I'm still going through audio, and video and scrutinizing over every little sound and reaction. There were so many noises that we heard while there that didn't get picked up by audio recorders, but there were some that did. I can't wait to get this stuff put together so that we can link it up and play. One is a class A E.V.P. that sounds like a whispering that is right over my ear, that I know I didn't hear at the time, and I don't believe is anyone else. It sounds like a woman whispering. I would rule it out if during the night any of us had whispered for any reason, but we didn't. We all would just talk normally. There was no whispering, and no reason to think any of us that walked into the basement would have whispered. I can't wait to get it posted.
The Town Theater, in Columbia, South Carolina. What can I say about the Town Theater, as far as the paranormal goes? It is an active location. It is active in things that we can not explain.
I think we learned several lessons when it comes to performing an investigation like this. As this was our first, legit investigation, there was a lot to be learned. For one, not everything we do, is going to be successful every time we do it.
I can tell you this, I am still combing through the video and audio that we collected. It is not easy to do, as I have to go over every little knock and noise over and over just to see if it is something, only to recognize the sound as someone whispering behind me, or even someone's chair, or their stomach. Noises that seem so easily explainable when I'm sitting next to them, become amplified when I'm listening for something strange.
This is just a preview of some of the video that we caught though. I do believe that we were in the presence of someone who is seen and felt in the Town Theater.
The Town Theater is an amazing location. It's unknown history is something that I believe we might be able to investigate more, with another visit.
I think just by our reactions, we began to hit on something that was amazing. There were more questions, and more answers to our questions. I'm hoping that there is more caught on video as well.
Well here we are! Today is the day... well tonight is the night. Tonight, six of us walk into the Columbia Town Theater, and when we finish, we hope to have documented and validated the experiences that people have had there for years. It's going to be a fun night. I hope, as does everyone else, that tonight we show respect for the location, the owner, and any spirits that have taken up permanent residence there. I think we are going to have a very good night. I expect that we will have plenty of footage, and audio to go over by the time this is all done. One of our investigators, Jessica, created this as an exchange between she and her husband, Brian. Hilarious. I'll give a write up of some of what we experienced tomorrow after we are done. I don't know that I'll have anything to show just yet, but we will surely be going through all of it, in hopes that we do have something to show. Looking forward to presenting our investigation to everyone.
Columbia, South Carolina is a city that is rich in history. There are so many things that people don't know about it when it comes to knowledge about all of the things that went on here. Columbia was easily, one of the richest cities in the country before the civil war. More money was kept in Columbia, than the banks in Atlanta; Richmond; Raleigh. It was the city on the river with one of the largest shipping ports in it's time, Charleston. Columbia was hugely important to the growth and development of the south. It has a heritage unlike many other places in the south. It was settled by Irish and Dutch; French. There were Native American tribes that settled here and used the same rivers for food, and transportation. It's a very historic city. I enjoying living in Columbia for the wealth of history that it has. And I believe that history affords it the possibility of having many stories to tell, and perhaps that spirits around to still tell those stories. With all of that said, our investigation tomorrow at the Town Theater, I hope, is going to be legendary. I hope that we collect evidence to present to the owner, and perhaps give our group the credibility to investigate other locations that have a history of paranormal experiences. There are places all of this city that have been noted as having some sort of stories of hauntings. The building that the South Carolina State Museum is in now, used to be a textile mill, I've learned from my readings. It is said to be haunted. The State Hospital on Bull Street was the grounds that saw more than 20,000 deaths due to a wide range of reasons. As an Asylum, it housed some of the criminally insane, and based on the stories of friends that worked there for a period of time, it has the potential of providing experiences of it's own. I think this is a starting point for S.C.O.P.E. Only one one more day, and a few more hours.
T minus 3 days , 16 hours to go before we get access to the Town Theater. Not a lot to really report on that has changed since yesterday, but I did do a little more searching around and found that the theater's website does have blurb about their history. It's not an in depth write up on a history of the location prior to building becoming a community theater, but it is an interesting read.
This is an excerpt of a letter that was written after the 1919 opening of the theater:
"A stage society has been organized in Columbia for the purpose of encouraging and developing musical, vocal, and dramatic talent in this city and to furnish entertainment to those who enjoy these things but do not care to take an active part in them."
Letter dated Jun 25, 1919 by John D. Neal, First Secretary of The Columbia Stage Society
This photograph was taken from the theater website. You can read more by clicking this link: Town Theater History.
This history that I really want to get a hold of is information about the Sloan House, and perhaps the family that lived in the home before the fire, that possibly took the life of a young girl that is now believed to be haunting, and making herself known to visitors, and employees of the theater.
