Memorial Opera House Investigation

The building was built in 1893 as a monument to a Civil War Veteran and founded by the Grand Army of the Republic. They used to hold meetings here and was used as a community hall. As the GAR was dying out, they formed the Sons of the Union Vets that still meet here once a month. 2018 marked the building’s 125^th anniversary. Scott “Stretch” Miller has been the technical director for about seven years at the time of this investigation.

Celebrities who visited here include: Beulah Bondi, 1888-1981), (James Stewart mother in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Her very first play was on this stage and her father was the business director and mother worked in the box office. They lived in nearby Chesterton, Indiana. The Marx Brothers, John Phillip Sousa and probably Theodore Roosevelt also came to the theater.  In the past funerals were held here as this location was originally a church.

Originally the theater held some 860 people but now only holds 360. Along the walls of the auditorium there were four rows of seats that were eventually removed, henceforth the reduction in seating capacity. The balcony once went all the way back to the back wall and seats were much smaller back then. Part of the original ceiling has been framed in the foyer. The building is considered nice and sound. Future renovation plans include an atrium and elevator to the balcony floor. In 1957 the Community Theatre Guild was formed with the express purpose the renovation and preservation of the Opera House. There were some major renovations in 1967 at a cost of around $250,000.

In the lounge within the foyer is a mural of past celebrities with the theater pictured on stage. There is also a picture of a woman who had designed hundreds of costumes. She passed away a few years ago.

There is a “ghost light” on the stage as is customary for almost all theaters and movie houses. A ghost light is an electric light that is left energized on the stage of a theater when the theater is unoccupied and would otherwise be completely dark. It typically consists of an exposed incandescent bulb, CFL lamp, or LED lamp mounted in a wire cage on a portable light stand. It is usually placed near center stage. Ghost lights are also sometimes known as equity lights or equity lamps, possibly indicating their use was originally mandated by the Actors' Equity Association.

The practical use of a ghost light is mainly for safety. A ghost light enables one to navigate the theater to find the lighting control console and to avoid accidents such as falling into the orchestra pit and stepping on or tripping over set pieces. Aside from its obvious practical purpose, there are a number of superstitions associated with the origin and purpose of ghost lights. The superstitious have various justifications for the ghost light in relation to the supernatural. A popular theatrical superstition holds that every theater has a ghost, and some theaters have traditions to appease ghosts that reach far back into their history.

Similar superstitions hold that ghost lights provide opportunities for ghosts to perform onstage, thus appeasing them and preventing them from cursing the theater or sabotaging the set or production. This is also used to explain the traditional one day a week that theaters are closed.

No operas, only plays and musicals and some operettas are performed. An operetta had at least one spoken sentence different from that of an opera. Where the brick wall is today, everything beyond it used to belong to the museum next door and also part of the original jail, now a costume room. The top part was added on later. The Garage Shop downstairs from the costume room was also belonged to the jail.

The downstairs area consists of Dressing Rooms, Green Room, men & women restrooms, Paint Room, a sub-basement with a tunnel that used to connect the buildings, the Prop Room; often called “The Blair Witch Room” due to creepy feelings that used to have an old coal chute, a Boiler Room, Maintenance Room, Orchestra pits and a dirty crawlspace. In the 1960s the Prop Room used to be the administrator’s office. This is just about as far back as you can walk in the building.

The Balcony area is where the GAR meets and lounge area. In 2016, this area was only a few desks and with a ceiling that was almost caving in. The theater fixed up this area and turned it into a usable space.

In the early to mid-1970s, a man died of a heart attack while watching a show.

Address: 104 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, Indiana 46383

Telephone: 219-548-9137

Contact person: Scott “Stretch” Miller

Website: www.memorialoperahouse.com

Hauntings: Lots of whisperings in the corners of the room that you can’t quite make out what is being said. Activity in the hallways behind the box seats.

Some students were here recently with their teacher. A girl went inside there and was in there for a few minutes when she called for her teacher. When she was lit up by a flashlight, she was bleeding out of one nostril. She apparently was somewhat sensitive and when she walked into the hallway, later recordings reported a female voice that said, “Hello.” She apparently didn’t hear that because it was a true EVP and never answered it. A few seconds later, you hear a male voice say, “Get out!” It was after that, she acquired a nosebleed.

Those were expensive seats that probably had an usher there and one possible scenario is that the ghostly usher said, “Hello” to her when she entered that area and then said, “Get out!” when she didn’t reply.

