to be sent to 199 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 2: their homes in various parts of the city. The furnace 200 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 2: was in no way damaged, and the only inconvenience experienced 201 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 2: by the company was the removal of the fallen rock. 202 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,079 Speaker 2: Imagine having burned so severe they would eventually take your 203 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 2: life and being told that there was no room for 204 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 2: you at the only place that could help you. By 205 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 2: the nineteen tens, Sloss was one of the world's largest 206 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 2: pig iron manufacturers, but owners were slow to update the 207 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 2: furnaces with more modern systems. According to the furnace's history, 208 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 2: between nineteen twenty seven and nineteen thirty one, the plant 209 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 2: underwent a concentrated program of mechanization. Most of its major 210 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 2: operation equipment, the blast furnaces and the charging and casting machinery, 211 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 2: was replaced at this time. In nineteen twenty seven to 212 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 2: nineteen twenty eight, the two furnaces were rebuilt, enlarged, and 213 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 2: refitted with mechanical charging equipment, doubling the plant's production capacity. 214 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 2: The mechanization brought the plant up to date with technology 215 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 2: that had been invented several decades earlier, and finally did 216 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 2: away with the now antiquated sand casting method of creating 217 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 2: pig iron. It has been suggested by historians that Sauce 218 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 2: was so slow to keep up with the times due 219 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 2: to the cheapness and abundance of black labor in the South. 220 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 2: Until nineteen twenty eight, the furnaces coal mines were staffed 221 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 2: with largely black convict labor. David Lewis wrote in Sauce 222 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 2: Furnaces and the Rise of the Birmingham District on Industrial 223 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 2: Epic that in eighteen ninety ninety of the one thousand 224 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 2: inmates working there died on the job, a disproportionately high 225 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 2: high number of workplace debts compared to similar minds. According 226 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 2: to Standeal of al dot com, historians have said nobody 227 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 2: knows how many men died at Sloss over its nine 228 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 2: decade history. In general, human life was considered cheap at Sloss, 229 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 2: according to tour guide Richard Neely. As Ellen Brown wrote 230 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 2: in The Haunting of Alabama, doctor Neely suggested that Sloss 231 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 2: Furnaces was not overconcerned with the welfare of the workers 232 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 2: because they could be easily replaced. One of the workers 233 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 2: interviewed Love to tell the story that they told the 234 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 2: workers here, don't kill any mules. Mules cost twenty five dollars. 235 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 2: But men, men, we can replace. In nineteen fifty two, 236 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 2: the furnaces were purchased by the US Pipe and Foundry Company. 237 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 2: In the late nineteen fifties, the Slaws quarters were dismantled 238 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 2: as they became too expensive for the company to maintain. 239 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 2: The furnaces closed for good in nineteen seventy one due 240 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 2: to stricter air pollution regulations of the Clean Air Act 241 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 2: and old machinery that couldn't meet them. At this time, 242 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 2: the structures were donated to the Alabama State Fair Commission. 243 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 2: The structure was declared a National Historic Landmark in nineteen 244 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 2: eighty one. Slass Furnaces became a museum in nineteen eighty three. 245 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 2: In addition to offering self guided tours, the museum hosts 246 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 2: programs like conferences, metal art exhibitions, concerts, and festivals. According 247 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 2: to the furnace's history, Sloss is currently the only twentieth 248 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 2: century blast furnace in the US being preserved and interpreted 249 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 2: as a historic industrial site. Maybe it's because so many 250 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 2: people were treated as less than its lost furnaces, that 251 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 2: there's such strong paranormal energy at the site, or maybe 252 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 2: it's that more than ninety years of employees going to 253 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 2: work every day fearing terrible injuries and possible death left 254 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 2: a psychic stain on the place. Whatever reason there is 255 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 2: for all of the paranormal activity, it's a lot, and 256 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 2: it started decades ago while Sloss was still operating. According 257 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 2: to Standel, workers in the blowing engine building reported that 258 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 2: objects mysteriously moved. They might leave a tool in one place, 259 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,639 Speaker 2: for example, and come back to find it in another. 260 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,640 Speaker 2: That building, the oldest still standing at Sloss, is also 261 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 2: said to be the most haunted. Full body apparitions have 262 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 2: been reported at Sloss Furnaces, and some people claim that 263 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 2: they have been pushed or shoved by unseen forces. Others 264 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 2: report hearing mysterious music they describe as an eerie singing 265 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 2: in the complex. As Alan Brown wrote in The Spirits 266 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 2: of Sloss Furnaces, investigators have captured EVPs on the property, 267 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 2: including the voice of a little girl who said, Hi, Daddy, 268 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 2: here's your lunch. This was thought to be the spirit 269 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 2: of one of the children who lived in Sloss quarters. 