Morton Theatre
Built in 1909-1910 by Monroe Bowers "Pink" Morton, the Morton Theatre is one of the oldest surviving vaudeville houses in the nation built, owned, and operated by an African American, hosting acts like Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Bessie Smith. Long after the music faded and the building was restored as a community performing arts center, actors began reporting odd activity in the dressing rooms — which sit directly above what was once a funeral parlor's embalming room with its telltale slanted floor. In October 2014, Athens-Clarke County itself brought in a paranormal team for a documented overnight investigation, which recorded unexplained voices on EVP, sudden cold spots, an unaccountable blue light, and a dark mass moving near the stage. Performers and staff still describe banging noises and the sense of an unseen presence backstage in the small hours.
📍 195 W. Washington Street, Athens, GA 30601, Athens, GA · Get directions