There is a trapdoor by the stage that leads to downstairs room where an orchestra pit is located. In that basement room other investigators have picked up some evidence in the past. They closed the doors and asked if they like plays and musical events performed here and a voice replied with, “Nope!”

At stage left was a small desk. Miller heard whispering coming from that area and there was nobody there. Nobody was out in the parking lot. He continued his chores and heard several metal clanks coming from that area along with whispers.  Graffiti on the back stage walls are from a lot of plays performed here. Eventually they ran out of space, so they discontinued that practice.  

A little girl has been seen around the opera house as well as the nearby jail. The Paint Room has been the scene of lights and things acting weird in here and the faucet turning on by itself while someone was in here putting stuff away. Nearby there is a wall outside of a wall and a window here that you just see the bricks of the other wall. The trap door to the stage is close and still works to this day.

Some recordings have been made in the Orchestra Pit area by past investigators. This is where the “nope” response was recorded along with some X-Cam SLS hits of stick figures.

In the Balcony area, some students did get some recordings here along with SLS hits.

When turns off the lights to the main building and one walks outside, the lights come back on again. This is constant phenomena to the theater. There is even surveillance video that shows the lights going on and off.

Porter County Museum Executive Director Kevin Pazour said he was working alone inside the 157-year-old building one Sunday evening early last month when he heard a little girl laugh. A week later, Scot MacDonald, executive director at neighboring Porter County Memorial Opera House, was at his office when someone mentioned seeing a young girl with long curly hair and formal clothing peering out of an upper floor window at the county museum.

After seeing the drapes moving in an upper level window at the museum later that same day, MacDonald said he sent a text message to Pazour, who was baffled since the building was closed. He told MacDonald there is also no forced-air heating or cooling system in the building and the motion-detector security system was never triggered.

While working in his office, he has heard footsteps in an above loft area that only can be reached by a 15-foot ladder.

'There's no way anyone could access it without me knowing,' MacDonald said.

Credit and thanks to: - Bob Kasarda, The Times of Northwest Indiana

The Ghost Research Society investigated the Memorial Opera House on March 22, 2019 and the team members included: Charles, Williams Michael Rosario and Dale Kaczmarek with help from Len Novak from The Illinois Ghost Society and Mike McGarahan from Ghost Head Soup.

Equipment setup: Mostly hand-held equipment was used and transported from location to location within the building. This included: X-Cam SLS device, digital recorders and camcorders, Phasma Box, Ovilus X, Melmeter, Tri-Field Natural EM Meter, REM Epod, and a Geophone placed on the Stage area.

Experiments performed: EVP, Ovilus X, Phasma Box and Armenia sessions were conducted around the Stage, Balcony area and downstairs in the Dressing Room.

Personal experiences:

Mike McGarahan: On March 22^nd I was in Valparaiso, Indiana to investigate the Memorial Opera House with Dale.  I arrived earlier in the day and got pictures and did a walk around the building.  It was a very intriguing place with a lot of history.  The short tour before our investigation was filled with architecture, history and claims of the paranormal.  Our investigation led to many instances of evidence from the Phasma Box and the Ovilus X.  Batteries from multiple devices were also being depleted at a very fast pace, which leads me to believe spirits were drawing a lot of energy from our gear to make contact with us.  It was a great night and a great experience. 

Len Novak: Our investigation of the Memorial Opera House was somewhat eventful. The auditorium produced some results; the Phasma Box produced some interesting results. My camera kept getting shut off and the battery drained after a short time. I received no EVPs there. Up in the stage right balcony was in my opinion the most active spot. The Phasma Box gave some replies and got some swear words thrown at us even to say F you. While asking for someone to talk to us thru the K-II, I got several responses but nothing on the EVPs. The basement dressing room I kept having my camera shut down and the battery drained even though the battery was fully charged and a second battery drained.

Mike Rosario: Introduction: I had a great experience during our investigation at the famous Memorial Opera House located in Valparaiso, IN.  Many occurrences have been prevalent in and around the theatre, including shadow figures, apparitions of men, women, and children; voices (even whispers), all sorts of noises on stage, faucets and lights being turned on and off, sounds of instruments being played, and many apparitions in the balcony area at times as well.

