(Vesuvius Vineyards, 2011)
Vesuvius Furnace
Located in the Denver/Lincolnton area of Lincoln county, just northwest of Charlotte, Vesuvius Furnace has been a place of paranormal controversy for quite sometime. As a child growing up in this area, with a mother interested in haunted places, the term Vesuvius was became rather commonplace, and I never thought twice about the place too often. However, when I reached 16 and was able to drive on that long, scary, twisting and turning road named for its occupant, the house seemed to come alive. Childish games of truth or dare have led plenty of Lincoln county teens to drive past, step on the premises of, or even try to spend the night in the home on dark, foggy nights. I was one of those once, the feeling of just driving past the house left me so overwhelmed I refused to ever return to the road unless it was high noon. Even while working on this project late into the nights the feelings of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty left me hearing all kinds of new noises, and going to bed with the lights on a few times, trying to remind myself a house can't hurt me, and neither can what is in it... right?
Vesuvius Furnace is a former slave plantation and iron company located on Vesuvius Furnace Road in Iron Station, North Carolina. The home once stood on the larger majority of Lincoln county, and was home to many slave laborers, many of whom are rumored to have died or been killed there. The top left, front room of the home is/was known as "The Death Room," where bodies lie in state for wakes and respects to be paid. There is a large, dark basement which has been said to have previously housed chains and other torturous devices used to punish slaves. While many of these rumors may not be able to be proven true with the current state of Vesuvius geared more towards economic prosperity, the Lincoln county locals know of the tales, and are likely to have taken part in a dare at one time in their life that made them a believer as well.
The true history about Vesuvius Furnace is surprisingly slim to those other than locals. This could likely be related to the economical aspect of the location today, as it hosts wedding receptions and benefits from the fruits of paid laborers (no longer slave workers), through Vesuvius Vineyards. While the benefit to downplaying the paranormal activity is beneficial for the current owners, the house stood vacant for quite some time before the business aspect overcame it. There is something to be said in regards to the hidden paranormal sense of the home today, as it could benefit financially from haunted tours, the refusal to do so is interesting. Another aspect I found fascinating from my correspondence with M. B. Avery was that class field trips are taken to Vesuvius Furnace in the fourth and fifth grades. This aspect may contribute to why the ghostly aspect is not as present, however it brings to question whether or not the true history of the home is being brought to light, or only the parts that allow for correspondence with the objective and curriculum, surrounding local history. It is difficult for an outsider to ever truly know.
The true history about Vesuvius Furnace is surprisingly slim to those other than locals. This could likely be related to the economical aspect of the location today, as it hosts wedding receptions and benefits from the fruits of paid laborers (no longer slave workers), through Vesuvius Vineyards. While the benefit to downplaying the paranormal activity is beneficial for the current owners, the house stood vacant for quite some time before the business aspect overcame it. There is something to be said in regards to the hidden paranormal sense of the home today, as it could benefit financially from haunted tours, the refusal to do so is interesting. Another aspect I found fascinating from my correspondence with M. B. Avery was that class field trips are taken to Vesuvius Furnace in the fourth and fifth grades. This aspect may contribute to why the ghostly aspect is not as present, however it brings to question whether or not the true history of the home is being brought to light, or only the parts that allow for correspondence with the objective and curriculum, surrounding local history. It is difficult for an outsider to ever truly know.
(USDA Forest Service, 2011) (Flickr.com, 2011) (Backpack Ohio, 2011)
Photos courtesy of Google Images