Tampa Theatre Ghosts (Photos)
Do ghosts walk the stage of the historic Tampa Theatre? According to local lore, a number of spooks haunt the 86-year-old facility, including a former projectionist and a woman searching for her long-lost fiance.
In 2009, my husband and I participated in one of the Tampa Theatre’s Late-Night Ghost Hunts. While we didn’t see or hear anything odd at the scene, a few of our photos reveal orbs, a strange white mist, and a couple of rainbow-colored vortexes. Check them out below.
Tampa Theatre Auditorium
The Tampa Theatre was built in 1926 and can accommodate nearly 1,500 people. A few orbs show up in this photo, particularly in the upper right corner. One of the guides told us that employees and guests have spotted a wispy woman in white seated in the auditorium. According to a psychic brought in by a local paranormal investigation team, the spirit is waiting for her fiance who died at the spot before the theatre existed.
Tampa Theatre Projection Room
In 1965, projectionist Foster “Fink” Finley reportedly collapsed at the Tampa Theatre and later died of a heart attack. Fink had dedicated 30 years of his life to running the projectors at the Tampa Theatre, and the devoted employee is said to haunt the building to this day. Soon after his death, employees began to notice a number of strange things, including unexplained sounds in the projection room, doors opening and closing by themselves, and the smell of shaving cream when no one else was around.
I took the three photos above in Fink’s projection room, though only the third shows anything strange. I didn’t notice the smoke or mist when snapping the third picture, and it doesn’t appear in any of the other photos.
Tampa Theatre Dressing Room
In the center of the photo are two rainbow vortexes. It’s likely a reflection of some sort, but I haven’t seen anything like them before. Anyone have an idea about what they could be?
Very cool pictures! I think the rainbow vortexes are reflections as well, but can’t tell from what. Very neat! 🙂
i have a pic from the projection booth that has a floating head in the west end doorway….
send me an email and i’ll gladly send it……..i look at it often and still get the , whoa feeling.
Really? Wow. My email is . I’d love to see your picture.
I have been to this theatre many time with my high school Thespian Troupe. Downtown Tampa is the location for our Florida State Theatre competition and every time I go there I get thoroughly creeped out. I have never witnessed anything in here but you can definitely feel a difference from the outside to sitting down for sometimes 3 hours watching productions.
Every time I leave this theatre I get sick along with others in my troupe. My teacher says it may be mold (which would be understandable with such an old theatre) but this is definitely a theatre you would want to see at least once in your life. Its breathtaking.
it’s not mold