Equipment and Initial Investigation: Our investigation took off at approximately 8:15pm on Friday, March 22, 2019.  Weather was quite cold out, around 30°, but with clear skies – unlimited visibility. Equipment used was my K-II meter, a Philips Digital Voice Recorder, a Sony Night Shot Handy-Cam DCR-TRV13 NTSC 560 Digital-8 20X Optical Zoom Video Camcorder, 198-IR Light Module, a Green Laser Grid, and a Police Security Elite Blackout 615 Lumen Hands-free Heavy-Duty Head Strap Flashlight.  We were actually together as one whole group, so there was not any pairing into separate groups that night. We first began sweeping the entire Atrium area using our K-II meters looking for any types of fluctuation of the electromagnetic frequency in the area.  This room received an approximate reading of 1.9-13.5mG. Next, I set up my night shot camera down in the Atrium area.  I believe the lens was looking west of the building, right directly towards the Stage area, where numerous apparitions have been seen, and other various sounds have been heard. We then began doing an EVP session in this area afterwards.  We then made our way towards the Stage Left Balcony area to conduct another EVP session. Finally, we made our way towards the Basement/Dressing Room area to conduct another EVP session. K-II reading in this area was approximately 2.3-5.5mG. We wanted to investigate many more rooms after this, but we were only allowed a certain amount of time. But, overall, we did have a great experience with the rooms we did investigate in.     

Investigation Wrap-Up: The investigation ended approximately around 12:05am on Saturday, March 23, 2019.

Evidence: Upon reviewing all of my evidence, it’s sad to note that nothing appeared out of the ordinary, image-wise, on my night-shot camcorder (except for some light refraction on a piece of metal on a chair in the atrium); and also nothing really audio-wise, on my digital voice recorder.

Conclusion/Overall: As always, I thought it was a very good investigation, and ‘twas very well conducted. Would love to come again and investigate more rooms, and do some more EVP sessions regarding the old jail/holding cells that were once located/used on the property. So much history has been involved here. Many Civil War attributes are here as well, including the 125th Encampment of the Sons of the Union Veteran's League are present for meetings here. The Marx Brothers, Beulah Bondi (the mother from It's a Wonderful Life), John P. Sousa, and even the former president of the United States, Theodore R. 'Teddy' Roosevelt, made appearances inside this very theatre. Simply amazing! Again, I am totally looking forward to coming again sometime! 

Charles Williams:

Dale Kaczmarek: An amazingly beautiful theater with a lot of history and some past investigations. A Facebook live was presented in the Balcony area. I used the X-Cam SLS device down in the Dressing Room and momentarily captured a “stick figure” standing next to Rosario by the entrance to the room. This room was full of mirrors as it is a working dressing room and there are theories about mirrors facing themselves that can perhaps create a “vortex” effect. Many early spiritualists and before funeral homes were popular used to cover up mirrors or turn them to the wall because of the superstition that souls could become trapped in mirrors.

Novak’s camera began to malfunction in the Dressing Room and I did have a bit of a problem running the SLS for a time.

Evidence collected:

Ain’t nothing memorial.MPG – William’s static IR camera positioned in the auditorium picked up a whispery voice that said, “Ain’t nothing.”

Boo memorial.MPG – while conducting an EVP session in the basement Dressing Room, a voice was heard that said, “Boo!”

Bullshit memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, a question was asked, “Would you rather talk with us instead?” The device responded with a deep male voice that said, “Bullshit!”

Careful memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the in the basement Dressing Room, a comment was made, “Maybe she thinks Dale’s being too forward and flirting.” The device responds with, “Careful.”

Casket memorial.MPG – while conducting an Ovilus X session in dictionary mode in the basement Dressing Room, the device blurted out, “Casket.” (Funerals had been conducted here in the past.)

Cheerful memorial.MPG – while conducting an Armenia session in the basement Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Can you tell me if you’re happy or sad?” The device responds with, “Yeah” followed by “Cheerful.”

Cheerleaders memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, the device said, “Cheerleader.” (Were any of the past students who visited the theater, cheerleaders?)  

Closed space memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, a question was asked, “Which John Philip Sousa song really got the house rocking?” The device responds with, “Closed space.”

Dark memorial.MPG – while conducting an Ovilus X session in the Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Are you playing with my camera?” The device responded with, “Dark.”

David memorial.MPG – while conducting an EVP session in the basement Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Who are we speaking to? What is your first name?” A subtle voice was recorded that responded with, “David.”

Don’t turn around memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Can you say something to us like hello?” The device responded with, “Don’t turn around.”