270 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 2: Mitch Goth in Haunted US reported that people claim to 271 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 2: have heard the voices of former workers in the facilities 272 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 2: telling them to mind the heat or push some steel. Sloss, 273 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 2: though never produced steel. The primary ghost story at Sloss 274 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 2: Furnaces concerns an unethical foreman named James Slag Wormwood. According 275 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 2: to legend, he ran the furnace's graveyard shift in the 276 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 2: early nineteen hundreds. According to Fright Furnace, the Halloween event 277 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 2: that ran its slaws from nineteen ninety seven to twenty nineteen, 278 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,400 Speaker 2: Slag would make his workers take dangerous risks, forcing them 279 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 2: to speed up production. Dozens of workers are said to 280 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 2: have died as a result of Slag's policies. The story 281 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,120 Speaker 2: goes that in October nineteen oh six, Slag fell from 282 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,239 Speaker 2: the top of a blast furnace into a pool of 283 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: iron ore, dying instantly. Many assumed this was no accident, 284 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 2: but his maltreated workers finally taking their revenge. Workers soon 285 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 2: began to report unusual occurrences in the furnaces that they 286 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 2: attributed to Slag's vengeful spirit. In nineteen seventy one, the 287 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,360 Speaker 2: night before the plant closed, night watchman Samuel Blumenthal supposedly 288 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 2: encountered the most frightening thing he had ever seen. According 289 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 2: to Fright Furnace, he described it simply as evil, a 290 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,119 Speaker 2: half man, half demon who tried to push him up 291 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 2: the stairs. When Blumenthal refused, the monster began to beat 292 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:17,120 Speaker 2: on him with his fists. According to legend, Blumenthal emerged 293 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 2: from the furnaces covered in burns and later died from 294 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 2: his injuries. However, that story, and the story of Slag 295 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 2: Wormwood is just that a story, a story invented by 296 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:32,200 Speaker 2: the haunted attraction for the haunted attraction, which many such 297 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 2: attractions do. However, sometimes these stories go on to be 298 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:40,640 Speaker 2: passed along as fact. According to Slass Furnace's marketing officer, 299 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 2: Rachel Vershore, Slag simply never existed. Vershore told Roadside America 300 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 2: that a well known paranormal show came down and talked 301 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 2: to our Halloween Fright Furnace crew. They told them about Slag, 302 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 2: a legend that they had created, and I guess the 303 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 2: show just assumed it was real. While Slass claims that 304 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 2: the the Halloween Event invented Slag, his legend might be 305 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 2: based in part on the true story of Theophilus Jowers, 306 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 2: who died in Birmingham's nearby Alice Furnace in September eighteen 307 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 2: eighty seven. Many modern reports about incidents at Sloss seemed 308 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 2: to conflate sloths in Alice Furnaces, which were two separate 309 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 2: companies located across town from each other. An assistant foundryman Jowers, 310 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 2: was assisting in switching out bells and Alice Furnace number one. 311 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 2: As he held onto a rope attached the old bell, 312 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 2: Jowers tripped and he and the bell tumbled into the 313 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 2: heat of the furnace. Catherine Wyndham wrote in The Ghost 314 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,399 Speaker 2: and the Sloss Furnace that, according to one contemporary news report, 315 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 2: the intense heat reduced his body almost to ashes. A 316 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 2: piece of sheet iron was attached to a length of 317 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,160 Speaker 2: gas pipe, and with that instrument, his head, bowels, two 318 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 2: hip bones, and a few ashes were fished out. Two 319 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 2: workmen who were on the bridge with him came very 320 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,679 Speaker 2: near going in as well. Some believe that Jowers's ghost 321 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 2: haunts Sloss, the logic being that he migrated there after 322 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 2: Alice Furnaces closed down in nineteen twenty seven. It's claimed 323 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 2: that he's been seen walking the catwalk in the furnaces 324 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 2: He's also been seen performing his work tasks as he 325 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 2: would have in life, albeit not at Sloss. It's said 326 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 2: that in nineteen twenty seven, his son John Jowers saw 327 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 2: a figure of a man emerge from a cloud of 328 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,920 Speaker 2: sparks at Sloss. Though the sparks would have been too 329 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,919 Speaker 2: hot for an actual human to be that close, that 330 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 2: could very well have been the ghost of Theophilus Jowers. 331 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 2: Psychics have reported that the ghost of Jowers does not 332 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 2: want to move on and is happy at Sloss. Another popular, 333 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 2: likely untrue ghost story claims that a woman who was 334 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 2: pregnant out of wedlock threw herself into the furnaces sometime 335 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 2: around nineteen hundred. As is typical of these stories, it's 336 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 2: sometimes said to have taken place at Alice rather than Sloths, 337 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 2: or the two are conflated. It's claimed that at her 338 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:04,399 Speaker 2: memorial service, a white deer appeared, representing her spirit, and 339 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 2: that this deer still appears whence Sloss hosts events. While 340 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 2: the ghost stories might not always correspond with history, there 341 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,199 Speaker 2: are surely lots of ghosts at Sloss, noted is one 342 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,880 Speaker 2: of the most haunted locations, if not the most haunted location, 343 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 2: in Alabama. There are lots of stories to tell. I've 344 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 2: investigated there, so I've got a few experiences to share, 345 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 2: and so does paranormal investigator Kevin Walden, who we will 346 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 2: be chatting with up next that is coming up after 347 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 2: the break. So I am now joined by paranormal investigator 348 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,880 Speaker 2: Kevin Walden, who has spent a lot of time investigating 349 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 2: Sloss Furnaces. I've investigated there as well, so I think 350 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 2: together we can have a great conversation. So thanks for joining. 351 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: Us, Kevin, That's no problem. Thank you very much for 352 00:22:58,520 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: having me. 353 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:04,440 Speaker 2: To start off by saying that Sloss Furnaces is clearly 354 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 2: a very historical location. They still have a lot of 355 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 2: programs there and things, and you can visit them anytime. 