Paranormal investigation at Constantine Theater reveals findings

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Paranormal investigation at Constantine Theater reveals findings
July 2, 2009
By THOMAS BERGER
Pawhuska Journal-Capital

The Constantine Theater in downtown Pawhuska once having hosted Vaudeville acts, silent movies, operas and original showings of movie classics such as “Gone with the Wind,” is now said to host ghosts. In fact, it is one of the top haunted sites in Oklahoma.

People have reported hearing the sound of opening and closing doors, footsteps going up and down the stairs and once reported was a mist seen drifting in the crawl tunnel underneath the theater’s stage.

Because of the strange experiences at the building, it has been investigated a number of times, with some of the investigations resulting in recordings of footsteps, a gunshot followed by a gasp and laborious breathing.

Originally built around 1880 as the Pawhuska House Hotel, the building was purchased by Greek immigrant Charles Constantine in 1910. He then renovated the building and turned it into the theater it is today.

“The first time we came here we walked in and we go, ‘Wow!’” said the co-founder of Northeast Oklahoma Research, speaking of the elegant Greek d/cor of the theater. He identified himself as Dustin and refused to disclose his surname to the Journal-Capital.

Dustin and his team of investigators from N.O.R.S. conducted an investigation on the theater on May 23 and from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. took approximately 40 hours worth of video and audio recordings focusing much of the equipment on the stage where most reports of paranormal experiences seemed to have their source.

N.O.R.S. returned to the theater Saturday evening to present their findings. to the public.

“The things on the Internet have been people walking across the stage during a bar room brawl kind of setting — hear glass breaking,” he told the dozen people in attendance at the presentation. “We didn’t experience that.”

He said the team did, however, have some findings but the events didn’t seem to occur on the stage as they had anticipated. Rather occured around the boardroom.

“The boardroom above the lobby ended up being a very interesting place,” he said, adding he regretted focusing the most highly sensitive equipment on the stage. He said if he were to do it over, he would put it in the boardroom. “That is were we had some experiences. That is where we heard someone walking up and down the stairs. It’s not disturbing its just a little awkward.”

He said the video evidence, although capturing some dark movements and shapes was overall not so impressive, but that rather it was the audio that was especially interesting.

He played audio clips of odd whooping, whipping sounds, and then later a knocking or tapping sound.

Then he played a recording of a whisper from what sounded like a male saying “Where is she?” He said the team members before the investigation agreed to speak at normal tones during the recording and if they accidently whispered, to tell the other team members and to log the instance so as not to mistake it as a paranormal event.

Dustin then played a clip of someone whispering “Peter, I was right here when the store closed.”

“Nobody that was with us is named Peter or rhymes with Peter. That is what we thought what interesting,” said Dustin. “We heard Peter clearer than anything.” He said team members debated whether the voice said “door” or “store” but the name Peter was clear. “So that was a little awkward.”

Dustin told the group at the presentation that he later learned a gentleman by the same name worked for Constantine from 1921-1923.