Sometimes, there are buildings and houses that, even after humans have passed on, they refuse to leave.
One of these places is said to be the Hanford Civic Auditorium in Hanford, California.
Originally built in 1924, the auditorium has seen many public events in its day, and a handful of spirits are believed to linger there, reliving events from years past.
Ghostly Specters Seen in Hanford
Updated 9/23/2019 – Today this historic hall is still used for craft fairs, concerts and various functions.
Many locals had heard about these hauntings in the hall, but for Hanford native Noah, it was nothing short of a sad publicity stunt.
“Everyone in town talks about how the auditorium is haunted, but I always thought it was a load of bologna,” Noah (name changed for privacy) said with pierced lips.
“Hanford Civic does not have the kind of shows and events it used to in the good old days.
I firmly believed that these hauntings and ghost stories were made up as some desperate marketing campaign to keep the auditorium in business.”
Believed as in…past tense?
Noah took a deep breath before responding.
“I had an experience there, one that could not have been a prank, or some misunderstanding, and it has changed how I view the paranormal forever,” he admitted quietly.
Please, tell us what happened.
“My sister was in a community orchestra at the time, and they having an informal concert at the Civic that evening.
Being the snarky younger brother that I am, I openly admitted I had no interest in going to a dumb concert when I could spend the evening at home playing Counter Strike.
But I was still living under my parents’ roof at the time, and they, uh, persuaded me it would be unwise to go,” he said with a sharp laugh.
“So we went to the concert, and got seats up on the balcony.
All through the concert, I swear it felt like something cold kept lightly pressing against the back of my neck,” he said and tapped near the base of his skull.
A Most Unexpected Encounter
“But I peeked behind me and saw this big, burly man chomping on gum as if it were his last meal on Earth, so naturally I assumed he was just spitting on me.
The concert ended what felt like eight hours later, and my parents wanted to meet my sister at the front doors of the auditorium.
She finally caught up with this, and we were headed towards the car when I realized that I was missing my wallet.
“I knew I had had it at the beginning of the concert, so I guessed that it had slipped out of my pocket up in the balcony area.
I ran back into the auditorium and explained to a passing employee what happened.
He allowed me back inside under the condition that I would return within five minutes,” Noah said.
“The room was already void of people and the lights were dimmed over the balcony seats.
I crawled on my hands and knees all over the floor until I found my wallet underneath my seat.
“I jumped up and started walking towards the exit but something in the back of my brain compelled me to look back towards the seats.
I must have leapt a foot in the area when I saw a man standing where I had sat for the concert, looking down at the stage, clapping vigorously,” Noah said, shaking his head.
“I was about to open my mouth to say something when he just…dissolved into thin air.
To this day, I refuse to attend any event at the Hanford Civic Auditorium.”
