Forbidden Universe

Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on November 01, 2018, 03:32:13 PM

Title: Our Investigation Of Pipers Opera House Virginia City - October 20th 2018
Post by: AngelOfThyCosmos on November 01, 2018, 03:32:13 PM
Our Investigation Of Pipers Opera House Virginia City - October 20th 2018

I have spent at least seven years passing by the old Pipers Opera House keeping it at the top of my list of locations that I wanted to investigate in Virginia City. Not many know it but our group has done all of Virginia City and I would say we have probably captured more evidence then a majority of groups including those idiots on the travel channel who have a picture of a piece of dust at the paranormal museum downtown just sayin. So my goal when we do places like Piper's is to bring you guys solid history, stories, lore and of course undeniable paranormal evidence.

This is the finest opera house in the west it still needs work especially on the third story above the auditorium. But back in the day through the later 1800's into the 1900's it was really a main source of local entertainment not even local. Many historic figures came to the opera house to speak or perform including president Grant, Mark Twain and even Laura Bush who thought of this place as a national treasure. I think she is right when you enter this place its as if something overcomes you maybe because you feel like you just stepped back into time.

Today plays and shows are still taking place but in the 1800's the opera house had a much darker history besides the fact it burnt down a couple of times someone was hung from the rafters. But time and time again this opera house made a come back and today much of the original furniture still remains. Besides the fact that inside the opera house is a place called The Corner Bar which is also historic. You can get yourself a cinder ale this time of year before or after your investigation so you cant beat that.

Tammy and I have spent years working hard to do places like Pipers every single October and December and Spring going out investigating all the wonderful locations VC offers. But more importantly logging these locations on our website so that all of you can enjoy them for years to come. While we operate two years behind on our site because of the high volume of projects we work on one day when you see this place you will appreciate it the way we did.

I am a fairly patient man in my work it took awhile to get into this place and in addition we also were bringing our viewers the Comstock History Museum as a bonus feature which holds the old Dayton Steam Engine which has a colorful history if your into trains. The train itself kind of takes up the entire museum but its pretty bad ass you can see it looking through the glass windows in the museum and its just below the opera house a few blocks down the hill. You can technically walk everywhere in VC because its not as large of a city as it was in the 1800's so lots of great locations to check out.

I have done a little research about the opera house for example in the upper right top box seats is a family of ghosts husband, wife and child who are often seen. Also items often move around or vanish sometimes people hear voices. Their is another ghost who hangs out on the ladder leading to the attic overlooking the auditorium and another apparition dressed fancy seen smoking a cigar. Lots of different ghost stories here some of them revolve around the box seats which are found on each side of the stage including a woman in blue who folks see often at plays. The opera house also has a very creepy basement they would not let me in there they use to let folks check it out but not with my investigation but supposedly the basement is full of different unknown ghostly entities.

Tammy and I went out for breakfast first thing in the morning I think that its awesome that we can get a good meal before we take on one of the most haunted places in VC. I wish we had more paranormal investigators I miss the days where folks actually worked together. But we just do not get volunteers anymore and the sad thing is some of you miss out on some really good paranormal hotspots because you do not want to commit longterm to our team. But I run a very easy going group we do go out for beers, dinners, breakfast etc nobody pays me to do this so if were going to do it were going to indulge in life itself and make some memories.

Pipers Opera House

The ride up to VC is a nice one filled with wild horses its one I do often since I live fairly close by. I enjoy going through Silver City and Gold Hill small semi ghost towns we also worked with. The views are nice and when I arrived downtown Virginia City nobody was hardly even out yet. But it gets busy real fast especially since weekends their is events going on every weekend.

We had arrived at the opera house a bit early which is fine the corner bar was already open in the morning and I need to walk around get some photos as well as video of the bar along with the outside of the building also. I did end up getting a variety of EMF readings around the opera house but I cant really be to serious about them because there are power lines in the vicinity but you cant blame a ghost chaser for trying right? The big V on Mount Davidson overshadows the Opera House I have stood on that peak its a must if your into good views of the entire city from above and I do have photos of the Opera House I took a couple years ago from the summit.

I made sure to investigate the bar while waiting for me to get on into the main part of the Opera house. When you enter the foyer into the Opera House it has these shiny wood floors there is a huge picture of uncle toms cabin some old memorabilia and some long hall with big arches. There is a big door to the basement but they would not let me check it out who knows maybe they have safety issues. The downstairs is much smaller then the upstairs because this opera house was built into a hillside.

