Haunted Histories in America by Nancy Hendricks

Author:Nancy Hendricks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ravenswood Farm, pictured here, is located near Bunceton, Missouri. Its owners loved to entertain, and after dying, may be the last guests to leave. Visitors report hearing disembodied music and laughter as well as seeing festive lantern lights over the lawn at night, reminiscent of the lavish parties held at Ravenswood in the late 1800s. (Library of Congress)

Built in 1857, the classical Greek Revival-style Thespian Hall in Boonville is the oldest operating theater west of the Appalachians. In its long life, it has served as a playhouse, dance hall, library, movie theater, church, stable, skating rink, and Civil War hospital. The Masons, Odd Fellows, and City Hall occupied the second floor. With all those disparate uses, it is no wonder Thespian Hall is considered to be haunted. It traces its history back to 1838 when leading citizens of Boonville founded an all-male dramatic group called “The Thespian Society,” which enjoyed wide community support that was unique in the frontier era. After building the current structure, the good feelings vanished with the coming of the Civil War just four years later. As in the rest of Missouri, Union and Confederate supporters in the town were split. Thespian Hall dodged cannon fire, quartered troops from both sides, and served as a military hospital. The Civil War could not destroy Thespian Hall but the coming of motion pictures almost did. In 1912, the Hall was transitioned into movie house. During the Great Depression, there was a move to demolish Thespian Hall rather than maintain its upkeep, but in 1937, a local preservation group was formed, one of the first of its kind in the state. By then, a large colony of bats was in residence, which added to its spookiness factor. After volunteers worked hard to restore the building, Thespian Hall again served the purpose for which it had been built. Today, ghosts of its past include unexplained ragtime music playing and wig stands in the dressing rooms that turn themselves around to face the mirrors when nobody is nearby. But its main spirit has affectionately been dubbed “Mrs. X” whose apparition was captured in photographs at the theater. With gray hair and wearing an old-fashioned white-collared blouse and dark skirt, she has been identified by a family as their opera-loving grandmother who had passed away. Since then, she has been spotted happily sitting in the audience, enjoying rehearsals.

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