People’s Bank Theatre – Investigation

January 26, 2019

Marietta, OH

Investigation

The People’s Bank Theatre, formally known as the Hippodrome, was recently restored to its’ former glory thanks in large part to Hidden Marietta, People’s Bank, and the community of Marietta, Ohio.  While the theater got a facelift and looks brand new, the past is still very much alive inside.  The theater currently and regularly runs shows and promotions all year round, even selling out on occasion.  There are numerous tales of the paranormal throughout the theater and the reality appeared to hold up to the stories during our investigation.

This investigation began in the empty theater, the night after our Lafayette Hotel investigation and the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo so needless to say we were pretty beat.  However, the tour guides through Hidden Marietta definitely helped wake us up with their lively and informative tour of the building.  We began around 7:00 PM and wrapped up around 10:00 PM.  It was definitely a shorter investigation but we made it worth our while.

The equipment list for that evening included the Rempod, two recorders, an EMF reader, a K2 meter, two night vision video cameras, SB7 spirit box, laser grid pen, light up balloons, and an Ovilus.  We utilized everything at our disposal.

Our activity that we recorded was scattered and sporadic at best.  We did receive plenty of communication that evening, but it was far from consistent.  Some areas, like the balcony and seating areas were completely blank, but other areas, like the stage and green room were highly active for a period of time.  We captured plenty of intelligent communication but nothing residual.  The activity came in spurts and it seems to die all at once around 1:00 AM.  Our feelings in the majority of the building were welcoming, all except the rear room in the green room where we felt colder and a heavier energy.  We didn’t seem to capture anything on still imagery nor any movement on video, but we did record plenty of voices and communication via the recorders and the video cameras.

Below are our recordings and videos, which we captured throughout the evening.  We marked the locations where we feel we received some kind of communication from the other side – voices, noises, anything and everything we captured.  Let us know your thoughts if you get the chance to listen and watch some of the footage.  We also commented on the Ovilus communication due to the fact that it does not speak the words aloud, rather we simply read them off as they came through.

As always, you have been warned, some of this is not for the faint of heart and can be slightly explicit:

Stage

There have been plenty of actors who have graced that very stage of the People’s Bank Theatre.  However, one spirit is prevalent in many of the reports of a spirit on the stage.  It is said that there is a little girl who likes to dance and laugh throughout the area.  Her giggles tend to echo inside the auditorium itself and her footsteps can be heard below the stage.  We began our investigation in this area and before we even got set up, there was a loud bang coming from the back room to the side of the stage.
 
Photos:

• We started out by taking some pictures in the back room trying to figure out what would have fallen or been thrown.  We could not find anything that was seemingly out of place.
• After that we turned our attention out to the crowd.  We took a few pictures quickly in a row and, even though one of the pictures is slightly blurry, there is a blue light in the upper seating area.  It’s difficult to make out whether this is a glare from a light but in the picture right before that there was no light similar to this.  We believe we may have caught an orb or spirit looking down at the activity on the stage.

Recording:

• Following the bang coming from the rear room, we set up the recorders and cameras, as well as the Rempod.  Around the :47 mark, we heard a male voice groaning or grumbling.
• After we asked if anyone was with us, we waited for a response.  At 1:47, we heard “Speak” from the spirit box.
• We explained to the spirit that they could light up the Rempod and K2 meter, or talk into the red light of the recorder.  Around the 2:50 mark we heard “What is all that?”
• Following the spirit box communication, the Rempod was alerted at 2:51.
• We asked the entity who was lighting the Rempod to tell us their name and at 3:32 we heard “Me?” in response.
• As we began to walk away back to the side room we heard “Stay” at 4:56.
• The next series of events was very odd.  Every time one of us (Derrick) walked away, there would be activity on the Rempod.  We took this as the spirit not liking Derrick since the Rempod continued to go off every time he moved further away from it.
• At 9:12 the Rempod went off after we asked them to make a noise.
• Derrick began to move closer and then the Rempod stopped.  At 9:45, Derrick began to walk away and the Rempod went off again.
• After we asked who was with us we heard “Wendy” at 10:07.
• Again, as Derrick walked away, the Rempod buzzed at 10:28.  Once more, Derrick turned to the Rempod and took a step or two forward.  At 11:10 we heard “Go back” from the spirit box.
• As Derrick walked back following the request, the Rempod was alerted at 11:41.
• After saying hi to the spirit, we heard “Hi” at 11:53.
• We believe, at that point, we began to hear a conversation that was not directed toward us starting at 12:13 we heard “You’re so lucky.”
• At the 13:16 mark we heard “So much activity” through the spirit box.
• As we asked if they could speak into the box we recorded “The box” at 14:27.
• We told the spirit that we won’t hurt them and, in response, at 14:57 we heard “Something like that” followed by “Is he serious?” at 15:08.
• At 15:19 we heard “I’ve got this.”
• As Derrick began to walk away, around 15:54, we recorded “Finally.”
• We heard “That man” at 16:10. 
• As we heard this, we asked if someone is trying to talk to us.  At 16:56 we captured “Behind you.”
• Once more we asked if anyone wanted to speak with us and at 17:27 we heard “Not right now” followed directly by “Maybe later.”
• We began packing up to move to the next area and captured “Goodbye” at 17:43.

