The rumors and stories began shortly after the American civil war ended. Tales of a lone officer who was assigned to defend a small iron furnace used in the manufacture of Union weaponry. His tour of duty at the site lasted less than a week before he was shot to death by a passing Confederate unit and tossed into the fires of the oven he once defended. Almost immediately stories began to circulate about a ghost who roamed the grounds. For years after the war had ended, and into the 20th century when the site was converted into a tourist attraction, these stories persisted.

The ghost was described as gentle and frightened, appearing briefly in his Union uniform with rifle in hand before vanishing into the night. Descriptions of sightings followed this outline until the Awakening. It was at that time the ghost apparently got pissed.

The first report of the specter's new manifestation came from what remained of a group of British tourists in the early 2020s. They stated observing a burnt, vaguely humanoid shape, armed with (and here's the kicker) a Colt M11a1 assault rifle complete with grenade launcher. The "ghost" reportedly opened fire on the tour van, killing three of its passengers before vanishing into the evening.

A second report came from a sixteen year old boy who crashed his car into a Frederick, Maryland hospital. When pulled from the vehicle he was seen to have multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, which isn't all that uncommon unless you take into account that the iron compound the bullets consisted of hasn't been used since the late 1800s. The weapon used could not be identified.

An official investigation into the matter has turned up virtually nothing and police believe the incidents are the result of nothing more than a twisted hoax perpetrated by an individual in a costume with a surplus assault rifle. The site remains open, although rarely visited, and other than a few shot out windows the ghost (or whatever he is) has appeared to have calmed down. But as Civil War historian Kennith Bourg readies a new book for release in 2058, a book which alludes to the possibility of precious metals buried beneath the site, the number of incidents is almost guaranteed to increase.