Famous Haunted Places-The Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City
by Christine B.
Salt Lake City and its surrounding areas are full of reported paranormal activity. However, the Capitol Theatre, which is a county-owned building, has so much activity that the officers of the County’s Sheriff’s department refuse to be alone in the building after dark!
The building was originally built in the early 1900’s and is home to the Utah Opera Company and Ballet West.
In 1947 a fire started in the basement of the building. Although there was a movie playing in the theatre at the time, most of the patrons made it out of the building safely. A young man who was on his first day on the job as an usher thought there might be people still trapped in the basement, so he went back into the building to look for them. He became disoriented by the heavy smoke and died there. His spirit has been seen by many and the tricks he plays on those who can’t see him are frightening!
Doors slam shut, locked doors open on their own, lights that have been shut off come back on, toilets flush when no one is in the bathroom, file cabinets open and close by unseen hands in the theatre office, elevators operate when no one is in them, when people do use the elevator, the doors open on the wrong floor, vending machines go haywire, electronic equipment refuses to operate or operates on its own, disembodied muffled voices have been heard carrying on lengthy conversations, the piano in the basement will play on its own until someone goes down to check it, shadow people are seen on a regular basis throughout the building, and spirits have been seen sitting in the seats and in the mirrors of the main theater section.
It’s difficult to believe that the young usher is causing all this havoc. It’s more likely that others have died in the theater throughout its long history that also have had a hand in the bizarre events that occur there.
The Paranormal Witness program on the SyFy channel did a show about the Capitol Theatre. Three County Sherriff Officers tell their stories of what happened to them while guarding the building at night. Here’s a link to the trailer for the show: http://youtu.be/teLB3urD3h8
