1309 Wesleyan Street
Fort Worth, Texas
The story I discovered concerns a ghost that is said to haunt a particular seat in the theater in the Fine Arts Building at Texas Wesleyan University’s Nicholas Martin Hall. After the university was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1890, it took the founders some time to decide on the ideal location for the campus. They eventually settled on this area east of Fort Worth, which was donated by local pioneers A. S. Hall, W. D. Hall, and George Tandy. The school was originally called Polytechnic College (meaning many arts and sciences), and the first classes were held in 1891 with 111 students.
The school later became a women’s college for Southern Methodists and was renamed Texas Woman's College in 1914. However, due to low enrollment during the Great Depression, it was closed in 1931. A merger with Texas Wesleyan Academy in Austin kept the doors open, allowing men to be admitted and creating a new college called Texas Wesleyan College in 1934.
The ghost said to haunt this college is apparently an art lover, as the activity takes place in the Fine Arts Building. This is not unusual, as many theaters across the country have stories of ghostly presences. The building is located on the southeastern side of the campus, with beautiful lawns and old limestone and brick buildings.
Legend has it that the Fine Arts Building stands on land where an old church and cemetery were located in 1908. Not all the bodies are said to have been moved, including that of a woman named Georgia. Fortunately, Georgia is said to enjoy good music from time to time, so she still enjoys performances in the hall today.
Although the story about the cemetery has never been proven, it is true that an old church once stood next to the site of the Fine Arts Building, along with a burial ground used by a local family named Dobkins. When the college purchased the land, most of the graves were moved, except for three: the grave of a young boy, an infant who died during childbirth, and a woman named Sarah.
The first reported ghost story dates back to 1955, when a musical was being rehearsed and the head of the drama department was watching the rehearsal when he suddenly felt that he, too, was being watched. When he turned around, he reportedly saw a woman sitting in one of the seats behind him. Since no one was supposed to be watching the rehearsal, he went to speak to the woman and find out why she was there, but she disappeared. This happened several times, but she always vanished before he reached her. The name Georgia came to mind as her name, and it has remained part of the legend ever since.
Of course, since 1955, other people have also said they have seen her, and she wears Victorian-era clothing, including a shawl. Even stranger, her seat is number thirteen. Sometimes she walks along the balcony, and if you listen carefully, you can hear her footsteps.
So if you feel like enjoying a good musical while also going ghost hunting, this is the place to be. Just look for a gray, misty apparition in or near seat thirteen. It is also said that when she is seen watching rehearsals, the actors know the performance will be a success.
