Boothbay Harbor Haunted Opera House

When you think of a spooky opera house, it will probably bring to mind The Phantom of the Opera. While the Phantom ended up being a man instead of a ghost, he did cause some seemingly supernatural trouble. If you want to check out an opera house full of actual ghost stories, check out the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor. It is one of the most haunted places in Maine. You may get more than you bargain for when venturing into this space.

The Building's History

The Opera House was initially built in 1894 and was the local headquarters for the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order that coincided with the Freemasons. The building changed many times after that. It was a theater, with performances in pretty much any kind of entertainment that you could think of, including plays, minstrel shoes, professional wrestling matches, a rollerskating rink, town meetings, movies, and basketball games. 

Not only has the building been host to all those different kinds of events, but legend has it that it also houses ghosts.

Another Phantom with a Love for Music

Much like the Phantom of the Opera, there seems to be another ghostly phantom with a love of music haunting the Opera House. The presence of a ghost nicknamed "Fingers" has been credited with bringing a broken player piano back to life on multiple occasions in 1949, 1957, and 1977.

Multiple witnesses reported hearing the music that plays on its own, or so it seems. Some people believe the ghost may be Earl Cliff, who played the piano there in the early 1900s. Although there haven't been reports recently, maybe he's still hanging out near his piano on the second floor. Different paranormal activity has been reported since he seemed to fade out in the 70s.

Other Things Workers and Guests have Witnessed

Ushers working in the Opera House have heard someone calling their names and experienced the feeling of someone touching them. One usher experienced being shaken violently, and another had their arm grabbed.

Floating Military Dress

Musician Richie Havens claimed that he saw a shadowy figure in the theater's foyer. Another visitor saw a man in a military dress floating across the third floor, where the Knights of Pythias used to meet. This ghost may have been one of them, given his location and how he was dressed.

The Phantom in the Green Room

Another creepy tale comes from a theater professor from Duke University, who was alone building a set for a production one evening when he saw a man coming out of the theater's green room. The figure came closer, and the professor saw heat waves coming off him as he glided across the floorboards. He wore 19th-century clothing, and despite the heat waves, the temperature in the room dropped. The professor was on the phone with his wife at the time, but the call suddenly disconnected.

The Restless Chairs

The most recent supernatural occurrences happened to a director and volunteer when they were setting up an event. While they were the only ones in the building, the volunteer heard noises coming from upstairs that the director didn't hear. When they went to check it out, the chairs that had been in nice rows were scattered around

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