Interviewer: K. Turner Interviewee: M.B. Avery
October 4, 2011 at 3:00 PM
1. Can you tell me what background knowledge you have regarding Vesuvius Furnace?
2. Have you ever had any paranormal experiences on the site? 3. Do you know of anyone (else) who has? 4. What was Vesuvius Furnace before it was Vesuvius Vineyards and hosted various events? 5. Do you believe in the paranormal? 6. What about contributing factors in history to the paranormal? Such as the topography of the area (being very foggy or dark), the history of an area (a place where many people died), and other such factors that may contribute to a location being "haunted"? 7. Tell me about the field trip your class took to Vesuvius Furnace. How was the trip integrated into the curriculum and objectives? 8. I know you mentioned the current owners were not very apt to mention the potential haunted history of Vesuvius Furnace, besides the age of your students, any idea why? 9. What about the paranormal do you think is appealing or attractive? Do you enjoy being scared, the Hollywood aspect of it, or something else? Thank you so much for your time! I have so much more depth and perspective now into Vesuvius! |
1. I first learned of the Vesuvius legend when I was 16 (1986)-it was a popular legend; spread verbally by students at Lincolnton High School; we used to dare each other to ride out to the house, walk up the long driveway and stand on the front porch. The ghost stories include the "death room" which is the top left window-where bodies used to lie in state for mourning prior to burial-around midnight, the ghost of a lady dressed in a white gown has been seen in the window. We used to load up (7-8 teens) in my now husband's 1975 Monte Carlo and ride out to the house. Several of us made the walk and stood on the porch-two of group claimed to see the "Lady in White."
Over the years, others in the county have reported on having haunted experiences at Vesuvius. 2. As a teen, I did not have any paranormal experiences on the site, though at night, in the dark, prior to its renovation, it was a SCARY place, and each time I went there as a teen, I got goose bumps! As an adult, I have one paranormal experience- while my father-in-law was working on the site, we visited one Sunday afternoon in October 2008. We toured the house, including the cellar. When we entered the cellar, it was pitch dark-the electricity was not working. We were using a flash light to see when half way through the cellar, we realized a single light bulb in the middle of the cellar had begun to glow brightly! We immediately left the cellar. 3. My father-in-law was hired to do the walls inside the home during the renovation period- and he did have a paranormal experience. My father-in-law is 61-he grew up and has lived in Lincoln County all his life. He accepted the job and spent about three weeks working on the site. He would NEVER go alone to the site; someone always went with him. One day, he was painting upstairs in the "death room" when he heard his van ( a big old work van) sliding door open-it was parked behind the house-my mother-in-law was with him in the room he was painting and no one else was there. They went downstairs together to investigate and found nothing. They closed the van door and went back up to work-15 minutes later the front door of the house slammed open as if someone was leaving the house! It scared them so, that they wrapped it up for the day. 4. Way back in the 1800s, the house was used as a stopping place for postal horse-back riders. I've heard that some families had tried living in the home, but didn't stay long due to various reasons. 5. Yes, I totally believe in the paranormal. 6. Yes, I do think the history of a place impacts its ability to welcome the paranormal. According to the legends, many people have died, and/or been mourned in Vesuvius. I do believe emotions can be tied to a place therefor making the place more open or vulnerable to paranormal experiences. 7. The field trip was great, EXCEPT, the owners did not willingly share any info on the history of the house pertaining to death, or to the "death room." They do have one photo hanging in the front room to the right, showing an orb (shadow) of a ghost above the furnance which is on the property and accross the street from the house. You can see the orb clearly-one of the current owners "caught" it in the photo. The owners did share that they DO NOT have overnight guests in the house. 8. I think the owners don't want to elaborate on the haunted history because they want to downplay it in the community. Afterall, they're trying to make their business successful. I don't think they want to scare away potential profit. They probably did not want to discuss the ghost legends with the students because of their ages, but I am here to tell you, the kids would have eaten it up! 9. The paranormal is appealing to me because I have a family history with it, and have had several experiences myself, including the first one, which was when I was 11! I do not appreciate the Hollywood version. Its just too overdone! You're so welcome! I can't wait to see your project! |