09/08/2021
The story of Slag at SLOSS FURNACE - Birmingham, Alabama
The last remaining icon of the Industrial Age’s iron industry can be found in Birmingham, Alabama. Ground broke on construction of the Sloss Furnaces in 1881 and on April 1, 1882 the first furnace tower opened. Towering the landscape at 60 feet high and and 18 feet in diameter, Sloss capitalized on the natural elements in the area to produce some of the best pig iron in the nation and laying the foundation for Birmingham’s growth and it’s nickname “Magic City”.
Conditions at Sloss were harsh. It was typical for workers to work 16 hour days with no breaks for little pay. Still, men in the region lined up for the opportunity for the work. Due to this, management at Sloss weren’t motivated to invest in safety. The mules on site were of more value than the workers as mules were harder to replace.
During its years of operation, there were 67 documented on-site deaths at Sloss and it is believed there were many more. Over the years, reports of paranormal activity have been common. A paranormal study of the site in 1988 by the Center for Paranormal Events declared Sloss was “rife with restless souls”.
One of the most popular restless souls that is reported to haunt Sloss is that of James Robert Wormwood a.k.a. Slag.
According to legend, Slag was a notoriously ruthless graveyard shift foreman. More concerned about pleasing his superiors than the safety of the men working under him, he pushed workers beyond reasonable expectations in unsafe conditions. As a result, supposedly 47 men died during his time as foreman under his watch. His reign of terror ended one evening in 1906 as he slipped and fell from the tallest tower and he was incinerated. Whether it was truly an accident or retribution was never fully pursued.
Reports of Slag harrassing workers after his death include a nightwatchman in the 1920’s being pushed and told to “get back to work” only to look and find no one near; in the 1930’s three workers were found unconscious only to awake with their last memory being that of a badly burned and scarred man approaching them. The scariest interaction with Slag was from a nightwatchman working the evening before the plant shut down for good in 1971. Samual Blumenthal (the nightwatchman) was attacked while on the stairs by a half man/half demon. Sam fought back and survived the attack; doctors attending to Sam reported he had intense burns all across his body.
However, that is only part of the story. If you want to go on believing Slag’s story - stop here.
For years, Sloss Furnaces has been home to the Sloss Fright Furnace haunted house every Halloween. Slag has played the starring role and storyline since it’s creation. But as in every legend, there is usually a seed of truth from which it has sprung. The seed of Slag is believed to be (in part) the story of Theophilus Calvin Jowers.
In 1887, Jowers was an assistant foundryman at another furnace in the area, much to the worry of his wife, Sarah. He reportedly told her, “As long as a furnace is standing in this county, i’ll be there”. Shortly thereafter, he slipped and fell into a furnace. After his death, workers were convinced they saw Jowers checking in on them from time to time. When the furnace that he had worked at shut down, it was believed Jowers moved on to the only remaining furnace in the area - Sloss Furnaces, thus keeping his promise he had made to Sarah. People continue to report seeing an apparition of a ghostly figure of a man moving throughout Sloss and many believe it is that of Jowers.
In 1981, Sloss Furnaces was designated as a national historic landmark. It has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures and is a favorite destination of many every Halloween.
To see more, check out the video!
https://youtu.be/OwqhiTJKD2s
LOCATION: 20 32nd St N, Birmingham, AL 35222
