*Investigation [ 9/13/08 ] (8:00 PM – 5:00 AM)    *Reveal [ 11/2/08 ]

 Investigation by Jason, Rachel, Amber, Amiee, Serra, Wes, Michelle, Deb, Josh (MRIPA)  & Andrew, Andrew.2 (Guest Investigators)

Claims on the Crump Theater:   The Crump Theater in Columbus, Indiana was built in 1874 and was originally a vaudeville/opera house. Over the years it has been home to all kinds of entertainment as well as serving as a movie theatre for many years.  There have been witness accounts of music being heard from the top of a stairway, some strange happenings concerning concession money and fire inspection certificates, even one contractor being scared in the basement area.  The current Restoration Director of the Crump Theater (Rovene Quigley) reported seeing a possible vortex on the main stage of the theater.  Rovene also mentioned that she needed to fix the boilers in the theater and didn’t know who to call for information or where the papers for the boiler were located.  The next morning when Rovene returned to the theater, all the boiler papers that she had needed were scattered all over the main stage of the theater.  Many people that have visited the Crump Theater have reported an uneasy feeling when they were alone in the dressing rooms, and it had been claimed that one person had been scratched while down in the first dressing room.  The highest part of the balcony in the Crump Theater (which is now closed off except for a door that leads up to the balcony) you will find concrete and wooden bleachers.  This area is located right next to the projection booth and the marquee.  This area was where colored people were segregated and made to sit for any movie or show they were attending.  Visitors claim that they feel uneasy and that they get a sense of being watched when up in the wooden bleachers area.

Situation:  Around 8:00 PM members of the MRIPA team set up the base station in the lobby of the theater, right in front of the concession stand.    Night vision cameras were set up around the theater in 6 locations: in the main auditorium, on stage, facing down the staircases, the concessions area, 1^st dressing room, upstairs lobby and on the balcony.   Teams set out around the theater while several team members monitored the group’s activity from the base station.  Each of the teams was equipped with, a digital recorder, digital camera, EMF meter, and a IR Thermometer.  Two teams had hand held IR night vision video cameras.  In the basement where the dressing rooms are located, MRIPA team members scoped out each dressing room and noticed that there were many uncovered light sockets and when the lights were turned on the feeling of the room changed, and you could clearly hear an electrical buzzing noise coming from the illuminated light bulbs.  Also each dressing room had about three or four mirrors in them.  So each mirror was turned around so that it would face the wall, to eliminate any light glare or reflection off of them. 

