Elvis Has Left The Building, So Have Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, And Johnny Horton

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By Joel Anderson
joelanderson@gannett.com

Elvis has left this building. So have Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton.

Or have they?


The Louisiana Spirits, a group of five ghost hunters from northwest Louisiana, rummaged through the darkest, spookiest corners of Municipal Auditorium deep into Sunday night searching for paranormal activity in the building once known as "The Cradle of the Stars."

But there are no cradles to be found here, which is more like a venerable crypt. Think of the exercise as a more scientific, less goofy version of "The Ghostbusters."

"I thought it would be a really good idea to come in here and check the place out," said investigator Vikki Fleming. "A lot of things went on here through the century. We need to find out if there's still people here."

Dedicated to military veterans of World War I when it opened in 1929, the Municipal Auditorium could prove to be a gold mine for the Louisiana Spirits.

The building once served as the largest American Legion Post in the country, a nuclear fallout shelter and the city morgue -- in a basement right beneath the stage of the historic country music program, the Louisiana Hayride -- for a few years in the 1950s.

Though the building was renovated in the late 1990s, the Municipal Auditorium has managed to retain much of its historical feel.

For instance, at opposite ends of the stage that was originally installed in 1929 are a piano once played by greats like Van Cliburn and Jerry Lee Lewis and a large wooden stage case rumored to have been left behind by Harry Houdini. The dressing rooms once used by Elvis Presley and other stars have been virtually untouched. And in the basement are black and yellow signs posted in the basement bearing the label, "Fallout Shelter."

"If any building here in this town has spirits," said Johnny Wessler, executive director of the Friends of the Municipal Auditorium, "this one does."

True to form, glossy brochures for the Municipal Auditorium tout that "The Spirits have not left the building."

That's where the Louisiana Spirits came in.

Fleming recently contacted Wessler about doing an investigation at the historic building, and Wessler happily seized upon the opportunity. Wessler himself believes he saw an apparition in one of the hallways of Municipal Auditorium nearly a year ago.

The Louisiana Spirits, formed about six months ago as an offshoot of another paranormal investigation group, set up eight cameras throughout the building and connected them to a DVR.

The five investigators were to stay up through the night, until about 3 a.m., watching the cameras for any movement or strange activity. The investigators were also equipped with hand-held cameras and charted whatever they saw, or didn't see.

"One of our goals, besides finding evidence of paranormal activity," said lead investigator Todd Weaver, "is debunking a lot of things."

The investigators will need about a week to analyze the more than 40 hours of video footage to determine if there was any paranormal activity, Weaver said. Once they've combed through the results, they'll post information on their Web site, www.laspirits.com.

Fleming was excited about the potential for finding something within the dark hallways, dingy basements and hidden crawl spaces of the building.

"I've got a really good feeling about tonight," she said. "I think there's something here."


?The Times
June 5, 2006

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Have They Found Something? Ghost hunters hear four claps at Municipal
June 5, 2006


By Alexandyr Kent
akent@gannett.com

One ghostly fan of a concert at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium might not have left the building.

While investigating the possible presence of paranormal activity in the city?s historic music and performance venue Sunday, members of the Louisiana Spirits, a group of ghost hunters from northwest Louisiana, claim to have heard four distinct claps that could not be explained logically or immediately.

?When a few of the investigators were on stage, they heard clapping from the front of the stage,? said lead investigator Todd Weaver.

The group will convene this week to analyze 30 hours of audio recordings and more than 40 hours of video recordings.

Weaver can?t predict what conclusions they will draw. ?It?s hard to say,? he said. They should know more by midweek.

Johnny Wessler, executive director of the Friends of Municipal Auditorium, said the investigators found more evidence of eerie activity. ?They did hear bumps and creaks. They did see orbs,? Wessler said, referencing the oft-disputed floating balls of light that show up on paranormal investigators? photographs and video recordings.

For more information about Louisiana Spirits, log on to laspirits.com.

[VincenzoV]

Some research results......
Municipal Auditorium "haunted," drawing more ghost hunters By Raechal Leone
raechalleone@gannett.com The question is no longer whether Shreveport's legendary Municipal Auditorium is haunted, but how many spirits live there.

Todd Weaver, case manager for ghost-hunting group Louisiana Spirits, said Monday the results of a June 5 investigation show "there's definitely activity" at the auditorium.


The site was most famously home to the Louisiana Hayride, which hosted musicians including Elvis Presley, in the 1950s. But it's also been an American Legion Post, a nuclear fallout shelter and the city morgue.

Following the four-hour investigation with digital cameras, video cameras and other equipment, Weaver said the auditorium appeared rife with spirits. His team recorded 10 Electronic Voice Phenomenons compared to the one or two they usually collect in six-hour investigations. They also said they heard claps.

"We don't have any explanation for those voices," said Weaver, who's conducted paranormal investigations for more than three years. "I believe it's just a few spirits left behind."

The sounds were similar to whispers as Weaver played them Monday for a few officials from Friends of the Municipal Auditorium. Some sounded eerily clear, while others were much more faint. Most were recorded in the projection room.

Weaver offered his suggestions for what the spirits were saying: "You don't want to tick him off" or "Get out of here" or something less threatening, like "I love Johnny Cash." Once, he warned listeners that he thought a moan could be one of the seven people participating in the investigation sleeping.

Louisiana Spirits usually investigates places several times, so the group will likely be back, Weaver said. He added that the spirits did not seem dangerous.

Johnny Wessler, executive director of Friend of the Municipal Auditorium, agreed to the investigation. He said Monday it's been great publicity for the auditorium that hosts events like Friday's Kevin Costner concert.

"If they find Elvis, we'll be on easy street," Wessler joked.

As Louisiana Spirits left, another group of ghost hunters, ORION Paranormal and filmmaker Thomas Durant, both of whom have conducted investigations across the nation, launched their own.

Footage from the Municipal Auditorium and Mansfield Battlefield will be included in an upcoming independent documentary, Durant said.

Jim Correia, one of the investigators with ORION, which has been featured on the SCI FI Channel's show "Ghost Hunters," said he knew very little about the building's history prior to the investigation. That way, he said, he wouldn't be looking for anything in particular.

Paula Hayes, a former Shreveporter with the group, said they had planned to investigate at Mansfield Battlefield when they heard about the history of the Municipal Auditorium from someone in the Shreveport mayor's office.



?The Times