I guess this is as good a place as any; if you have had an experience at the town theater, I would encourage you to give me a write up, or perhaps email me or on Google+, about what you experienced. If you want, there is space below, where you can comment.
A history of the family, or the location, the "Sloan House" has been difficult to find. If you know something, let us know.
It's Monday morning, and we're only a few more days away from this, our first legit investigation into a location that has multiple reports of experiences involving a ghostly apparition, that is being reported as being the ghost of a girl named Alice. Experiences... According to Bill Refo, the man responsible for man, many duties around the theater, there have been multiple experiences in the theater, as well as the sound stage, and the offices. There have also been experiences around the backstage area, as well as the production and dressing rooms. 1. Sound Booth
During our walk through, Bill informed me that the owner of the theater, Sandra has had her own experience, while sitting in her office, she has seen that the door to the sound booth would open and shut on it's own. When Bill and I went up stairs to check the door out, I found that it was very solid, and there was no reason that I could tell that the wind could blow it open. It's not an un-heavy door. There is the possibility that if there were an exit door open in the auditorium, then it's possible that a breeze could maybe push the door open, but the door would have to be unlatched first. I assume that it was not locked, so it's possible that it could have been unlatched. Unfortunately, that doesn't explain away it opening because of the doors weight. There are two entrances into the auditorium from the lobby, and they are completely open. They do not have doors that shut, so any breeze would like find the path of least resistance. This should be something that could be easily testable. 2. Auditorium Two spots to really check here. We have the right-side stage, where a recently employe of the theater said that she saw a young woman, in a white gown. She said that she asked the woman twice, if she could help her, but there was no response. The second spot is along the left aisle, coming up the auditorium from the stage. This is where there have been multiple sightings of a woman in a white gown. 3. Stage
Above the right door, to go back stage, there is a light, up in the ceiling that for longer than a moment was on, when no electricity was being distributed to it. We might can check this for the period that we are there. 4. Backstage and Production Props and tools have been said to have been moved. We might try and leave out some props to see if we can document them being moved. 5. Dressing Room May try and do some evp's to see if we can catch anything. Bill said that when he was up there once, he could feel as though someone would walk up the stairs to where he was. 6. We will also want to check the basement. There hasn't been anything reported as abnormal, but it is part of the original structure of the house. It's worth exploring.
One Week Before Investigation at the Town Theater, Columbia, SC
So we are just one week out from our 5 hour (or so) investigation into the Town Theater, on Sumter Street, across from the state capital building, in Columbia, SC. This is a very exciting investigation for us, because this will be our first (legit) investigation.
Location History
So finding information about the history of the Town Theater is a bit shallow and more difficult than changing the water pump on my 2005 Honda Element. But we can confirm, based on the National Register of Historical Places, that the current build of the theater has been in operation since 1919. Before that, the location was the Sloan House/Home.
Thanks to William (Bill) Refo, I was able to get a walk through and some history of the location.
One of the things that we do believe, based on several experiences, is that there has been the sighting of what appears to be a woman in a white gown that either moves up the left aisle of the auditorium or walking up to the stage on the right side of the auditorium.
The apparition is believed to be that of a young woman who may have died in a fire, that gutted the interior of the original Sloan House. While, the name has never been confirmed, many of those that have had an experience, or have seen this girl, have named her Alice.
According to Bill, the location is confirmed as being the longest, continusouly running community theater in the United States.
I have spoken with friends that have been actors and workers for plays at the theater. I asked specifically if anyone that they know, have had an experiences while at the theater. My question was responded very quickly by a confirming "yes, many."
Our Investigation
We will set up in the theater with four placed, infrared, stationary cameras that hopefully, will document any visible anomalies. We will have a couple digital cameras to document personal experiences, as well as a couple digital voice recorders, so as to perhaps pick up on anything that might not be audible on a human level. We will also deploy a hackshack spirit box to provide white noise, to possibly give a spirt the means to communicate with us.
Over the course of this week before, I'll post information here. I am very much looking forward to this investigation.
This is our blog. This is where we will blog about current plans for upcoming or past investigations into paranormal experiences.
S.C.South Carolina
O.P.E.Observation of Paranormal Experiences
We want to be available to anyone that believes that they have experienced anything that might not be explainable. If you believe that you have had some sort of paranormal experience, and you'd like to have it documented, then maybe we can be available to you.
I'm still going through audio, and video and scrutinizing over every little sound and reaction. There were so many noises that we heard while there that didn't get picked up by audio recorders, but there were some that did. I can't wait to get this stuff put together so that we can link it up and play. One is a class A E.V.P. that sounds like a whispering that is right over my ear, that I know I didn't hear at the time, and I don't believe is anyone else. 