356 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 2: They have kind of backed away from their ghosts and 357 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 2: their paranormal tours. And I do see kind of a 358 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 2: lot of locations, not a lot, but locations do occasionally 359 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 2: do that something happens, they get a bad taste in 360 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 2: their mouth about it, or they're concerned about, you know, 361 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 2: being disrespectful, and so I just want to send the 362 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,959 Speaker 2: message out to Sloss and other historical locations that are 363 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 2: truly haunted, that think that it is disrespectful to pursue that. 364 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 2: Just know that there are very much ways to keep 365 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 2: your history accurate and very respectfully handle your hauntings and 366 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 2: at the same time bring in some extra revenue, which 367 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:49,720 Speaker 2: I know a lot of these locations need. So if 368 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 2: any locations out there want to talk to me about it, 369 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,679 Speaker 2: please reach out. I love helping and I think it 370 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 2: is a great opportunity, but I also completely understand when 371 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 2: places kind of veer away from it. So just know 372 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,120 Speaker 2: that in the right hands, you all can do it. 373 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 2: So that being said, Kevin Slaus is wild. I have 374 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 2: investigated there a few times on and off camera and 375 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,639 Speaker 2: have had some pretty amazing experiences there. So what drew 376 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 2: you to that hunt in the first place. 377 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: We Slaus has just always kind of been there in 378 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: the background of Birmingham, a lot of history there, a 379 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 1: lot of tragic deaths unfortunately, and ever since I was 380 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:32,639 Speaker 1: a child, I've always been kind of interested in, you know, 381 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: the spooky stuff and the kind of scary things. But 382 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: what actually got me to go there. We had to 383 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,120 Speaker 1: do a presentation for one of our high school classes 384 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: and they said they wanted us to go out and 385 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 1: do something we've never done before. So me and my 386 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: group we decided, hey, let's go ghost hunting. Oddly enough, 387 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 1: there was a ghost hunter's marathon going on on Sci 388 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: Fi Channel. So I just sitting here talking to you 389 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: about this is kind of crazy and it's own. 390 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,120 Speaker 2: Right, but it always comes around right, full circle. 391 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, So we decided we were actually going to go 392 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: out to Old Bryce Sat in Tuscaloosa. It's this old 393 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: mental institution, looks straight out of a horror movie. So 394 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: we pack up, we head out there. We get about 395 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: four steps on the door and a state trooper shows up. 396 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: You know, we we were young and dumb, about sixteen 397 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: seventeen years old, but we were detained for about twenty minutes. 398 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: I think it was just trying to scare us more 399 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: than anything, but finally he let us go. We were 400 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,919 Speaker 1: coming back from Tuscaloos to Birmingham and that's when we 401 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: saw it off in the distance, the towers of slush 402 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: just standing there staring back at us, and we were like, 403 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 1: you know what, let's give it another shot. Let's go here. 404 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: So we pull in and there's a security guard working 405 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: and as soon as we come walking up as you know, 406 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:53,600 Speaker 1: what are you guys doing here? And We told him, man, 407 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: we're just trying to do this thing for school. We're 408 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: trying to get a good grade on it. He was like, well, 409 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,400 Speaker 1: i'll tell you what you guys, come in, I'll give 410 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: you a free tour. So he walked us around and 411 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: then finally I was like, I'm gonna be leaving here 412 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: at about midnight. You guys got two hours to do 413 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: your thing. And then I'm out, wow, And I think 414 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: he was scared to be there really after midnight. 415 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 2: That's so interesting. So you did it the right way. 416 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 2: You actually had permission. I think that that happened sometimes. 417 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 2: You know, when I was in high school, I'm totally 418 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 2: guilty of going places I should not have. And yeah, 419 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 2: and now I think it's great that it's so kind 420 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 2: of at the forefront because we can educate kids now, like, hey, 421 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 2: you don't have to break into these locations. There are 422 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 2: plenty of places for you to go with permission. And 423 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 2: so I'm glad that you guys had permission, and you know, 424 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 2: it's probably meant to be. So now that night, what happened. 425 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:48,920 Speaker 2: Did you have any experiences? 426 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,439 Speaker 1: Well, that being our first night ghost sunning, you know, 427 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:53,440 Speaker 1: I think a lot of it was just us kind 428 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: of being paranoid, and you know, we're comparing it to 429 00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,439 Speaker 1: you know, movies in Hollywood and stuff like that, but 430 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: that doesn't take away from some of the crazy things 431 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: we did experience. That's where we learned the story. 432 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 2: Of slag right, which isn't necessarily true, but it's a 433 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 2: good story. 