The Mira Theatre in Vallejo has a long history.
The building dates back to 1918 and was first used as a schoolhouse.
Many residents worked at the naval shipyard in town, and their children were in need of a localized education.
The First Schoolhouse in Vallejo
Updated 9/23/2019 – The building did not become a theater until World War II, but it has been in business ever since.
Reoccurring actors and patrons have begun to suspect that the building is haunted.
Many recount hearing disembodied whispers, especially in the basement.
Others claim that the lights are sometimes turned on and off by something unseen.
Worse yet?
The occasional actor or actress has been known to be touched by phantom hands while lounging in the theater’s Green Room.
When Veronica (name changed for privacy) was hired as an assistant at the theater, nothing about the building’s spooky reputation mattered much.
It was the summer before she went away to college, and all she was concerned about was making enough money to not have to work during her first semester at university.
Simply put, all she wanted was a paycheck.
Fear or Phantoms?
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But everything changed one Friday afternoon, and she will never forget the experience.
“It was pouring out, and patrons were starting to arrive for the show that night.
My manager asked me to get those ‘wet floor’ signs from the back, so nobody would sue the guild,” she said with a quirky laugh.
“I had no idea where the signs were, so I just started looking behind every closed door I could find.
That’s when I figured they were probably in the janitorial closet.
As I walked up to the room, I heard the sound of high pitched whispering behind the door.
“I figured it was a couple of teenagers desperately trying to find a place to make out again.
But when I jerked the door open, nobody was there,” she said, bemused.
“I shook my head, grabbed the signs and went back to work.
“Hours went by, and I had already forgotten about the strange incident.
But that is when I overheard a visitor casually mention that the Mira was haunted to somebody in the concession stand.
Normally I would have found the notion ridiculous, but I knew that I had heard whispers…
“So I went home that night and did a little research.
I discovered that the Mira Theatre had once started out as a schoolhouse.
And I found a website that speculated if any children had died on or around the premises,” Veronica grimaced.
“When I returned to work the next day, I thought I heard people humming lullabies all around me in the back of the theatre.
My manager asked me to put the ‘wet floor’ signs back wherever I had found them, but I was suddenly nervous about the task.
What if I heard whispers again in the closet?” she asked.
“To my utter horror, I did hear the whispers as I approached the janitorial room.
With a deep breath, I turned the doorknob and flipped on the light.
But nobody was there.
“I remember laughing at myself as I tossed the signs back in.
‘Way to be utterly paranoid’ I chided myself.
And then I heard a soft giggle behind me.
“There on the ground at my feet were two small dolls.
They were withered and horrible looking, and I felt sick to my stomach looking at them.
I closed my eyes, and when I was brave enough to look again, they had vanished.
“I don’t know if they were ghosts or if my fear somehow manifested physical forms,” Veronica murmured with her head hung low.
“All I know is that I was scared enough to quit my job and start looking for something else in Vallejo for the summer.”