Springfield Theatre Center

Built in 1951 at 101 East Lawrence and used until the company relocated to the Hoogland Center for the Arts in 2004, the Springfield Theatre Center carries the story of Joe Neville, an actor scheduled to play his first lead role. On May 13, 1955, after an audit at his workplace turned up misappropriated funds and a coworker pointed the blame at him, Joe left the theater following a dress rehearsal and died by suicide at home. The theater has been said to be haunted ever since: lights turn on and off on their own, doors open with no one there, and during one build, a running saw started itself, sheets of plywood fell, and a standing ladder was pushed over by unseen hands.