434 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: At the time, it was definitely true in our minds. Yeah, 435 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,200 Speaker 1: we were walking around. We had this one kid in 436 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: our class that we'd never really talked to, but once 437 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 1: he found out where we're ghost sonny, he was like, 438 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: you know, dude, I'm all in, let me go with you. 439 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: So he's walking around and he's got this audio recorder 440 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: and there's this big pipe next to him. He says, hey, man, 441 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 1: if he died in this pipe, let me know, and 442 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,919 Speaker 1: he reaches his arm up in the pipe. Well, when 443 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: he pulls the recorder back out, he rewinds it hits play, 444 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: and this voice comes through right after he puts in 445 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,879 Speaker 1: the pipe and it says creepy, but the way it 446 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: says it is also creepy, because it was. 447 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 2: Like creepy, Oh my gosh. 448 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. And another thing that happened with the audio recorder, 449 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: my cousin Sean had set it down. We were going 450 00:27:57,560 --> 00:27:59,159 Speaker 1: to leave it in one little spot by itself for 451 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,159 Speaker 1: about an hour, just come back and listen to it, 452 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 1: which you know as well as I do. Listening back 453 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,640 Speaker 1: to all that audio is painstaking. 454 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,920 Speaker 2: But it really is. That's why voice activated recorders are 455 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 2: my friend. Now. 456 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, but uh, he lays the recorder down and he says, Okay, 457 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: we're gonna leave this here for about an hour. We'll 458 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: come back and get it. So we walk off and 459 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: we get lost in there because Sloss is so huge 460 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: and there's so many twists and turns, and when we 461 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: finally find it, it was about an hour and a 462 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: half later. Well, he picks the recorder up. It stop 463 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 1: on it, he says, and cut. We go to a 464 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: Wanda back and I'm like, something's wrong with us. This 465 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: file isn't too long out here, so we can't play 466 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,240 Speaker 1: on it. And it starts off with him saying, we're 467 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: gonna leave this recorder here. If anybody's here, let us know. 468 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: He sets it down. You hear this loud like whoosh 469 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: sound and then it goes directly into him saying and cut. 470 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: So to us, it's like something came up turn the 471 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,320 Speaker 1: recorder off and when we were coming back to get it, 472 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 1: turned it back on. 473 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 2: I've had that happen before, and it's interesting. It's like, yeah, 474 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,959 Speaker 2: we don't really want to talk to you. And I 475 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 2: mean at this time, they might have been having investigations 476 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 2: and you know, they start to get familiar with your 477 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 2: equipment and they're like, oh, this is that thing that 478 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 2: hears us click, it's turn it off. So not today, 479 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean I found that there. The spirits 480 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 2: kind of are They can either be very active or 481 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 2: sometimes just kind of shy. 482 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: I think we investigated there a total of seven times, 483 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 1: and most nights we'd have something happened, something crazy would happen. 484 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: I think there was only one night we went in 485 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: and the ghosts were like, man, we're tired of you guys, 486 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: get out of here. 487 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 2: You know, did you have any experiences in that tunnel, 488 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 2: because I had a wild experience in the tunnel with 489 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 2: meat Loaf of all people, But did you have any 490 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 2: experiences in the tunnel. 491 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: We did have some strange things happening there. There was 492 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: one night there was four of us and we were 493 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: walking around. We go down into the tunnel. Well, as 494 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: we're walking along, we kind of split up. Two of 495 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: us go one way, two of us go the other. 496 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: And while we're standing there talking, all of a sudden, 497 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: from up above us, I hear what sounds like somebody 498 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: grabbing a metal chair and just sliding in across the 499 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: floor upstairs. M So me hostatly run towards it. I 500 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: go up there, don't see anything out of the ordinary. 501 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: But when I'm watching our footage back as we're going 502 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: down into the tunnel, there's two middle chairs sitting to 503 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,959 Speaker 1: the side of the staircase. But when we come back up, 504 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: there's only one chair sitting there, and there was nobody 505 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: else there but us that night. 506 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 2: That's wild. So that's the kind of thing when that happens, 507 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 2: like your whole body just kind of goes ooh okay, yeah, 508 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 2: you know, in that tunnel. So that was actually one 509 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 2: of the first places that I had a really good 510 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,200 Speaker 2: experience with the laser grid. And so I was investigating 511 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 2: in the tunnel with Adam Barry and meet Loaf. Meatloaf 512 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 2: was a massive paranormal fan, and so I got to 513 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 2: investigate with him if times, and he just was like 514 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 2: very gung how he loved he loved it, and so 515 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 2: He sat in that tunnel with Adam and myself and 516 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 2: we had used the laser grid. We kind of aimed 517 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 2: it all the way down the tunnel and we watched 518 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,160 Speaker 2: as a shadow kept kind of peeking out. And the 519 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 2: thing with the laser grid is when a shadow walks 520 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 2: into it, like a shadow figure, the little points just 521 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 2: disappear and you see the outline of a person. It's 522 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 2: not like they're reflecting, like if I stand in it, 523 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 2: I just have lasers all over me. But when a 524 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 2: shadow figure pops into it, like you see an outline 525 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:38,960 Speaker 2: of them. And that was the first time I really 526 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,920 Speaker 2: saw that. And Meat Love kept calling out to him 527 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 2: or Meat he liked to be called Meat, but he 528 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 2: kept calling out to this spirit and it would get 529 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 2: a little bit closer, its getting a little more comfortable, 530 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 2: and I swear we sat it felt like an hour 531 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 2: or two. We sat there because Meat did not want 532 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 2: to leave. We were just like watching this shadow go 533 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,479 Speaker 2: back and forth. And yeah, it just seemed like someone 534 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 2: kind of shy and like not sure of us. That 535 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 2: was a really crazy experience. 