Last Updated:March 24, 2012

In October, 2009, the Paranormal Knights investigated a known haunt of Elgin County - the Princess Ave Playhouse. There have been many reports of paranormal activity at the Playhouse including apparitions, inexplicable noises, and moved objects.  It is not surprising then that during our investigation we discovered a great deal of paranormal activity and had some interesting experiences.

     

The Princess Ave Playhouse was formerly a church, built in 1907. In 1987, the church congregation moved to a larger location and the property was transferred to the Elgin Theatre Guild. The property has been home to the Princess Ave Playhouse ever since.

   

We began our investigation in the theatre room, where the original church pews are used for audience seating. Our Medium sensed that the pews may have once held hidden slaves who were being transported to freedom through the underground railroad. Our Medium also sensed the presence of a frustrated spirit who repeatedly stated, "Don’t call me by that name". The name being referred to is unknown, however, our Medium felt that this spirit was upset for being blamed for numerous pranks that have occurred at the Playhouse. This may have been the spirit of “Mort” who is said to haunt the Playhouse and cause personal possessions to disappear and then reappear later in a different place.

     

As you can see by the photographs below (before and after), this room was also the location of several orbs that we caught on camera. Our Medium prompted us to take these pictures stating that he saw a “light show” in the room. We could only see the orbs after they appeared on camera.

  Before   After   After

As we moved the investigation to the staircase that leads to the balcony on the East side of the Playhouse, a strange experience occurred. A bent penny fell from above, seemingly out of nowhere. We could not logically determine how the penny fell or from where, but this was the same location where others have reported seeing the spirit of an old woman and where one of our locked off video cameras shut off on its own later in the investigation.

   

In the basement of the Playhouse, our Medium sensed that there had been many deceased bodies stored there in preparation for funerals. Our Medium also sensed that many funerals occurred at once, perhaps due to an epidemic. Also in the basement, the faintest noise of music could be heard but not explained.

   

Throughout the Playhouse, our Medium sensed a man in a top hat. This spirit has been seen before and is said to enjoy watching the plays.  Our Medium also sensed an explosion nearby but had no further details. This may be related to the “Great Wreck of 1887” where a Port Stanley passenger train collided with a train of oil tank cars causing a massive explosion and the deaths of 14 people. This collision occurred very near to where the Princess Ave Playhouse sits today.

 

The Princess Ave Playhouse definitely lived up to its reputation as having significant paranormal activity. It is also a beautiful and historical structure that is not to be missed