Who Haunts Easton’s Elevators?

There are five properties within two square blocks in downtown Easton that have paranormal occurrences associated with their elevators or an elevator ghost.

Haunted Elevator at the Avalon

A previous owner of the Avalon Theater explained how one evening in the 1980s he and his assistant were taking inventory. He was still trying to get the theater renovated and in shape to open in the next few months. The doors were locked an only he and the assistant were in the building. As he explains it, he was on the second floor and the assistant was on the first floor over in what is now Bannings Tavern. The owner started to descend the stairs. As he reached the bottom few steps, his assistant came into the theater lobby from the bar and they both heard the elevator “ding” and heard the doors open. A woman stepped out. They were dumbfounded. She looked at them, then she turned around and walked straight through the theater doors – without opening them. The owner and his assistant ran into the theater. They saw no trace of the woman, but they would never forget her face. The owner started to research everything he could about the theater. He asked all the old folks who knew the old stories Easton and he found out that there had been a murder at the Avalon Theater – many years ago. It seemed a young actress was murdered and her dead body was found in the Avalon elevator.

The owner started to descend the stairs. As he reached the bottom few steps, his assistant came into the theater lobby from the bar and they both heard the elevator “ding” and heard the doors open. A woman stepped out. They were dumbfounded. She looked at them, then she turned around and walked straight through the theater doors – without opening them. The owner and his assistant ran into the theater. They saw no trace of the woman, but they would never forget her face. The owner started to research everything he could about the theater. He asked all the old folks who knew the old stories Easton and he found out that there had been a murder at the Avalon Theater – many years ago. It seemed a young actress was murdered and her dead body was found in the Avalon elevator.

The Avalon Theater was built in 1921. It fell into disrepair several times and has been through a series of renovations. Today it is beautifully restored and is open year round with a variety of live performances. The employees at the Avalon – both those who believe in ghosts and those who don’t – will all admit that the elevator has a mind of its own. It will randomly run with no one on it. This is particularly disarming when theater staff members and volunteers are there by themselves. All of the sudden, for no apparent reason, the elevator will start to move and will stop on the first floor and then “ding” as the door open … and no one steps out, because no one is on the elevator. The owner had an elevator servicing company come in and examine the elevator and this phenomenon. The service company said that there was nothing wrong with the elevator. They also said that elevators are programmed to respond to intense heat – in the case of a fire. It situations where temperatures rise to a dangerous degree, the elevator will automatically move to the first floor and the doors will open. Then it will cease to operate. The owner thought this could possibly make sense. If spirits are made of electromagnetic energy, then the elevator panel might be responding to that, which could be why it’s moving without a person operating it. The elevator still moves by itself to this day.

The owner had an elevator servicing company come in and examine the elevator and this phenomenon. The service company said that there was nothing wrong with the elevator. They also said that elevators are programmed to respond to intense heat – in the case of a fire. It situations where temperatures rise to a dangerous degree, the elevator will automatically move to the first floor and the doors will open. Then it will cease to operate. The owner thought this could possibly make sense. If spirits are made of electromagnetic energy, then the elevator panel might be responding to that, which could be why it’s moving without a person operating it. The elevator still moves by itself to this day.

As the owner was cleaning out the theater, he came across an old photograph of a line of actresses or possibly dancers. One of the faces looked familiar to him. He soon realized that one of the girls in that picture was the girl he saw on the elevator. The names were written on the back in pencil. She was Marguerite. A large reprint of this picture hangs framed on the lobby wall of the Avalon Theater. Marguerite has been very active, and at least five or six people have actually seen her and know her from the picture.

Where Marguerite Hangs

Marguerite tends to hang out in the projection room. Another former owner of the Avalon told of his encounter with Marguerite. He said that he would walk into the projector room and immediately feel a cold spot. He told of the time when they were getting ready to premiere the 1994 film Silent Fall with Richard Dreyfuss. It was filmed in Talbot County with some scenes in Easton. The night before the premiere this owner prepared the projection room setting the film and projector up so that all was ready for the next night’s sold out premier. Richard Dreyfuss would be in attendance. As the owner walked out of the projection room that night he saw Marguerite just outside the door. He was stunned, and a rush of cold air overcame him once again. She just stood there, staring. He stared back. And then she just walked away. The owner locked the projection room door, locked the theater and went home. When he arrived at the theater the next morning, he went to the projection room. There was no cold spot this time and the door was still securely locked, but when he entered he wash shocked to find that the film had been cut up into shreds. Pieces of the film were all over the floor. Nothing else seemed out of place or disturbed. Everyone was then in a mad rush to get another copy of the film before the premiere. Fortunately, they found one and the premier went on as planned, but that owner will never forget Marguerite and he continues to tell the tale to anyone who will listen, just as the owner before him tells the tale of seeing her walk out of the elevator.

The owner locked the projection room door, locked the theater and went home. When he arrived at the theater the next morning, he went to the projection room. There was no cold spot this time and the door was still securely locked, but when he entered he wash shocked to find that the film had been cut up into shreds. Pieces of the film were all over the floor. Nothing else seemed out of place or disturbed. Everyone was then in a mad rush to get another copy of the film before the premiere. Fortunately, they found one and the premier went on as planned, but that owner will never forget Marguerite and he continues to tell the tale to anyone who will listen, just as the owner before him tells the tale of seeing her walk out of the elevator.

The Avalon Theater Today

Today if you ask people who work at the Avalon if it’s haunted, they will smile and sometimes they’ll say yes, but sometimes they don’t want to talk about it. Several of them believe that if you pay attention to the activity – talk about it or focus on it – it stirs things up and causes more paranormal activity. So they prefer to keep silent. But just about everyone will admit that the elevator rides by itself.

Other Elevator Activity

The Tidewater Inn

Staff at the Tidewater Inn across from the Avalon have told us that occasionally the elevator rides by itself, stops at floors arbitrarily with no one on board, and some get a strong feeling that they are not alone – when, if fact they are “physically” alone on the elevator.

The Old Hospital (Cracker Jack building)

The building that used to serve as the old surgery has a toy store on the street level and offices on the upper floors. Several tenants have stated that they hear the elevator run during off-hours (when the building is locked – evenings and weekends) and that they will often hear footsteps in the hall – when the building should be empty. Upon investigating, they find no one there.

The Odd Fellows Hall

This is the corner building at Washington Street and Dover St – next to the old Hospital. The upper floors house offices and private apartments. Tenants in the apartments have complained that the elevator runs at all hours of the night, but the elevator is apparently unoccupied. Tenants annoyed by the late-night noise investigate only to find the elevator stops …. and it is empty.

States Attorney’s Office – the old Talbot Jail

Staff in the States Attorney’s office saw an apparition of a person boarding the elevator. Only the back of the person was in view – someone wearing navy blue pants and a jacket with short hair. The image vanished.

All of these encounters were shared in personal interviews conducted by me, Mindie Burgoyne. The interviews were done over a period of one year and the sources are not related. Most don’t even know each other. I find the coincidences stunning, especially since I’ve collected only two other “elevator” hauntings outside of Easton – and my haunted story collection now exceeds 170 individual stories.

Some of the story above is an excerpt from The Haunted Mid-Shore, by Mindie Burgoyne