536 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 1: Was that on the side next to the big machine 537 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: or the side with the staircase going up. 538 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 2: I think it was the side with the big machine, 539 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,480 Speaker 2: if I remember correctly. So, I mean it's been a 540 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:25,360 Speaker 2: long time, so. 541 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: We ha'ds something similar. We didn't have the laser grid, 542 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,840 Speaker 1: but we were down there one not I think it 543 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 1: might have been our second or third time there, and 544 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: we were on one end. I think we were on 545 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 1: the staircase side where it just goes right back up 546 00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: into the main room up there, and it was real 547 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: dark back towards the machine. And my cousin Sean pointed 548 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: out first. He was like, I thought there's something looking 549 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: at us from behind that big machine. M hm. So 550 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 1: I looked down that way, and sure enough you could 551 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: see something just kind of poking its head around the machine, 552 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: looking at us. They go back over, come run the side, 553 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: peek at us. So I walk down that way, I 554 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,959 Speaker 1: get to the machine. You can actually squeeze past that 555 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: machine and the tunnel continues on for miles back that way. 556 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 2: Oh I didn't know. 557 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: That, And sure enough there was nothing back there. But 558 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: when I came back out and met back up with him, 559 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: I'll look back and you could see it again. This 560 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 1: thing just it's like I was watching us, just studying us, 561 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: you know. 562 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I felt like when we tried to get closer, 563 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,240 Speaker 2: it would kind of back off, and so we just 564 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 2: kept our distance. And I swear I think Meat even 565 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 2: thought he knew his name, like he really felt as 566 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 2: though he was a conduit for the paranormal and that 567 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 2: he had like that he was psychic and he was 568 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 2: calling out to him. Gosh, I can't remember what it was, 569 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 2: but side note later on. So he had a really 570 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 2: good time investigating with Adam and me, And so at 571 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 2: the end of the night there, it was like three 572 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 2: thirty in the morning and we're doing one last run 573 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,360 Speaker 2: way back like by the boiler room or something, and 574 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:06,240 Speaker 2: our producer told us, he's like, don't tell meat Loaf 575 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,240 Speaker 2: that you're still investigating. He's like, we need to start 576 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: wrapping up, and so don't tell him. And we're like okay, 577 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 2: So we quietly, we literally like were sneaking to the 578 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 2: boiler room so he wouldn't know, and we are doing 579 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:20,799 Speaker 2: an EVP session. All of a sudden, the producer comes 580 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,440 Speaker 2: around the corner and he's like, meat, little sound out 581 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 2: where you are. He thinks he's being funny. He's gonna 582 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 2: come scare you right now, so like and so he 583 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,200 Speaker 2: comes barreling around the corner. He doesn't even have a 584 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 2: camera operator with him, and he's just like Boo Amy 585 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 2: and Adam and then so we literally had to sit 586 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 2: there and investigate with him until this sun was coming up. 587 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 2: The crew went into overtime. It was just so it 588 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 2: was the funniest So yeah, fun stories. But now, over 589 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 2: the time that you investigated there, what would you say 590 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 2: was like your most frightening experience. 591 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: Uh, definitely the most frightening. I think it was our filth. 592 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,839 Speaker 1: There's a time there we decided we're going to start 593 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:06,240 Speaker 1: doing you know, kind of isolation sessions around the planet. 594 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,279 Speaker 1: So I decide I'll be enough. I was gonna go 595 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,279 Speaker 1: down to the boiler room. So I make my way 596 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 1: down there. And this is way back when I had 597 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,279 Speaker 1: that brick, no Kia phone. You know, we didn't have 598 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:22,040 Speaker 1: the cell phones with the lights on or anything. So 599 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 1: I was like, I'm gonna leave my phone with you 600 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,719 Speaker 1: guys because it creates this interference on the camera, So 601 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:30,560 Speaker 1: leave that behind. The only light I had was on 602 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 1: my camera itself. So I make my way down into 603 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,440 Speaker 1: the boiler room and I'm sitting there and I'm waiting. 604 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: I keep hearing things, you know, kind of off from 605 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 1: the distance. I'm thinking, maybe it's just the guys walking 606 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:45,319 Speaker 1: around messing with me or something. Well, I'll pull up 607 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 1: audio recorder. I start recording, you know, if anybody's here, 608 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: give me a sign. And all of a sudden, it 609 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,839 Speaker 1: just felt so different in there, like this heaviness just 610 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 1: set in. Well, all of a sudden, my audio recorder 611 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: just dies on me, and I'm like, okay, that's strange. 