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Video 1:

• Matching up with the communication from the recording, we heard a male groan at :44.
• At 1:47, we heard “Speak” from the spirit box after we asked if anyone wants to speak with us.
• We explained to the spirit that they could light up the Rempod and K2 meter, or talk into the red light of the recorder.  Around the 2:50 mark we heard “What is all that?”
• Following the spirit box communication, the Rempod was alerted at 2:51.
• We asked the entity who was lighting the Rempod to tell us their name and at 3:32 we heard “Me?” in response.
• Unheard on the recorder, after we asked if they like dance, we heard “Yes” at 4:13.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pUVX4hoV-Q]

Video 2:

• Again, matching up with the recorder, the first evidence we received occurred when the Rempod activated at 1:50 as we asked the spirit to make a noise.
• At 2:22, the Rempod activated as Derrick walked away from it followed by “Go back” as Derrick turned and walked toward the Rempod area.
• As Derrick walked away, the Rempod went off at 4:28.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wX1K_WzTD8]

Video 3:

• At the 1:38 mark, “Behind you” was recorded.
• “Not right now” could be heard at 2:08 and “Maybe later” right after.
• At the 2:23 mark “Goodbye” was heard through the spirit box.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztUTZ1EaZkQ]

Laundry Area

Not much is known about who or what resides in this area, but some of the Hidden Marietta guides have been grabbed here and voices have been said to be captured in this small Laundry / Bathroom area.  We filed in the Laundry Room with the people who were grabbed at one point in hopes of getting a reaction from some of the spirits.  Unfortunately, we did not get the reaction we were looking for, and to be blunt, no reaction or communication at all.

Photos:

• All the photos in this location came out blurry with the mirrors and reflective washer and dryer bouncing light everywhere.  Needless to say, there wasn’t much to see in this area.

Recording:

• Nothing

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Video 1:

• Nothing

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyvRFJgNchA]

Video 2:

• Nothing

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GPVr8BhEM]

Green Room Closet

This old block room, located at the rear of the green room, is currently used as storage.  At one time, back before the theater fell into disrepair, there was a brutal fist fight that turned deadly.  One of the men involved in the fight drew a knife and stepped his opponent.  This man was drug into the back room and locked inside, left to rot.  His corpse was found weeks later after it began to leave off a foul odor that began to seep up into audience and stage above.  To this day, there is said to be a male spirit here who does not seem to like men and wants to draw women in individually.  Viva explained that this man had her an emotional wreck and in tears at one point.  As we investigated the area, we did feel a few cold spots and received plenty of interaction with this spirit via the Rempod and spirit box.  At one point, it even convinced Viva to kick most of the men out of the room as he appeared to be threatening them.

Photos:

• Our photos captured the small space of the room and the items that were stored back there.  Outside of that, we did not seem to capture anything out of the ordinary.

Recording:

• The spirit seemed to be in no mood to communicate with all of the people in his space.  As we told him to speak up, we received a “No” at 1:24. We were told “Stop it” at 1:47 as we reiterated that he needed to speak up.
• Trying to change the subject, Viva asked if he remembered her.  At 2:34 we caught “Yeah” through the spirit box.
• “Viva” was heard at 2:57 as she asked if the spirit could say her name.
• After a little bit of silence, we heard a female voice say “Hi” at the 5:17 mark.
• As Viva began to describe that she felt a man pacing in the room the Rempod was alerted as if she was correct at 5:48. At the same time, the video camera was temporarily drained of battery life.
• Another lull in the communication lead Viva to explain that she wouldn’t mess with the man and at 9:18 the Rempod went off.  Cold spots were then felt in between us at about 9:34.
• Dan’s arm began to tingle, and we asked if someone was touching him.  At 9:56 we heard “It was me.”
• Viva remembered that this spirit does not like men and at 10:19 we heard “Just one.”
• At 10:54 the Rempod went off as Viva explained that he won’t do anything with men there as if he agreed.
• Viva explains that she feels a man ready to choke Dan right around the 11:41 mark.
• At 12:31, the Rempod buzzed as Viva gets the feeling that the man just wants Dan to leave followed by “Yes” on the spirit box at 12:39.
• About a minute later, at 13:38, we feel the temperature drop between us.  We question this change and the Rempod is activated at 14:01.
• Once Dan leaves, we captured “Thank you” at 14:35.
• Before we took some pictures, we warned everyone in the room to cover their eyes as we were going to snap a few photos.  In response, at 14:59, we clearly heard “No.”
• As we went to move the Rempod to a different location, we capture “Don’t you” at 15:46 as if the spirit did not want us to move it.
• At the 16:05 mark we heard “Just one” followed by “Go” at 16:50 and “Now” at 16:54.
• We pack up to leave and hear “Thank you” at 17:18.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/568202400″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Video:

• Majority of the video matches up with the recorder except for the end.  I placed the camera down to take photos and did not capture the voices on the video camera.
• As we told him to speak up, we received a “No” at 1:23 and heard “Stop it” at 1:46 as we told them to speak up.
• Viva asked if he remembered her and at 2:32 we caught “Yeah.”
• “Viva” was heard at 2:56.
• We went to move the Rempod and heard “Set it there” at 4:00 but this was NOT heard on the recorder.
• We did NOT capture the welcoming “Hi” on the video that we heard on the recorder.
• Viva described a man pacing in the room and the Rempod was alerted as if she was correct at 5:47. Meanwhile, the video camera was partially drained.
• Viva to explained that she wouldn’t mess with the man and at 9:16 the Rempod went off.  Cold spots were then felt at about 9:32.
• Dan’s arm tingled as we asked if someone was touching him.  At 9:55 we heard “It was me.”
• Viva explained that this spirit does not like men, and we heard “Just one” at 10:19.
• At 10:53 the Rempod went off as Viva told us that he won’t do anything with men there.
• Viva explains that she feels a man ready to choke Dan right around the 11:40 mark.
• At 12:30, the Rempod responded as Viva felt that the spirit wants Dan to leave.
• However, we did NOT hear the “Yes” on the spirit box like we heard on the recorder.
• At 13:35, we feel the temperature drop between us.  We question this change and the Rempod is activated at 14:00.
• Again, we did NOT hear the “Thank you” as we heard on the recorder after Dan left.
• In response to my photograph warning, at 14:58, we heard “No.”
• As we went to move the Rempod to a different location, we capture “Don’t you” at 15:46 as if the spirit did not want us to move it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkN2etZhI5k]

Green Room

This area was once connected to the theater across the street, that is until the tunnel created sink holes all through the street above.  The tunnel was cemented and closed up.  Spirits have still been seen appearing and disappearing where that tunnel used to open up and connect both buildings.  Supposedly, these are the spirits of former actors and actresses who had the times of their lives at these theaters and have returned to re-live their glory days.  Mr. Hoag has also been spotted down in this area, pacing back and forth and just watching his guests.  A Mr. Shaw has also been acknowledged in this area, even though is story and reasoning for existence is unclear.  The current layout includes old artwork and décor from the original theater that local community members have donated thanks to Hidden Marietta.  We sat around here for an investigation as a break from the rear room, and what would be our final investigation of the evening.  We still explored other areas like the balcony and lobby but this was our final sit down and attempt to communicate.

Photos:

• We photographed the area as we investigated.  We only captured the beautiful old artwork hanging on the original brick walls, no paranormal evidence.

Recording:

• At first, we simply sat around just listening for any communication.  Finally, we asked if there was anyone in the dressing room with us.  At 2:27 we heard “I believe.”
• We repeated the question in hopes of a more definitive response and at the 2:50 mark caught “I am.”
• As we presumed aloud that they did not want to be bothered, we captured “Right” at 3:02.
• At 3:37 we heard “Theater” and asked if they want us to follow them across the street to the other theater to which we heard “Right.”
• At the 4:23 mark we recorded “People” so we followed up asking if they were referring to the theater we were currently in.  We heard “Uhuh” at 4:41.
• We then heard people walking above us on the stage and joked around saying they’re not getting any responses and someone responded to us at 5:09 as we heard “No.”
• We believe we captured a little girls’ voice saying “Hi” at 5:21, perhaps the young girl from the stage area.
• Viva had a feeling that the spirits wanted her to go across the street, to which she told them bluntly that she was not going to go over there and fall for their tricks.  At 5:53 we recorded “Too bad.”
• We asked if Mr. Shaw was with us and heard “Me?” at 6:43.
• One of the guests stated that they heard them say me and at 6:53 we heard “Uhuh” as if a confirmation.
• We continued speaking with Mr. Shaw and explained that we understood he does not get spoken to very often to which we heard “Yeah” at 7:25.
• At 8:39 we captured “Yeah” in response to us asking if the investigators upstairs are new.
• We then introduced ourselves and at 9:25 “Daniel” was heard after Dan introduced himself.  In response we asked if they like Dan to which we heard “Yeah” at 10:00.
• Dan explained that he would talk to the spirit and at the 10:12 mark we heard “I hear you.”
• As Dan continued the conversation, he asked if they could tell us their name and at 10:35 we heard “Nathan.”
• Again, at 11:27, we heard “Daniel” and then repeated again at 13:06 was “Daniel.”
• Viva felt as though they wanted her back in the rear room, but she said she will not go back there by herself to which we heard “Why not?” at 13:53.
• With one last attempt to get a name or speak with anyone else, we asked if there is anyone in the room the spirit would like to speak to, and we heard “Here we go again” at 14:24 as if they were irritated or bored.
• Finally, at the 15:30 mark, the camera was drained completely.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/568202394″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Video:

• Much like other areas of the theater, the recorder captured more than the video camera did.  Perhaps the spirits moved around, or it was closer to the recorder whereas the video cameras were moving around and attached to a person.  But this videoed session began the same way as we heard “I believe” at 1:28 after we asked if there was anyone in the dressing room with us.
• We repeated the question and at the 1:52 mark caught “I am.”
• As we said that they did not want to be bothered, we captured “Right” at 2:02.
• At 2:38 we heard “Theater.”
• We asked if they want us to follow them across the street and heard “Right” at 2:49.
• At the 3:24 mark we recorded “People.”
• We asked if they meant the theater we were currently in and heard “Uhuh” at 3:43.
• We then heard people walking above us and said they’re not getting any responses and at 4:07 as we heard “No.”
• We believe we heard a girls’ voice saying “Hi” at 4:22.
• Viva felt the spirits wanted her to go across the street, and she told them that she was not going to go over and at 4:54 we heard “Too bad.”
• We asked if Mr. Shaw was here and heard “Me?” at 5:44.
• We did NOT capture the “Uhuh” as we did on the recorder after someone said they heard the word me.
• We explained that we knew Mr. Shaw he does not getting spoken to often and we heard “Yeah” at 6:27.
• At 7:41 we captured “Yeah” after we asked if the investigators upstairs are new.
• We heard “Daniel” at 8:28 after Dan introduced himself and then “Yeah” at 9:03 after we asked if they like Dan.
• Dan said he would talk to them and at 9:15 we heard “I hear you.”
• We asked if they could tell us their name and at 9:37 we heard “Nathan.”
• At 10:29 we heard “Daniel” and then repeated at 12:08.
• Viva said she will not go back in the room by herself then we heard “Why not?” at 12:55.
• We asked if there is anyone in the room they want to talk to and we heard “Here we go again” at 13:27.
• The camera died right after.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzK1MWeMewk]

Upper Balcony

On the upper balcony of the seating area there have been shadow figures spotted occasionally and seats will move up and down as if someone is sitting down then standing up, even though no one is in the area. We used our laser grid on the top entrance of the balcony in hopes of catching some movement, but we had no luck. The only activity we even experienced was a phantom tobacco smoke.

Photos

• After we set up the laser grid we took a few photos of looking up toward the top of the seating area as well as down toward the stage. Unfortunately we did not capture much in the pictures, paranormally speaking, but we did take some pictures of the ornate woodwork which will very easily take you back in time to the theater’s hay day.

Video:

• We did not capture anything on the video, we smelled the smoke after we shut the camera off.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8keCsjZvOA]

The major revitalization of the People’s Bank Theatre occurred twice throughout its’ history.  With the major construction taking place in 2015, the theater opened its’ doors again to the public but this time, with some unknown guests.  There were a few disasters that took place at the old Hippodrome theater, but it seems to be that there were more memorable times that perhaps brought people back after their earthly lives had expired.

Our investigation started off strong in the stage area and we definitely felt as though we had some communication with a spirit in that spot.  It took some time to pick up more communications after that but once we began our investigation in the green room closet and the green room itself, we began to pick up more verbal, intelligent conversations.  Unfortunately, that seemed to be when the spirits shut down on us.  We explored the theater seating, both below and above, as well as touching back to the stage and aside from a cigar smoke smell, we did not receive any further communication after the green room.

Spending the night in the renovated theater and digging into personal stories from some of the Hidden Marietta employees helped us gear our investigation toward certain areas of the historic structure.  Our experiences dictate that the theater indeed does hold multiple spirits, however, it does not seem as though they are constantly active.  These entities almost pick and choose who to speak with and come and go as they please.  After experiencing some of these spirits and interacting with them, our belief is that they still utilize the underground tunnel (permanently concreted closed) to roam both theaters at their leisure.  After we analyzed our recordings and video from the evening, we feel confident stating that the People’s Bank Theatre hosts a few spirits that are intelligent and, under the right circumstances and audience, will communicate with us of the living.