Downstairs though you can see memorabilia or relics like old bottles, lanterns, pictures, a long gown and even an vintage piano. In a sense this place is like one giant living museum and a very relative heritage site to Virginia Cities early history. Miners often would take there families to see plays after a hard days work and it was all you had. There is also this dead end with bricks and an old end table. You can sit down stairs in bar stools too. Tammy took the elevator to the second floor I took the stairwell. Trust me this place has lots of stairs they made buildings in Virginia City with very high ceilings like the Old Washoe Club.

When you nearly reach the second floor there is big glass windows in front which give you a 100 mile view of the mountains and valley below. This view can be seen everywhere in VC but its nicer from a hill side or second story. I could also see downtown including two or three locations we already investigated in the past which is also cool to know how many haunted locations surround the opera house.

When you get to the top of the stairs you can go straight into the auditorium or make a left into a small room which belonged to John Piper. While the room has many old relics such as the furniture you and I both know it did not look like that. John Piper probably instead had a bed in that room with a desk or more set up even like an office but its hard to know for sure. John was an amazing man who was a politician, business owner and he also owned an entire city block downtown at one time.

The room was furnished with a rug on the floor some old dolls and gowns. There was a play poster on the door above and even a giant mirror. There were old lamps and the windows had these clear long old drapes. Most folks going to a show would have passed right by Pipers office. Then next to the office was a ticket booth today where the ticket booth is they boarded it up and is now a break room where staff can eat there lunch. I know because I found a small hole in the wood and put my eye through it to peer in lol. Yeah its not the first weird thing I have done I am like a kid at a candy store when it comes to chasing history and ghosts!

Then you enter the auditorium nothing fancy here just a big open room with a stage balconies surrounding the stage above, box seats on each side of the stage and these shiny gray floors throughout. On each end of the stage are doorways leading up to the box seats or you can pass by them upstairs and go sit above the stage known as the balcony where spirits are often seen standing above there. There are four box seats prominent folks like the president or politicians etc often rented or sat in those rather then sit with the majority.

In the middle of the auditorium is a giant chandelier or light fixture then above the front of the stage nearly on the ceiling a portrait painted or sketched of William Shakespeare. There is also globe lights strung across the auditorium and these streamers or cloth ribbons which drape from one end to the other end hanging above all the chairs. There are no fancy seats its just your basic fold up chairs. There was heavy water damage on the ceiling as a matter in fact I seen pictures taken a decade ago where that damage did not exist so it appears that some of the opera house is in peril and does need some restoration work.

Surrounding the walls within the auditorium are old posters, paintings and tons of old relics of the past such as old organs and pianos used in plays. There is a wood stove on each side of the stage for heating too. Speaking of the stage it has black curtains all around it with a giant chandelier above it and a backdrop where the members can go through this entry way with a white cloth over it. There is also four different plaques which list all the famous performers, actors, actresses, guest etc who came to Pipers. Their is also some old film reels, costume trunks, things that belonged to performers including an opera singers dress and quite a few pictures of some of the more prominent people who acted here. So many pieces of the past right there in the auditorium which have even some historical tidbits about them if you have time to check it out.

I spent some time on stage I mean after all this is an investigation so we had to do everything we could or we were given permission to do at the time. I was making Tammy laugh putting on different mask dancing on stage and pretending like I was performing sadly I forgot to bow now that I think about it shame on me lol. But it was awesome for awhile having this place to ourselves its not something everyone gets a shot at. It was quiet good for recording EVP here and that is what I try to do on these investigations like the opera house because its something we can build off of.

Back stage was creepy there were props and it was dark as hell no lights. The stage crew gets there own bathroom which has a door with hundreds of autographs and some historic graffiti. The door to that bathroom was covered then next to it was a long counter with mirrors, lights and seats. So that the stage crew could put on makeup, prep there costume, do there hair etc. There is also this old wood ladder back stage maybe so you can get up above the stage to access lighting or other decor that might have to be lowered down during a show. There is a very creepy feeling backstage its hard to pin point its just very dark you feel like your never alone and its a bit tight back there trying to move between all the backdrops/props and other stuff.

There was also a storage room backstage too, boxes of stuff, clothes on hangars and that sort of thing. I went to the upper right box seats the passage through was so narrow and these wood stairs were very steep. The stairs were in bad shape but I did get to sit in the upper box seats which have these beautiful red curtains and supposedly there are ghost sighted here. If you go past the upper box seat area you can go out onto the balcony which surrounds the auditorium belong. Personally I would not do that the floorboards were flexing, weak and have water damage. With as fat as I am and jolly I could see myself falling through the floor and its a long ways down so definitely would not be a fun fall to take lol.