612 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 1: When they say no, my camera dies on me. So 613 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: I'm down there in pitch black, I can't see anything 614 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 1: at all, and all of a sudden, something slaps me 615 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: full force across the face. Oh no, yeah, And you know, 616 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:16,680 Speaker 1: I'm sitting there in the dark, something slapping me, and 617 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:18,680 Speaker 1: I'm just like, well, this is it. I've had a 618 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:22,480 Speaker 1: good run, I guess. So the only thing I can 619 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: think to say is you know, I'm sorry. And I 620 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: start feeling my way out of the boiler room. I 621 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,520 Speaker 1: had to work my way up the staircase, and when 622 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 1: I reached the top of the staircase, I go and 623 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: I find the other guys, and before I can even 624 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:36,440 Speaker 1: tell them, I got slapped in the face. So, like, 625 00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:38,520 Speaker 1: you know, what happened? To you what happened to your face? 626 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,200 Speaker 1: I had a handprint across my face and they took 627 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: some pictures of it. But what was strange about it 628 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: was if you go to touching, you know, espely when 629 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: you get slapped for it be kind of warm. When 630 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:55,279 Speaker 1: they went to touch it was actually ice cold. And yeah. 631 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,960 Speaker 1: The only thing I can relate that to would be 632 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,560 Speaker 1: you know, a foreman come in seeing me sitting there 633 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:03,879 Speaker 1: doing nothing and being like, hey, get back to work. 634 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:08,359 Speaker 2: P yeah, or just like we don't want you here, 635 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,439 Speaker 2: you know that's I mean. So those are the kind 636 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 2: of experiences what people say is investigating dangerous overall. No, 637 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 2: even getting slapped by a ghost, which I've been shoved, pushed, whatever, scratched. 638 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:26,760 Speaker 2: It's the reaction that you have, like thankfully you calmly 639 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:30,959 Speaker 2: were like I'm sorry, and you left. But a lot 640 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,279 Speaker 2: of people would run in the dark, probably run into 641 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:39,280 Speaker 2: some sort of large metal object and fall down some stairs, 642 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 2: like because it's your instinct when that happens is flight. 643 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:44,759 Speaker 2: Your body is like nope out. And then the other 644 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,920 Speaker 2: lesson there, Kevin, is you always have a backup light always. No, 645 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:52,759 Speaker 2: I've learned that lesson to that happened to us that 646 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 2: this is somewhere else. We're here as a mine of 647 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 2: all places. And the power went out when we were 648 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 2: under the ground, and I was like, oh my god, 649 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 2: worst nightmare. And I just had my phone light and 650 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:05,399 Speaker 2: I was like, God, what happens if this doesn't work? 651 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:06,000 Speaker 1: True? 652 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,920 Speaker 2: Well that I mean that honestly though, that is scary 653 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 2: and that is a message, you know, So it's really interesting. 654 00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:14,359 Speaker 1: Now. 655 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:16,480 Speaker 2: What would you say is like, maybe this is kind 656 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:19,319 Speaker 2: of the most common activity that people experience there. 657 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: Uh, definitely, you know, walking into a room, just filling 658 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:29,040 Speaker 1: those unseen eyes on you and walking into cold spots. 659 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,640 Speaker 1: I took my cousin there. She wanted to do a 660 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 1: report for school about my report for school, and you know, 661 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: I took her there. She'd never been there before. And 662 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:39,959 Speaker 1: as soon as I walked into a room, I felt 663 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: the hairs on my arm starting to stand up. And 664 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 1: before I could say anything, she was like, man, I'm cold, 665 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,279 Speaker 1: my hair on my arm is standing up. And just 666 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:54,440 Speaker 1: hearing footsteps, a lot of footsteps, sounds of people still working. 667 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:57,359 Speaker 1: That was one of the main things we've caught back 668 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,880 Speaker 1: in the day, was s only somebody hammering something or 669 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:02,920 Speaker 1: you know, it's a little along those lines. 670 00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:05,200 Speaker 2: But yeah, I feel like there's a lot of residual 671 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:09,920 Speaker 2: energy there just in general. You can definitely feel that, 672 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:11,400 Speaker 2: and you're right, And I think that's one of the 673 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,240 Speaker 2: things within investigating is to kind of listen to your body, 674 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,840 Speaker 2: you know, what you're feeling, because that's usually a clue 675 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,279 Speaker 2: that something could potentially be about to go down, like 676 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 2: if you you know, you start having that kind of 677 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 2: like hair on the back of your neck standing up, 678 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 2: or like feeling of being watched. Like there's a reason 679 00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:32,800 Speaker 2: why we feel that way. That's instinct and I definitely 680 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 2: experienced that there. So now, is there a place there 681 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,040 Speaker 2: that you find Obviously the boiler room is high up, 682 00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:41,520 Speaker 2: but is there are there certain areas that you would 683 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:44,239 Speaker 2: consider hot spots for people who are investigating. 684 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:48,920 Speaker 1: Oh, definitely say the boiler room, and definitely the tunnel. 685 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 1: I feel like we got the most activity there, and 686 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,400 Speaker 1: there used to be a boardwalk heading towards the tunnel. 687 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:57,719 Speaker 1: I think they've cemented that in now to kind of 688 00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: make it more of a regular like sidewalk tad, but 689 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,920 Speaker 1: we'd hear all kind of stuff there. That first night 690 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:09,360 Speaker 1: we went, it was middle of summer. Cricket's chirping like crazy, 691 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:11,720 Speaker 1: and that guy that went with us, that we didn't 692 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:16,240 Speaker 1: really know, he decided to start kind of provoking. And 693 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,239 Speaker 1: for me, I've never really wanted to try provoking. It's 694 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:22,279 Speaker 1: not really my thing, you know. But he starts just 695 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,680 Speaker 1: calling it out. He's come on, I show yourself. We're 696 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:28,319 Speaker 1: not scared to you do something. Do something. And all 697 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:32,759 Speaker 1: of a sudden, just every single sound around us just disappeared, 698 00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 1: like the crickets stopped. He couldn't hear any cars or anything, 699 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: and this cold gust wind blew in, and I remember 700 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:43,200 Speaker 1: looking at my cousin Sean, I'm just like, well, we're 701 00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:46,799 Speaker 1: in a horror movie situation now. I think right after that, 702 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: we were walking along and I've got some video of 703 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:54,200 Speaker 1: this up on my YouTube channel. We're walking along and 704 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:57,640 Speaker 1: I'm panning towards one of the roofs of the one 705 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,799 Speaker 1: of the buildings, and you see this figure standing on 706 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: top of it. Well, as we get a little bit closer, 707 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:06,720 Speaker 1: this figure just kind of sinks into the building. 