Found a picture memorial.MPG – while conducting an EVP session in the basement Dressing Room, a female voice said, “Found a picture.”

Fuck you honkey memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, the device blurted out what sounds like, “Fuck you honkey.”

Fuck you1 memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, the device said, “Fuck you!”

Fuck you2 memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, the device suddenly and clearly said, “Fuck you!”  

Get out memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Dressing Room, the device blurts out, “Get out.”

He just went out memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session near the Stage, a question was asked, “Who was that?” The device replied with, “He just went out.”

Hi memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session near the Stage area, a question was asked, “Can you say hello to everyone?” The device responded with, “Hi.”

High-pitched child’s voice memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony area, a question was asked, “What was the last show you’d seen here from the balcony?” The device produced a very high-pitched response that could not be made out.

I am memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Are you still here?” The device responded with, “I am.”

I don’t want to memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, a comment was made, “Say goodbye.” The device responded with, “I don’t want to.”

I was a prisoner memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session near the Stage, the device shouted out, “I was a prisoner.”

I’ll kill you memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, a low voice comes through that says, “I’ll kill you!”  

I’m not sure memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Dressing Room, a question was asked, “Tell us what room you’re in and we’ll go there.” The device responded with, “I’m not sure.”

K memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, a comment was made, “We’ll probably go to the basement next.” The device says, “K.”  

Let me out memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Dressing Room, a creep sounding voice comes through that says, “Let me out.”

No memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, a comment was made, “There’s supposed to be some children here.” The device said, “No.”  

Over here memorial.MPG – while conducting an EVP session in the Balcony area, Williams asks a question from the main auditorium, “Does anyone seen the little kid that’s walking around?” A childish voice replies with what sounds like, “Over here.”

Perhaps the summer stock memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session near the Stage when the device blurted out, “Perhaps the summer stock.”  

Research memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, the device said, “Research.”  

Slut memorial.MPG – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Dressing Room, a comment was made about a play or operetta when a low voice comes through that sounds like, “Slut.”

Strange sound memorial.MPG - while conducting an Ovilus X session in the Balcony, McGarahan had his recorder on a window sill on the stairway. There is a sound that sounds like a tape recording playing right before the Ovilus X produced the word “knot.”

That’s a bitch memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, a question was asked, “Who said bullshit?” The device replies with, “That’s a bitch.”

The best memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the Balcony, a comment was made during a live Facebook video, “We got Len over here.” Len says, ‘hi” and the device called him, “The best.”

Who tried us memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, the device said, “Who tried us?”

Why we got you memorial.MPG - while conducting a Phasma Box session in the basement Dressing Room, a comment was made, “Touch that and we’ll know you’re here.” The device responded with, “Why.” A follow-up question asked, “Can you do that?” The device further replied with, “We got you.”

Words spoken by the Ovilus X in dictionary mode: Stage area; direct, wagon, together, beer, judge, slave, sunset, voice, tried, M, vowel and myself. Balcony area; battery, hipidho, mission, often, slight, southern, joke, linger, month, stand, wear, psychic, chain, remote, money, age, knot, congruous, bread and prop. Dressing Room; speed, triangle, cause, money, dark, give, September, bed, erase, shove, middle, casket, condition, snap, solid, interest, temperature, cheat, poverty, voice, age, ago and ring.

Words spoken by the Ovilus X in phonetic mode: Stage area; do it.

Words spoken by the Phasma Box: Balcony area; changing, got it now and batteries.

Words spoken by the Armenia application: Dressing Room; cheerful and individualist.

Conclusions: There were quite a lot of what I call “random words” that were spoken by both the Ovilus X and the Phasma Box without any questions being asked. Many of these words had to bearing to where in the theater we were at the time or any past history or hauntings. However, some single words did reflect on the theater including in the Stage area; judge (as the jail is located nearby), the letter M (we were investigating the Memorial Opera House); Dressing Room, casket (funerals were once held here) but perhaps the strangest word that I have never seen come through the Ovilus X was “hipidho” which I could not find a meaning for.

We didn’t have enough time to thoroughly investigate other locations within building that were interesting such as the Orchestra Pit, where recordings had been made in the past and deeper into the sub-basement. We got somewhat of a late start due to traffic on route to the theater. Stretch Miller was a very gracious host and very knowledgeable about the history and hauntings and our small group enjoyed the time that we were allotted.