“A little background of the theater; the theater building originally had a big parking lot on one side,” said Nieto.  “It was taken over and a house was built on it in the 60s before theater shut in 1967.  They actually had found a little girl murdered in the car park (parking lot).  No one was ever caught for it.  We don’t know a lot of informaton about who it was, nor the circumstances.”

They believe the shoe may have been the young girls. They tried to turn the shoe over to the police. They didn’t accept the shoe, nor the dress, the police said the case is cold.  It has been closed over 50 years.

“The shoe is kept very carefully stored,” said Nieto, “When ever the Raeann takes it out of storage, she will also find the bag has a handful of sand.  I have handled the shoe it, is very very old, but it not filthy, it is old.  You couldn’t wear it, it is showing its age. You couldn’t imagine all the sand coming from some where.  It’s like gravel from a dirt road, not beach sand.”

Nieto says, “A lot of people report when they take the shoe in their hand it feels very, very heavy and some people feel joint aches in their hands, like they are carrying something very heavy.  Earlier in the year, an anonymous caller said they had lived in the area. They said there was a child molester working in the theater. We don’t know if this is true or not…you can draw your own conclusion.”

“We have a wide range of epxeriences.  We see shadows moving–there is a projection booth in the top half of the theater, when you look up there when it is dark in the theater you can see shadows moving across the windows. They walk over the doors, the doors have glass panels in them, so it looks as if someone is walking back and across the doors. We have heard giggling, voices, talking, muttering, peoples names have been called out.”

“The little ghost has a sense of humor, said Nieto.  “We have a room called the childrens’ room. The theater is run for a children’s art program for at risk children.  It allows these children to be out of their home to do painting and photography, music all kinds, really beautiful, beautiful things.  The room is a beautiful big room, beautifuly painted.  The kids spend hours after school and on the week-ends in this room.”

When the children are gone,” she said, “She seems to go in there and play.  The pens and papers, crayons, toys have been moved. When we go into the room on our tours, there is nothing unusual going on it the room, yet, someone will say they can smell rootbeer candy. It will waft around the room in different areas–we can follow it around the room, then it will go away. The children are not allowed to eat or drink in the room. The smell will appear and then go away.”

“Female spirits seem to communicate with their favorite smells, their favorite perfume or favorite cooking. This is another way the little girl seems to reach out and let us know she is there, in a playful way.  Again we have asked if she wants to move on, she says no. They seem to really enjoy being there,” said Nieto.

“The one we think–Red Hoffmeyer–not sure about spelling of his name, the projectionist, kind of likes talking dirty to women. He enjoys baiting women whenever we use the ghost box.  He has very specific tastes, he likes younger women.  When women challenge him he gets crabby, he tells people to shut-up.  The ghost box is really fun, it is a tool they can speak through. One tour had an older lady in it, she piped up and told Red she thought he was no good and a dirty old man. Everytime she spoke or opened her mouth, he told her to shut-up, one time when she spoke up, he said, oh blah blah blah. It was really funny.  Red doesn’t like to be challenged by women, he really dislikes me.”

“One time I was in the projection room and I said, you know what? I hear all of these terrible stories about you, I think you may be a bit impotent. I started feeling pinches on my arms, I walked out of there really fast.  Everytime we start using the ghost box, he will swear at me…he calls out my name. If he gets tired of talking to me, he will start calling out to my husband to get me to shut-up. He is a very funny, crabby, cahracter. He is not an evil spirit or anything like that, just a crabby old man,” said Nieto.

“Another one is Jim Dolan,” said Nieto. “Jim worked in the theater, he was a very young man when he started working here and he started very soon after it first opened. He was employed as an usher, he escorted people to their seats, made sure people behaved during the show, and if not, ushered them out.  His sweet heart MaryAnne worked at the theater. He was sent off to war. He served his country. She promised to be faithful. When he came back, he rushed to the theater to sruprise her. She was sitting in the audience kissing someone else, he never recovered.  He stayed single his whole life, stayed working there until the theater closed.  He passed away in the last 20 years.  Ever since the theater has been rehabited, he has been seen. He will often stand in his place, if we get too loud, we will hear an ahem cough, like keep it down.”

“We have asked him why he stays through the ghost box. Psychics say he is waiting for MaryAnne and he is looking after the theater.  He is fine with everyone, although we have started having some thoughts about that.  Someone at the theater deosn’t like me, I have had someone outloud call me a whore. My husband thinks it may be Jim.  My husband thinks if you have been jilted by a woman–you may not have nice things to say about women,” said Nieto.

The EVP Ghost Box is a fascinating tool. A ghost box is a radio that has been modified.  Instead of the feed button stopping on a radio station it is constantly searching and  catching feeds.  Much like the scan button on your radio.  What this does is create an electric-maganetic field around the radio. And, because it is a radio it allows the pick up of voices.

Nieto said, “We don’t understand the fully scientific theory behind it. The ghost box doesn’t work as aOuija board, but if you happen to have a spirit who is following you very closely and they happen to follow you to the theater, they can speak through the ghost box.”

She said, “One woman came in whose mother had died unexpectedly. The mother came through the ghost box and was saying her daughters name and saying her name.  It was an unusual name. The mother said she was with her and she was okay.  Our loved ones ofthen do stay with us for a little while, to be sure we get over them.”

Nieto said the Mound Theatre is not a rigged haunted house and they are not promising anyone who visits will have an experience but in her opinion, it is the second most active place aside from Waverly House Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky.

Not only are the tours to raise money for The Portage,

it is a great opporutnity to give people a real ghost experience. Currently, the tours are just around Halloween, but with the interest they are receiving they will be doing some overnights. Perhaps at the beginning of next year, but if people contact them at the theater they will by happy to accomodate them.

 

The art portage has a music program for the children and one of the songs they created, Voices in the Wind, won the John Lennon Music Award.  Nieto said it is a beautiful song and they did an amazing job.

The theater is a fully functional theater.  They have plays, movies, and concerts there. The events menu on their website is kept fully updated.  You can also rent the theater out for your own special events.

More information about the tours is on their website and the times, as well.

Ticket cost is $20 prepurchased online, $25 at the door and the tours are being given until November 1, 2008.  They will be doing overnights in the near future.