NORFOLK, Va. — With more than a century of history in Downtown Norfolk, workers at the Wells Theatre believe some people loved this place so much, they never left.
“The tales of the hauntings have been going on for as long as we’ve had folks in The Wells,” said Ryan Clemens, the lead resident teaching artist with the Virginia Stage Company.
Brothers Jake and Otto Wells founded the theater back in the early 1900s. Since its inception, the Wells has gone through many changes. It's been a silent movie theater, an opera, an x-rated movie house, and now for more than 40 years, home of the Virginia Stage Company.
Clemens has worked at The Wells for more than a decade. While he hasn’t encountered any ghosts himself, he said he’s come in close contact with people who have.
“I’ve been next to folks who have made a corner and then come back with their eyes the size of silver dollars,” Clemens said.
Clemens said four ghosts are rumored to haunt the Wells: a man in a top hat, a lady in white, a sailor named Ned, and a young boy called Boots.
Disclaimer: None of these stories are based in fact. All are legends passed by word of mouth.
The Man in the Tophat:
The Man in the Tophat often resides in one of the box seats close to the stage.
According to Clemens, there's only one way to get up to the box seats.
House managers, who are the last to leave after the play, have reported seeing a man in one of the box seats; however, after making the trek up to the boxes, no one is there.
The Lady in White:
"She's often heard before she's seen," Clemens said.
Clemens said the Lady in White is often heard singing on the first balcony. People have also reported seeing a figure in white walking along that area.
According to Clemens, house managers have reported seeing the Woman in White, only for her to disappear at second glance.
Ned the Sailor:
Ned is said to be a "mischievous" spirit that haunts the Wells.
As the story goes, Ned was a sailor at the turn of the century who worked the theater's rigging system. Ned was said to be a gruff character who "liked the ladies," according to Clemens.
According to the legend, Ned would use his vantage point way above the stage to look down at the actresses; however, one day, he leaned over a little too far.
Now, every so often, staff and guests report seeing a swinging rope or hearing a funny sound coming from above the stage.
"...Maybe you're walking along the stage and you hear a funny sort of noise -- a step or a stomp, even a whistle," Clemens said.
Moreover, theater technicians have reported missing tools and after asking Ned to return the tool, it will reappear the next day.
"Now, I don't know if these are real stories. They certainly sound like fun hijinks. Whether they're carried out by somebody that is no longer on this mortal plane or whether they're carried out by technicians having a little fun, who knows?" Clemens laughed.
Boots:
Boots is known among workers as a playful spirit.
Legend has it, in the early days of the Wells, Boots was watching a showing on the second balcony, when some sort of alarm went off, causing a mass panic among guests.
According to the tale, Boots was trampled to death in the chaos.
“From time to time, what we’ll hear are the squeaky-squeak-squeak sounds of Boots up there, but always accompanied with a feeling of childlike playfulness,” Clemens said.
Workers have tales of items missing from the costume department only to reappear in plain sight hours later.
While they are just stories, Clemens said several staff members have reported similar phenomena.
“Who knows what’s real but certainly, you can’t deny that there are things that are felt here and experienced here,” Clemens said.
Author's note: This is the first story in 13News Now's weekly Haunted Hampton Roads series.
Be on the lookout for similar stories.