708 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 2: Wiles. 709 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:09,759 Speaker 1: Yeah, it doesn't like jump off or anything like that. 710 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:11,480 Speaker 1: It just kind of sinks into the building. 711 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:14,880 Speaker 2: That's really I actually, I do remember them mentioning that 712 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,880 Speaker 2: people see figures up on like the catwalks and stuff 713 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,600 Speaker 2: a lot, or like you know, walking in areas that 714 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:24,960 Speaker 2: you definitely do not have access to, and even that 715 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,479 Speaker 2: it's happened like during the day before too, where people 716 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 2: are just there touring and they're like, who's that and 717 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 2: you know there's not there's no live person in that area. 718 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:36,319 Speaker 2: So where were you when you had the experience where 719 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:39,320 Speaker 2: your friend started like trying to provoke? Was that outside? 720 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 1: Uh? Yes, that was outside on the board walk there. 721 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:45,120 Speaker 2: Oh, that's right, you did mention that. So because I 722 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,920 Speaker 2: had a really strange experience outside, I cannot remember if 723 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,319 Speaker 2: this was on camera or not. You know, it kind 724 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:54,719 Speaker 2: of all melds together. But I was walking kind of 725 00:41:54,719 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 2: by where you go into the tunnel and there's it 726 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:01,400 Speaker 2: was like a gravel kind of roadway and I was walking, 727 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 2: you know, step crunch, crunch, crunch, and I heard steps 728 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,040 Speaker 2: behind me and I thought it was someone trying to 729 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:13,200 Speaker 2: scare me, like on the crew or something. And I 730 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,640 Speaker 2: was like, I stopped and turned around and there's no 731 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,520 Speaker 2: one and I'm like okay, So I start walking and 732 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,360 Speaker 2: I hear it again, crunch, crunch, crunched and I'm like okay, 733 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,480 Speaker 2: and I stopped that time, and it kept getting closer 734 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,520 Speaker 2: to me, and I was just like, okay, I'm just 735 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:30,960 Speaker 2: gonna walk really fast. I probably started whistling. I've mentioned 736 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:33,160 Speaker 2: this before, but I have this theory that if you're whistling, 737 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:38,520 Speaker 2: nothing bad can happen to you. And so, yeah, and 738 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:42,640 Speaker 2: so I do remember that, and it was it was outside, 739 00:42:42,719 --> 00:42:46,359 Speaker 2: so I mean, obviously hants don't just stay indoors, but 740 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:50,319 Speaker 2: it was that was a pretty wild experience. Okay, so 741 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:53,680 Speaker 2: we have hot spots now. So you said you've investigated 742 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:56,480 Speaker 2: there seven plus times. Does it sound like it does 743 00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:59,040 Speaker 2: seem like you've ever encountered like the same spirit more 744 00:42:59,040 --> 00:42:59,479 Speaker 2: than once. 745 00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: I would say, so that figure I was telling you 746 00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:05,080 Speaker 1: about down in the tone that we kind of peek 747 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:08,120 Speaker 1: around the corner and watch us. I feel like we've 748 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:11,920 Speaker 1: seen it two to three more times just around the 749 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: facility itself. One of those we're actually kind of in 750 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:17,239 Speaker 1: the same place you were just talking about. And there's 751 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,239 Speaker 1: like these little inlets that go in between like some 752 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,640 Speaker 1: of the boilers there. Well, we were walking along and 753 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:26,480 Speaker 1: I happen to look towards one of them, and same deal. 754 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:29,359 Speaker 1: I see this thing kind of standing there, peeking around 755 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:32,400 Speaker 1: the corner, watching us go over there, and it's nothing. 756 00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:34,680 Speaker 1: So I just I feel like maybe there's at least 757 00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:36,919 Speaker 1: one spirit there that's kind of like, let me see 758 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:39,840 Speaker 1: what's going on here, you know, got us out or something. 759 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:44,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, now, what is your overall vibe there? Do you 760 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:48,200 Speaker 2: feel like these spirits are intelligent and interactive or do 761 00:43:48,239 --> 00:43:51,600 Speaker 2: you think that it's mostly residual type activity. 762 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:54,920 Speaker 1: Weird enough, I feel like there's sort of a mixture 763 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 1: of both. I feel like the majority is definitely residual, 764 00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:02,759 Speaker 1: just from the sounds and you know, people work and 765 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,960 Speaker 1: all that stuff, people seeing people up on the furnaces, 766 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:08,920 Speaker 1: you know, quote unquote working. But then you get those that, 767 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: like I said, they'll be watching you or when I 768 00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 1: got slapped, that's definitely someone intelligent. So I feel like 769 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:17,080 Speaker 1: it's a good mixture of both. Right. 770 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:19,800 Speaker 2: Well, I mean, I'm really hoping we can get back 771 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:23,359 Speaker 2: in there in an investigative fashion soon enough. But yeah, 772 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:25,480 Speaker 2: now I find it super interesting. I'm glad you got 773 00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 2: to investigate it so many times. It was one of 774 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:29,759 Speaker 2: my favorite places to investigate, so it's kind of kind 775 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 2: of revisit it Now, you mentioned you have a YouTube channel. 