Investigation at Palace Theatre, Manchester, NH
March 27, 2011

On March 27, 2011, the Souhegan Paranormal Investigators conducted an investigation at the historic Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH. The theatre was built in 1915 and was designed after The Palace Theatre in New York. It is 96 years old and is one of the oldest buildings in Manchester. Some of the great performers such as Bob Hope, The Marx Brothers, Houdini, and Bob Newhart along with many others performed here. The location of the theatre was once known as The Great White Way because the entire block was lined with theatres. The theatre district was built so that mill workers and their families had a place to go for entertainment. The Palace Theatre is the only one of the 22 original theatres remaining today. All of the masonry work is the original construction.

SPI felt privileged in having the opportunity to investigate such a building with all its history and beauty. Among all the beauty of the theatre are claims that the theatre is haunted. We were in hopes of meeting one or more of the spirit residents that are said to linger there. We were not disappointed.

We arrived at 5:30 p.m. and were met by Dana Beaulieu. Dana works as a sound technician at the theatre and is often there alone at night. He escorted us throughout the theatre giving us some of its history along with the stories about the resident ghosts who have been seen by employees, as well as visitors. Dana shared with us that a gentleman spirit dressed in period clothing has been seen by employees from time to time walking in the balcony seating or sitting in a seat watching rehearsals. Shadows, odd noises, footsteps, and music have been seen and heard in the wings of the stage. Folks were not able to explain any of these incidents. It is also said that there is a “lady in white” who sometimes walks on the stage. We believe we may have had some communication with her.

There was a gentleman named Will Chrissey, who was a “wanna be” actor that constantly hung around the theatre. He tried out for many acting roles, but his attempts were not received very favorably. His desire to become an actor never took fruition. It is said that he became depressed and committed suicide in his home. It is thought that he may be one of the spirits that linger at the Palace Theatre. Michelle, who is a sensitive, believes that Will Chrissey was a short man with dark brown hair and was at the theatre during the 1920’s. SPI feels we might have had contact with him during our investigation also.

During the walkthrough, we made a stop in the area where the theatre decorations are stored. Michelle felt pain in her right foot and expressed that she thought a co-worker had broken their foot in this area. Dana confirmed that Michelle was correct.

During the tour we were apprised of the hot spots where we might find some spirit activity. It was time to begin our investigation. We set up our equipment and began our investigation at approximately 7:45 p.m.

Note:  Using headphones will enhance the audio for your listening pleasure.  You may have to turn the volume up as well, because some of these EVP's are weak, but we didn't want to omit them because they are a true part of our evidence.

EVP's Captured During the Walkthrough and Setup:

1. During the walkthrough in the hallway area near the reception room, Dana was explaining to us about personal experiences some folks have had, but as yet he has not experienced the same things. If you listen carefully at pos :01, you can hear a childlike voice saying "hello".
2. While doing the walkthrough in the hallway downstairs (where the dressing rooms are) we captured this EVP that consists of unknown words from pos :03-:05. The speech is fast and sounds female. It is beneath our voices and can be heard right after Michelle says, "...and she's happy...".
3. At this point, we had completed the walkthrough with Dana and were now in the reception area. We were going to eat our snacks before beginning the investigation. Michelle can be heard saying, "I gotta get something in my system". At pos :04-:05 is a whispered "ar-choo".
4. While setting up the equipment, Sue first said "wrong one" and then you can hear her say "new one". Immediately after the words "new one" at pos :03 is a gruff sounding voice saying something like "yeh" or "here".
5. We were still setting up. Dana can be heard talking. At pos :09-:10 a sound like a "frog" was captured that we cannot explain.

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