Majestic Theatre

General Information

The OES visited the Majestic Theatre (also spelled Majestic Theater) on August 11, 2006. Located along Second Street in Chillicothe, the Majestic Theatre in its current form opened its doors in 1876 as the Masonic Opera House. Originally named Masonic Hall in 1853, the building was originally a two story brick building with a dance hall, theatre and lodge room. As the building became more and more popular with stock companies as a place to entertain, the Masons decided to expand the hall, making many improvements and upgrades for the time. Once the renovations were complete, many considered the theatre was considered one of the finest theatres in the State of Ohio. The theatre offered various acts including comedy, drama, minstrel shows and operas. AR Wolf bought the Masonic Opera House from the Masons in 1904 when the Masons decided to build a new facility on Main Street. Again, the theatre was remodeled, stage enlarged and windows replaced. In 1907, AR Wolf purchased and installed the arch that spans Second Street and is believed to be the last surviving arch that once stood across High Street in Columbus. Just eight years later in 1915, the theatre was sold again to the Myers Brothers, who made some improvements, installed a movie screen and equipment, and renamed the facility Majestic Theatre. Although the theatre still showed the occasional live show, most shows were motion pictures exclusively. Some of the more recognizable names to pass through the Majestic included Milton Berle, Laurel & Hardy, George Arliss, Sophie Tucker, Eddie Foy, and George M. Cohan. However, the most intriguing fact in the Majestic's history is its use as a temporary morgue in 1918. When the Spanish influenza swept through the nation and struck particularly hard at nearby Camp Sherman. Around 1400 cases of the flu were reported in September, but it only got worse with 5600 reported cases by October. The town of Chillicothe was quarantined in an attempt to prevent the spread of the flu to the local population. The quarantine was not totally effective and many people outside Camp Sherman were infected and died. In all, almost 1200 people from the Camp died from the epidemic. With more bodies than the morgue could handle, the Majestic Theater was used as a temporary morgue. The bodies were stacked like cordwood in the dressing rooms below the stage until they could be taken to the stage for embalming. Every now and again one of the "bodies" would be found to be alive and taken off to the hospital. Once the bodies made their way to the stage, the blood and other bodily fluids were drained to Masonic Alley next to the theatre, earning it the name that has stuck to this day, Bloody Alley. The theatre transferred hands again in 1971 when Harley and Evelyn Bennett purchased it. They carefully restored the theatre and helped preserve the old Masonic Opera House. The latest transfer of the theatre was to Robert Althoff, Robert Evans and David Uhrig, who bought the theatre as a non-profit organization in 1990. They installed new wiring and new fire safety/security systems and are working to continue the preservation of the theatre. The OES had visited the area outside and around the Majestic Theatre, including Bloody Alley, on July 25, 2001 and on April 30, 2006, but were not able to actually enter the theatre until August 11, 2006 when we were invited to conduct a paranormal investigation. There were several strange events that occurred during the course of the investigation. EVP was also captured and can be accessed on page two. For a complete analysis of the paranormal investigation, Click Here.

Location Information: Active Business

The Majestic Theatre is located at 45 East Second Street in Chillicothe, Ross County.

Photographs: Exterior