It’s A Short Trip To Find What’s Lurking In This Old Unique Haunted Playhouse.
One of the absolute best things about our part of the world is the history that's here. The Texas panhandle, west Texas, Oklahoma panhandle, and western Oklahoma all have incredible tales to tell.
Like the one about the haunted playhouse in Hobart, Oklahoma.
The Shortgrass Playhouse In Hobart, Oklahoma Has A Mischievous Tenant
If you were to scratch your head and ask where in the heck Hobart is, no one from Hobart would blame you. It's a tiny little town that doesn't have any major claims to fame.
That doesn't mean it doesn't have a certain charm. That also doesn't mean that it is without any stories or tall tales to tell.
One of those is of Charlie, a ghost that inhabits the local playhouse and causes plenty of mischief.
The Story, As I Heard It, About Charlie The Ghost
The first thing you need to know, is that the playhouse has a ton of history inside of it. It's adjacent to the local firehouse. There even used to be a door in the main stairwell, that when opened led to the pole firemen slide down.
We weren't allowed near it as kids for obvious insurance related reasons.
It also used to be the Old City Hall. This is where the legends really take off.
Is The Ghost Of A Man Who Ran On The Wrong Side Of The Law?
I was once told that the ghost was of a man who was wanted by police. The reason why always changed. So did the manner in which he died. No matter the method, he always met his end center stage.
Kids say the wildest things, don't they?
That's the reason why his tombstone rests at the bottom of the back set of stairs, or so they'd say.
A Mysterious Tombstone, The Children, And A Watchful Spirit
According to local lore not told by middle school boys, what really happened is a tombstone was found in the building around the time they were renovating the theater. The spooky part is that no one ever came forward to claim it. The family could never be tracked down.
The name on the front? Charles D. Savage. This is where the ghost got the name Charlie.
Around that same time, a stain appeared on the wall in the green room. Oddly enough, it looks an awful lot like the silhouette of a man.
I personally know people who have painted over it, just for it to come back every single time...is usually what people say right here. In fact, I've said it myself several times.
People also talk about hearing children. Some believe this to be children who died in the Babbs Switch Fire whose bodies were taken to the building.
Haunted or not, I always enjoyed spending time at the Shortgrass. I made lifelong friends there, had my first high school crush on a college girl there, and I have a lot of great memories of being in and watching performances there.
Which is why I highly suggest making the trip if you ever get the opportunity. Ghosts or not, it's well worth the drive.