The upper balconies were dusty there was some benches no railings only a foot between the floor and the lip so if you were walking along and maybe tripped on a shoe lace you would go over. Its just not safe but maybe one day they will restore it put in some railings so that people can enjoy plays from up above. It looks like the box seats are being restored so who knows but ill keep an eye out on it maybe if they get it restored ill come back so I can bring all of you a second investigation. But the balcony area is bad ripped apart, water damage, loose boards etc.

Eventually during our investigation the stage crew showed up they were having a play soon so we did not have much time to work with. In the back of the auditorium there are tables and bar stools with some tables. The crew was all sitting around talking and things began to get noisy. I took some photos of some of the posters and artifacts including this awesome old violin they have behind glass. I am glad we got our investigation in before the crowd of actors and actresses came. Tammy knows one of the ladies who is an actress here and was in this play.

I ended going back to where the ticket booth and Pipers office was then going up to the third floor. There is this old office on the third floor its not full of historic items but just a basic office with papers all over, a desk, papers, supplies etc. If you stand at the top of the stairs you can look three stories down to the bottom of the opera houses foyer its high up trust me. Its this pit of stairwells right down the bottom. If you go past the office you can reach the central balcony area which overlooks the entire auditorium but once again not in great shape.

To the right of that balcony area is a stairwell and it leads to a place called the attic. I did not go up the ladder into the attic because this lady kept watching me and I knew she would probably go tattle tell. I am not going to sue anyone if I get hurt that is on me but I been doing this shit for a long time exploring that is and I am a trained professional at what I do. I so bad wanted to go up the ladder snap a photo up in the attic. Supposedly during plays people will see a ghost of a man who likes to stand up on the ladder. Maybe someday when I go back I can go up there but I wont walk around the floors if its not safe but the ladder itself is in good shape leading into it.

We took some more readings checked out John Pipers office again there is also a hall with two restrooms on the opposite side of the break room. There is much to see if you walk around as a matter in fact they opened the doors on the side of the auditorium and I was able to get outside behind the iron fences in an area I could not get to earlier. It was nice enough out they could leave these doors open let some sun on in. The place is a bit dingy and dusty its an old opera house so its expected but still its one of the finest opera houses of the wild west so it coincides with what were trying to do here which is bring our viewers these very historic treasures that made the west what it was.

I spent sometime investigating the downstairs again but we went through the hall down into the Corner Bar to have some drinks. I older a Stella Artois and a cider ale both were so good I was thirsty after trampling around for a couple hours here. The bartender showed me a spider in a case it was huge and told me a story about it too. She also told me some ghost stories and other cool stuff about the opera house. Its a real happy place others were drinking and just being there was awesome. This is an old bar with the old ceilings, hardwood floors, light fixtures etc. I was happy we investigated the bar in the morning before the crowd came in to drink. The bar also has mounts of animals found in Nevada particularly elk which are gorgeous creatures often seen around the northern part of the state.

The bar is full of historic B&W photos and a friendly atmosphere. How many opera houses can you go drink an ale at and reminisce about its ghosts? I had a good time and its always been my goal to investigate this location and drink at the corner bar inside.For years though it was hard to even get in or get access. On the downside my camera was in the shop so I had to use a couple less quality cams and cameras for the investigation.  While it got the job done I wish I had at the time my money winning camera. So if and when you see the photos just bare that in mind its not me the photographer that is the issue it was our equipment which got the job done but still. You have to have an ale here if you do this place in seven years this was the first time I could get in closer to Halloween so we visited this place twice in October. Dreams really do come true eh?

After we went to the opera house we went over to the Palace Saloon and Restaurant. I ate there before the food is awesome plus it dates back to 1875 and is suppose to be haunted. We ordered an appetizer and I had a hard root beer to drink along with a Philly cheese steak and fries. Lunch was good and we often always go out for lunch or dinner along with beers in between exploring up in Virginia City. Its kind of a fun tradition of ours so we can be a part of the history and well when you eat here you felt like you are back in time. I think its great that we have access to so many things that is not always the case when we visit locations like ghost towns or mines in the middle of the Nevadan wilderness. But good ale, fun times, great food, awesome history, ghosts and nature? What an awesome day!

After lunch we then headed on over to the Comstock History Center but they were closed it was very discouraging only because they were supposed to be open and they were not. When I walked down the tracks I came across a wild horse I nearly walked right up to it and got a selfie with it haha. The wild mustangs roam all over Virginia City sometimes I run with the horses people say I am crazy but these are awesome creatures and I like being around them.  I read a story on site about an old African American saloon near where the museum is located also. I peeked in on the old Dayton but I need to go back in a couple days and see her in person close up because it is a fine steam engine that was used in the 1800's on the Virginia Truckee Railroad. As a matter in fact it was one of the first locomotives to be used on that line in 1869.

Tammy and I ended up driving around Virginia City before we left home we saw more wild horses and a few small groups of deer near the Opera House. We also stopped at these overlooks where we see a mining head frame and a bunch of other rusty relics of the past such as mine carts, ore buckets etc. This last hour of the investigation focused on nature such as flowers, wild horses, deer and of course local scenic views. Because we want to give our viewers everything associated with this opera house on our site so you can enjoy it as a whole rather then see a photo of just a stage and say hey its haunted. I give our viewers on our website a look inside in depth to these locations and we have for many years now. Also I got to see the prospector and his donkey which has become a famous mascot in VC. Some of you know what I am talking about if you been here but I always visit this donkey time to time when I am up here. I believe that mans name is Stinky Pete and he does rescue donkeys.

Strangely on accident I had found Julia Bulettes Memorial the one I had looked for a few weeks ago. It had been moved from its original location and now was placed next to some historical relics which overlook the Dayton Valley and the flower mountains. There was this stone memorial with a plaque on it. Julia was murdered she was a madam very famous and loved. She raised funds for the Union during the civil war and when she died the had a parade to honor her. Of course her murderer was hung or should I say perpetrators. Julia is buried in the cemetery below where her memorial is found known as Silver Terrace which houses over 11 different cemeteries and we have done extensive paranormal work in those graveyards as well.

I could not stay long after cruising around downtown for awhile I realized I was nearly out of gas it was below E yikes but there is a gas station in Virginia City so we were saved because I would not have made it very far lol. Sometimes I get really carried away into my work not paying much attention to anything else. My mind was still on the opera house its an honor to walk around this place. There is so very little left standing of places like this especially where presidents have spoke at like Grant. People do not realize it but Virginia City is one of the largest historical landmarks in the country.

  On the way home I was going through Gold Hill which is just below VC and at the old train depot I seen five wild horses which I stopped to get out to get some photos all while taking more scenic photos. All in all it was a nice evening stopped to get a coffee and a muffin then came home made garlicky red mashed potatoes, bourbon spicy steaks with a nice veggie medley. It was kind of our after dinner party since really the Opera House was something we have been trying to do for years so mission accomplished.

My ONLY regret is I wish I had gotten to see the attic and the basements so who knows someday we might get to I may have to work something out with Pipers to get in there and if I have to I will no biggy. But I did want to thank them for letting our paranormal group take a look around this October that was really nice! Its pretty this time of year up there also got to see the railroad running the week before they had Thomas The Train in operation.

Still plenty of nature, fall colors and spooky decor in VC its just being a part of it all which makes it worthwhile. First time we were there a couple weeks prior they had the zombie run going on lol. Its a world of its own up there and nobody really knows why the opera house is haunted it just is the land it sits on is old previous opera houses on that property had to be rebuilt because of the fires which plagued the town including the Great Fire Of 1875 which burnt down most of Virginia City. Being a part of it all is really an unforgettable experience.

While I love working with the paranormal history comes first then the ghost that go with it due so said history. This was a milestone for me I have done dozens of locations in this area and this was one of our last on the list so bravo to our Paranormal & Ghost Society organization. Its an awesome time of year up here up to go exploring and I got a bit of everything during our outing. I also read a plaque about camels in Nevada which today they have camel races in VC too. But the wild camels roaming the Nevadan mountains are long gone but at one time they were used to haul ore and other supplies then set free. The last ones seen were around 1912.

Honestly, their is no place Id rather be then off exploring Virginia City and all those little treasures that it holds and tidbits of information. What more can I ask for? I wish more folks really understood all the great things we have done for this city maybe one day they will? I am getting tired of people in our groups and other paranormal groups who come up to VC and wont even look me up. I live near here might even do the convention next year and have a booth. But I am the man you want to talk too I know everything about this place and its only smart to come talk to me or have a beer while you are here. You will not find many paranormal groups like ours and we have allot of fun doing what we do and making memories! This will always be one of those moments and hopefully we got some good evidence to further substantiate its claims of it being haunted. We have done impeccable work in VC and more projects really then any other group just food for thought next time some of you visit Pipers to see a play there please remember us. Thank you!

Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder

PS: This is our unedited report I may add to it once we finish exploring the Comstock History Museum in a few days before it hits our website.