The Furnace Room

I would like to start off by saying I have been visiting this site for awhile now but have held off on submitting my stories because of the fear I still feel in some parts of the house I used to live in, which my parents still live in.

I am a 35 year old mother of 3 great kids between the ages of 14 and 6 and have been very happily married for 12 years. I am very grounded and my interest in the paranormal began when I was just a child because of this house.

It was built in 1870 by the Matthews family. It is located in Gastonia, NC in the York Chester historical area. When we moved in I was 7 and the huge Victorian house/mansion was very intimidating to me. It is 3 stories with a full attic that runs the length of the house. If you count the attic, technically it could be considered 4 stories. My friends used to be scared of the house because at each end of the attic the windows had the Amityville (?) type of windows. I didn't understand their fear until I saw the movie at age 13. Anyhow the attic is another story.

The bottom story of the house used to house the servants quarters. In fact, when we first moved in there were still metal horse stalls and a place in the outside part of the basement where the carriage was kept. The basement consisted of this outer part which still is separated from the inside basement by two heavy metal doors that slide open and shut on a roller type metal rack from the top. This inside part of the basement consisted of a large tub and butcher shower and sink at the back door, a small root cellar type of storage place that was built into the ground, a tool room, the servant's rooms and the dreaded furnace room.

I never liked this room as there was and still is a very heavy malevolent feeling in there. It has and old type coal chute where I would guess a slave should stand in there and shovel coal in the old furnace. The chute is still there but the furnace was replaced a long time ago. It is a very small room and if I was sent to get something I felt like something was trying to suffocate me and would try to get out as fast as I could.

This room is hardly ever used or gone into except for things like Halloween decorations, lounge chairs and some tools my Dad put in there. The very last time I ever went into that room was to get the Easter baskets for my mom. I was 19 but she still liked to make us baskets.

As soon as I entered the 'presence' was there, evil and oppressing. I felt like it was bearing down on me more than ever before and found it hard to take a breath so without the baskets I ran out of the furnace room and practically leapt for the stairs in terror. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the furnace room I heard a loud BANG as my foot hit the first step I jumped at the noise and turned to see my fathers ax had come down right as I was running through the doorway!

No I did not touch it or brush it or anything. That ax had been in the same spot for over a decade without any disturbance. I ran up those stairs like evil itself was after me and have never gone into that room again. I was not the only one disturbed by the furnace room. Just about everyone who ever had the unfortunate task to have to go in there came out shaken and scared.

There were a few deaths there, but I do not know who they were except Mrs. Matthews' herself when she fell down the stairs from the top floor onto the foyer. But that is another story!

I hope this wasn't too long and will try to respond to any questions. Thanks for reading!