King Opera House Ghost Hunt, Van Buren, Arkansas
Our ghost hunt at this historic opera house will take you back in time to the Victorian era. Join Haunted Rooms America as we explore the darkness of this incredibly haunted building.
Event time: 8PM – 2AM
King Opera House
A HISTORIC VENUE HAUNTED BY THE GHOST OF A MURDERED ACTOR!
Located on Main Street in the heart of Van Buren’s Historic District, the King Opera House has been entertaining the local community for over 140 years.
Stories of the paranormal goings-on here have lasted nearly as long, with reports going back to the early 1900s.
Built in 1880, during the height of the Victorian era, the King Opera House welcomed many notable performers, such as Jenny Lind (The Swedish Nightingale), William Jennings Bryan, and Arkansas’ own Bob Burns.
From the mid-1890s through to the early 1930s, the Opera House would regularly put on weekly runs of Vaudeville shows, one of which was a show that had Charles Tolson as the lead.
It’s Tolson’s ghost that still haunts the opera house to this day, roaming the location of his last ever performance.
The Murder
Charles Tolson was a young talented actor and the owner of the Tolson Stock Company, a traveling acting troupe that had been performing their Vaudeville act at the King Opera House for a week at the end of September 1903.
Tolson caught the eye of a 17-year-old girl called Allye (Allie) Parchman, who had dreams of leaving the small-town life behind, and saw Tolson as her ticket there.
Due to leave with his troupe from the Frisco Train Depot on Oct 4, 1903, Allye’s father, Dr. Parchman, received word from a local salesman name C.G. Murray, that Allye would be at the depot with Tolson at 7:45 AM, and their plan was to elope.
Dr. Parchman, who had been waiting inside the depot waiting room, caught sight of Tolson and called out his name followed by, “I want to see you”. As soon as Tolson turned, Dr. Parchman fired his first shot from his 44 caliber revolver, missing Tolson who had started to run from the gunfire.
Parchman let off another shot, this time striking his back, just above his hip, which hit him with such force that it turned him around to face Parchman once more. Taking one last shot, Parchman fired at Tolson’s chest. Luckily it hit a pocket watch, but the bullet’s force knocked him to the ground.
Tolson was critically injured and was put on the arriving train to Fort Smith, where he was admitted to Belle Point Hospital in Fort Smith, and where he would die the following day, Oct 5, 1903.
Conspiracy
Some people believe Allye had indeed fallen for Tolson, and she did have intentions of leaving with him. However, the truth is a little blurry.
Allye may have had intentions of leaving town and her oppressive father. In fact, notes were found in her purse relaying the fact. However, the reality is she wasn’t at the station when Tolson was shot, and Tolson was a happily married man, to a lady who was part of his acting troupe.
To add to the intrigue, the local salesman named C.G. Murray who had relayed this information to Dr. Parchman, actually had eyes for Allye himself and could have staged the whole thing knowing what could happen.
The Hauntings
The ghost of Charles Tolson is believed to be the main spirit attached to King Opera House, the last venue he performed at before he was brutally murdered by Dr. Parchman.
Former employees of the opera house have reported several strange occurrences. One of which was the constant feeling of being watched when they were supposedly alone.
One director of the Young Actor’s Guild, which used to perform at the opera house, says they closed up one night, turning off all the lights, only to return the next day and all the lights were switched back on.
Others have witnessed the ghost of Tolson in full form, dressed in a long black Victorian coat and top hat, and a cape.
Is Charles the cause for all the activity here, or are there more spirits that frequent this historic opera house? Do you dare find out?
What’s Included?
Your ghost hunt at The King Opera House includes the following:
- Ghost Hunting Vigils,
- Structured Vigils,
- Ghost Hunt with experienced Ghost Hunting Team,
- Use of our professional ghost hunting equipment which includes, trigger objects and EMF Meters, and more,
- Private time to explore this location and to undertake your very own private vigils,
- Unlimited refreshments are available throughout the night including Soft Drinks, and Bottled Water.
- Selection of snacks.
Optional Estes Method sessions run by our team during free roam.
Equipment and recording: Guests are welcome to bring their own ghost hunting equipment (EMF meters, spirit boxes, REM pods and similar). For the privacy of other guests and venue security, photography, video and audio recording are not permitted at any point during the event.
Event Details
What’s Included?
- Paranormal investigation class for beginners (separate workshop for returning guests),
- Tour of the location,
- A full night of ghost hunting with the Haunted Rooms America team,
- Use of our traditional and state-of-the-art paranormal equipment,
- Free time to investigate at the end of the night,
- Snacks and refreshments provided at intervals throughout the night.
Event Location: 427 Main St, Van Buren, AR 72956
Event Time: 8:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Meet up at the location at the earliest 7:30 PM. There is ample parking available at the venue itself.
What to Bring?
Please bring with you a form of photo ID, and a printed off booking confirmation email (or show this on your phone).
We will be providing you with paranormal equipment to use, however, we will need something of value per group to hold onto as collateral (phone, car keys, watch, etc.)
We will be providing snacks and drinks at intervals throughout the night.
And of course, bring your phone/camera with you, the more pictures we have the better chance we have of capturing something!
Other than that, just yourself and an open mind!
FAQ
What Should I Expect on a Ghost Hunt?
Become a paranormal investigator for the night like the TV stars of Most haunted, ghost adventures or TAPS Ghost hunters.
Use some of the specialized equipment and be guided by experienced paranormal investigators who will share their knowledge, techniques and experiences of hunting for ghosts or spirits.