776 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:34,680 Speaker 2: Do you want to tell people where they can find 777 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:35,840 Speaker 2: that and see some of your work. 778 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:40,160 Speaker 1: Sure, it's it's on YouTube. The channel's called Alabama's Most 779 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:44,600 Speaker 1: Haunted and basically we go out to some of the 780 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:47,800 Speaker 1: most haunted places in Alabama once we get permission of courts. 781 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,240 Speaker 1: I always remember that. Yeah, it's just Alabima's Most Haunted. 782 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:54,239 Speaker 1: I think we've got about nine full length episodes up now, 783 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:58,319 Speaker 1: and you know, we got a couple of little previews, trailers, 784 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:02,280 Speaker 1: behind the scenes stuff. But there's a lot of haunted 785 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:05,200 Speaker 1: places in Alabama that people just don't know about. You 786 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,960 Speaker 1: got this Loss, which is famous for its hauntings, but 787 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,600 Speaker 1: there's also so many other places that are just kind 788 00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,799 Speaker 1: of under the radar. Yeah, and kind of touching back 789 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:17,880 Speaker 1: on what you saidwhere for us started, you know, it 790 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:21,360 Speaker 1: was Loss not really wanting that kind of publicity anymore. 791 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:25,280 Speaker 1: You know this, Several places will contact for the show 792 00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:27,919 Speaker 1: and they're like, I'm sorry, we don't want we don't 793 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:29,440 Speaker 1: want to be affiliated with that kind of thing. We 794 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:30,720 Speaker 1: don't want that kind of image. 795 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:37,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think it comes from a place of misunderstanding. 796 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:39,880 Speaker 2: I think that there have been so many instances of 797 00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:44,200 Speaker 2: people going in and kind of disrespectfully handling a hunt, 798 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:46,160 Speaker 2: and I think that at that point, you know, and 799 00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:48,480 Speaker 2: I can't blame them. A lot of these historical locations 800 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:50,520 Speaker 2: are just like we don't even want to deal with this, 801 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,480 Speaker 2: like this is. But I've worked with a lot of 802 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:57,080 Speaker 2: places kind of hand in hand and helped them and 803 00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:00,359 Speaker 2: educated on like how to do these in a way 804 00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,279 Speaker 2: where it's a win win for everyone. And so, like 805 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:05,520 Speaker 2: I said before, if anyone's listening and you want to 806 00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:07,319 Speaker 2: know how to do it, like, just feel free to 807 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:09,680 Speaker 2: reach out to it. I love helping, and so if 808 00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:11,440 Speaker 2: there's any of those places you're trying to reach out 809 00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 2: to and you want to send them my way, go 810 00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:15,879 Speaker 2: for it, because I think it's important. You know, it's 811 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:18,000 Speaker 2: not just important for what we do, but like, what 812 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:20,360 Speaker 2: about the ghosts. I think about that, What about the ghosts? 813 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:24,680 Speaker 2: You know, Like I think about lost ghosts where everybody 814 00:46:24,719 --> 00:46:26,520 Speaker 2: was there talking to them all the time and suddenly 815 00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:28,640 Speaker 2: there's no one. They're probably they got used to the 816 00:46:28,680 --> 00:46:34,800 Speaker 2: attention now they're like hello, I do yeah. So but anyways, 817 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,680 Speaker 2: I really thank you for taking the time. It's been fascinating, 818 00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:41,439 Speaker 2: and you know, hopefully our paths will cross in person soon. 819 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 1: It sounds great. I look forward to it. 820 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:51,279 Speaker 2: While in many ways loss Furnaces highlights a tragic part 821 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:54,640 Speaker 2: of our history, it also stands a reminder of how 822 00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:57,719 Speaker 2: important it is we don't forget that history. Ghosts or not. 823 00:46:58,040 --> 00:47:00,799 Speaker 2: It's a very compelling place to visit it and I 824 00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:03,800 Speaker 2: highly recommend you do so if you ever find yourself 825 00:47:03,840 --> 00:47:07,560 Speaker 2: near Birmingham. I feel lucky to have investigated there when 826 00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 2: I did, and I do so hope the ghosts have 827 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:13,200 Speaker 2: found a way to reach out to others since, because, 828 00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:16,400 Speaker 2: as we all know, even if you avoid acknowledging a haunting, 829 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:21,760 Speaker 2: that doesn't mean the ghosts go away. I'm Amy Brune 830 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 2: and this was Haunted Road. My fall tour has been 831 00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:35,880 Speaker 2: announced and I am going to a lot of places. 832 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:40,759 Speaker 2: I have stopped in California, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, 833 00:47:40,840 --> 00:47:44,120 Speaker 2: New York, Connecticut and more So. Please head to Amy 834 00:47:44,160 --> 00:47:46,800 Speaker 2: Brune dot com if you're interested in seeing me live 835 00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:50,080 Speaker 2: my life with the Afterlife True Tales of the Paranormal 836 00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:52,719 Speaker 2: tour is a great chance to talk all about the 837 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:57,120 Speaker 2: hauntings I've encountered over my twenty plus years of paranormal investigating. 838 00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:00,600 Speaker 2: It's spooky and fun and perfect for fun, and I 839 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:02,480 Speaker 2: can't wait for you to see it. Many of the 840 00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:05,520 Speaker 2: venues have a VIP meet and greet option two, which 841 00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:08,279 Speaker 2: are filling up fast. So again, head to Amy brune 842 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:11,200 Speaker 2: dot com and click on the events and appearances paid 843 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:20,560 Speaker 2: to get tickets today, Thank you friends. Haunted Road is 844 00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:24,400 Speaker 2: hosted and written by me Amy Bruney, with additional research 845 00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:28,480 Speaker 2: by Taylor Haggerdorn and Cassandra de Alba. This show is 846 00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:32,560 Speaker 2: edited and produced by rema El Kali, with supervising producer 847 00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:36,799 Speaker 2: Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and 848 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:41,040 Speaker 2: Matt Frederick. Haunted Road is a production of iHeartRadio and 849 00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:44,440 Speaker 2: Grim and Mild from Aaronmanke. Learn more about this show 850 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:49,440 Speaker 2: over at Grimanmild dot com, and for more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 851 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:53,680 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 852 00:48:53,760 --> 00:49:02,280 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows.