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Things that go bump in Pawhuska
Some suspect the Constantine Theater is haunted
Garrett Hartness, the historian for the Constantine Theater in Pawhuska, has helped paranormal researchers investigate the suspected haunted theater. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
By MATT GLEASON
Published: 11/1/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 11/1/2009 8:58 AM
PAWHUSKA — The other day, a woman at the Pawhuska library spotted Garrett Hartness, the kindly historian of the Constantine Theater, also known as the Constantine Center. The woman, who was waiting to check out a book, looked right at Hartness and asked him, "You're the guy from the theater, right?"
He is, and, if she had time, Hartness could have told her all kinds of stories about the theater, which began life as the Pawhuska House Hotel in 1894, before Charles Constantine turned it into a theater in 1914.
But the woman didn't want to know about how Metropolitan Opera singers performed there so long ago, or about the baby elephant that once graced its stage. Nor did she want to know about how the theater lately hosts local variety shows, children's theater events and occasionally shows classic films. It's also open for appointment-only tours.
"So," she wanted to know, "is it really haunted?"
Constantine ghost stories go all the way back to 1906, Hartness said, when Pawhuska House Hotel guests spotted an apparition on the outdoor balcony.
Plus, the woman's interest might have been piqued because four paranormal investigation groups, including the Northeast Oklahoma Research Society (N.O.R.S.), have recently confirmed the theater's mysterious sights and sounds.
During one investigation, a researcher told Hartness that a ghostly woman — one distinct enough that buttons could be seen running down her spectral dress — was spotted on the theater's inside balcony.
A
researcher also asked Hartness if the name Emma meant anything to him. Turns out, Hartness knew of an Emma Regnier, who co-managed the Pawhuska House Hotel in the late 1890s. Actually, Hartness has a photograph of Regnier, in which distinct buttons clearly run down the front of her dress.
In another investigation, researchers recorded a whispered voice that said, "Peter, I was standing here when the store closed."
Later, Hartness told the investigators that Charles Constantine worked with several Peters in the early 1920s.
Yet another mystery involved the sound of a gunshot echoing in the theater.
In 1910, Dan Parker "was shot five times right out in front of the Pawhuska House Hotel," Hartness said. "And his assailant actually ran through the Pawhuska House.
"Now, whether that's the echo of the gunshot that people hear sometimes on audio, I don't know."
The light in the window
As for Hartness' own experiences at the Constantine, one night he was alone in the upstairs board room when he heard what sounded like the downstairs front door slamming shut. How could that be? Hartness always locks the door behind him. When he went to investigate, the door was locked, and no one was on the street or in the parking lot. In all, the door slammed three separate times that night.
"I usually don't say it is haunted or it's not haunted," Hartness explained. "I just say: 'You know, we've had the researchers in. These are the experts in their field. They spend thousands of dollars on equipment — and they all say there's something there.'"
Hartness knows of another Constantine ghost story. It goes something like this: During the Constantine's renovation in the late 1980s, on several occasions, someone from the police department called one of the renovators late at night. There were reports of a light being on in Charles Constantine's office. Couldn't be, though, because the office's electricity had been disconnected.
Cue eerie music, right?
Well, not so much.
"Come to find out," Hartness said, "they think Mr. Constantine, being a frugal man, had tapped into the electricity of the building that was right next door. So when the people in that building worked late at night, they turned on a light switch, which was connected to Mr. Constantine's office."
Mystery: Solved.
activity
On Saturday, the N.O.R.S. investigators and perhaps other
paranormal investigators will present their findings during
a free event at the Constantine Center, 110 W Main St., in
Pawhuska. It begins at 7 p.m.
Matt Gleason 581-8473
matt.gleason@tulsaworld.com
By MATT GLEASON
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