Lincoln Theatre Ghost Hunt

Decatur, IL - January 19, 2008

A collection of photos taken during an all-night ghost hunt hosted by Troy Taylor in the allegedly haunted Lincoln Theatre in Decatur. No, there were no ghostly encounters. What a surprise, eh?

There are a few interesting facts about the theatre itself. It was built in 1916 on the site of a hotel that had burned down in 1915. The fire claimed at least two lives... which is probably pretty tragic by Decatur standards, but by Chicago standards, that's just a typical Tuesday night. The theatre was built to be "fireproof" and so far it has lived up to that reputation, having survived a few fires unscathed since its opening.

Most of the ghostly happenings here have consisted of unexplained sounds (especially footsteps) and touches, which made the concept of doing a serious ghost investigation when there are 30-some other people wandering around the premises a bit ridiculous. But since I didn't really expect to see or hear anything "ghostly" anyway, being a born cynic, I wasn't disappointed in the lack of activity. Instead, I used it as an opportunity to play with my camera, as you shall see...