Investigation Highlights and Evidence:   Michelle was responsible for watching the DVR monitors at the base station, and making sure that if anything strange was caught on the monitors to report it to the team via radio.  Throughout the night some of the chairs on the main floor of the theater and also up in the balcony kept making the sound of springs coiling and recoiling, as if someone was getting up from the chair or was sitting down in the chair. Several unexplainable light anomalies were caught on digital camera in the main part of the theater and on the stage of the theater. Multiple turns were taken by each team member to do EVP sessions in various parts of the Crump. Team members, Aimee, Serra, and Amber were doing an EVP session up in the lower part of the balcony and caught an EVP of a little girl giggling.  In the earlier part of the night, Jason, Andrew, and Wes were up in the balcony doing an EVP session and caught an EVP of a man’s voice saying, “It’s not right.”  A while later Jason asked during the same EVP session, “did you leave the boiler papers on the stage floor for Rovene?”  Shortly after a man’s voice responded with, “Yes.”  A digital recorder was left on the stair case on the left side of the theater, and an EVP was caught of a woman’s voice saying, “Why so high?”  Throughout the night each team member reported seeing a shadow move pass the inside of the 2^nd window of the house-like stage prop on the left side of the theater, but nothing could be found of what would cause a shadow to move by the window.  Each team member could be accounted for during all reports.  Also, throughout the night each team member reported seeing a small light coming from the back stage wall above the door.  Jason and Andrew went outside to the back of the theater to see if they could find the light source that possibly was the cause of the light seen inside the theater.  At the same time Serra and Amber went back upstairs to the balcony to do another EVP session.  Serra mentioned, “I don’t know where the light would be coming from.”  Shortly after an EVP of a woman’s voice was captured saying, “Here.”  In the later part of the investigation Serra was put on the stage by herself to see if she would get a response on the digital recorder.  Within the first few minutes of Serra being on the stage you hear her say, “Yeah, I’m not liking this idea so much anymore.”  Instantly after you hear Serra saying that an EVP of a voice was caught saying very quietly, “Serra.”  The most exciting action was caught in the very early morning.  Wes, Jason, and Andrew went back up to the top part of the balcony and did an EVP session.  Andrew was taking pictures, Wes had the digital recorder, and Jason had a hand-held mini-DV.  Jason, Wes, and Andrew started hearing sounds of a chair as if someone was getting up or sitting down.  Jason panned over the area with the mini-DV in which he heard the sound.  Even though he saw nothing at the time he was recording, during the data review, a full body, semi-transparent manifestation sitting in one of the theater chairs was caught on video.  Jason panned over that area several times and you can clearly see the form of a head, shoulders, chest, and legs.  Comparing the chairs of that same area captured on digital camera, there was nothing there that resembled what was caught on the mini-DV.  The last experience of the night took place up in the wooden bleachers where colored people were made to sit during shows.  This area was located right next to the marquee and the projector room, and was blocked off by two sets of walls.  The only way to get up to this area was by unlocking the back door of the upper balcony and walking up higher until you reach another door which leads to the wooden bleachers and the projector room.  Wes, Rachel, Aimee, Andrew, and Josh went up to the wooden bleachers/projector room with a K-II meter and a digital recorder.  We did a sweep of the wooden bleacher area and the projector room to see if any electrical pulses were being given off.  Nothing caused the K-II meter to spike.  The K-II meter was placed on the wooden bleachers in the middle of everybody.  After awhile of sitting in silence the team members began to talk more about the history of the crump.  The topic of segregation came up and about how colored people were separated from the white people and were made to sit on the wooden bleachers instead of the normal theater chairs.  Rachel, MRIPA’s case manager, made the comment of how she never understood the real purpose of segregation, and how she disliked the fact that segregation ever existed.  Shortly after Rachel’s comment, she reported to the rest of her team members that she felt off-balanced and she felt cold on her right side.  Within seconds of her stating what she felt the K-II meter appeared as if it died by the green light going off, but than it lit all the way up to red and went back to the steady green light.  Wes picked up the K-II meter and moved it around to see if he could cause it to light up again.  It did not.  Wes handed the K-II meter back over to Rachel, in which this time she held the K-II meter out in the air and held it steadily.  Rachel asked if anyone was there that would like to talk to her.  The K-II meter again acted as if it died because the green light went out but than instantly the lights lit up all the way to red and than went back to the steady green light.  Members asked several questions and asked if it was a “yes” answer to make the lights on the K-II meter light up.  Each question that was asked, the K-II meter lit up all the way to red.  After a few minutes the responses got weaker and than no response was received.  The strange thing that each of the 5 team members stated while up there was that when up there before the K-II experience it was quite hot and humid, but shortly before and during the experience, the temperature became quite comfortable and cooler, and than after the experience it seemed as if the room started to warm up again.

 Invalidated Data:   Many pictures that were taken with digital cameras caught quite a bit of dust and some insects flying about.  Also, with reflective surfaces and glass around the building some pictures had light flares off of reflective surfaces which presented us with some interesting effects, but unfortunately nothing paranormal.  Only a few pictures caught unexplainable light anomalies.  On the narrow stairs going down to the basement, going up the stairs on the side of the theater, and some floor areas of the theater the floor boards were uneven which did provide somewhat of the “fun-house” effect – in that it can make someone feel off-balanced.  Also, during the middle of the night, several kids tried to get into the theater through the front doors, but than we believe, that they saw Michelle and all the equipment inside they probably decided that it wasn’t such a good idea.

 Results:   With over 55 hours of video, 7 hours of digital audio and 841 digital pictures to review.  Many EVP’s, Video and strange anomalies captured.   The results of the investigation and with the utmost confidence, the evidence found at this theatre fully substantiates claims of paranormal activity.