Feel free to bring along any of your own equipment including but not limited to EVP recorders, flashlights, cameras or video cameras.
Bring extra clothing as in some parts old buildings may get cold but please refrain from wearing clothing that can cause distracting sounds. Many old buildings have a story to tell and we will supply them to you along with of course the ghost stories.
There will be breaks and light refreshments are provided.
We are not out to try and convince the world of the existence of an afterlife. That’s for you to decide.
We can be Sceptical and logical yet open to other beliefs and prayers of protection will be carried out.
We do not perform tricks and will not be running around with sheets on our heads!
You will be with like-minded people looking for the answer “is there really an afterlife”?
However much we try unfortunately we can’t guarantee that members of the spirit world will make their presence known but we can at least guarantee that you will experience a fun and interesting night.
Do I receive an actual ticket?
The event is ticketless. Your proof of booking is your booking confirmation email. You will also receive an email with important information prior to your event, usually the week of.
Is there any age limit of who can attend these events?
The age limit is 18 years and over.
Will there be a Medium at the event?
All events listed on Haunted Rooms are hosted by experienced Hosts and Professional Psychic/Clairvoyant Mediums. However sometimes a Medium(s) may not always be present – but as usual, you will be in very safe hands with our experienced Hosts who have a wealth of knowledge and are fully trained in all aspects of professional public ghost hunting events and experience nights.
Can I sleep at an event?
Unless it is otherwise stated, events don’t include sleepover.
Will I see a Ghost?
Unfortunately, the activity will not just happen on command, however using the various experiments and experienced hosts on the events, everything will be done to offer the best chance of spiritual activity.
Nearby Accommodation
Reviews
Rating
Paulina and her staff were amazing. The location and experience was superb. Cannot wait to see them again!
My friend and I purchased the VIP tickets for overnight experience at Belle Grove Plantation. While it was cool to be able to explore the house and grounds, the actual ghost hunt got a little boring, especially as it got later. There wasn't a formal check in or introduction and our guide read the information about the location from her notes and did not encourage the guests to interact with the equipment. She talked to the spirits and allowed us to take turns with the Estes machine but it was mostly us sitting around listening to her. We were all ready for bed by midnight. Lovely location and the room itself was beautiful. I do wish breakfast was included. Overall a neat experience but I wish it was a little more exciting and interactive.
My daughter and I booked a Haunted Rooms tour at the Rawlins, Wy Historical Prison. It was so much fun! The haunted rooms teams was amazing, they were knowledgeable with their paranormal investigation equipment. They were attentive yet also allowed us the opportunity to explore and investigate on our own as well. We got some awesome evidence. I was hit in the shoulder by a cabinet that was closed, but swung open with force. Scared the heck out of me, and the Haunted Rooms team member wasn’t able to debunk it because the cabinet door doesn’t move, even when unlatched. My daughter had her hair pulled. We had a cat ball with us that lit up on its own when we asked a spirit to touch it. We had 3 very intelligent conversations with spirits and used a spirit box with these conversations. It was seriously so much fun. I’ve always been a believer in the ability to communicate and connect with spirits, but to witness it personally without being able to debunk anything we experienced made this tour amazing. I look forward to booking again and I’m taking my son this time too.
We just completed the WY. Frontier Prison tour. We had a blast! Loved how they let you roam freely at the end of the night. Also, the use of their equipment & the snacks and refreshments provided are an added perk. Would highly recommend!
Just did a tour at battleship North Carolina and the night can’t be beat. Most definitely one of the most haunted places in NC.
My husband and I just toured the USS North Carolina Battleship this past Saturday. We had an AMAZING experience! Immediately booked another tour for the Bellamy Mansion and ordered paranormal equipment to use. Can’t wait til the next haunt!!!
We investigated the USS William A. Irvin in Duluth MN. It was a great experience, everyone was super friendly and helped whenever they could! if you are debating on signing up. Just do it! we had alot of fun!
Investigated Mortuary Manor in Toledo with my daughter. The guides were extremely knowledgeable about the equipment and different techniques to attempt to communicate with spirits. The owner was very very nice and was actively trying to help in any way he could. We had a very small group of 5 so we had the run of the place. It was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend to anyone interested in the paranormal. We definitely had some activity during the night. The experience made me want to try out other locations if I can. There were a few graduation parties going on in the area the night I was there so, I’d like to go back and see what I can find when it’s a little more quiet in the beginning of the night but it was a great experience!
Bought this as a gift to my brother. I went in not expecting much but had a great time at Valerie Hill winery. We caught some pretty cool stuff and he had a great Estes session. Highly recommend.
Everything was well organized and smooth. There was no gimmick, it started off as a quiet night paranormal wise, maybe because there was a long game of soccer going on right outside. Nothing to be done about that. Mid-Orange Correctional facility is now also part sports complex. The guides demonstrate tools used for investigating and even though the night started quiet, they didn’t hype up every little sound. They debunked sounds and explained what to look for. By 1am my husband and I ran into a group that came with their own equipment and had returned to a spot they had previously had activity. They welcomed us to join them and my EMF meter flew to red pretty steadily. They brought out the dowsing rod and it pointed at me directly so I was asked if I would hold it. I have never really understood how people don’t move the rods themselves. When I held it I realized there is a sleeve on the handle. So you’re not touching the rod. The rod was very responsive and corresponded with the EMF consistently for a few minutes. Anyway, what I liked most is it seems like the community cares. Everyone in the group checked in on my comfort. It was my favorite part of the night.