The Ghosts of Richardson: The Little Boy

No ghost holds more authority here at Adams State College than the ghost of the Little Boy. Ask anyone working in Richardson Hall, and that's the first ghost they'll mention. What really makes him special, though, is that his activity isn't just limited to Richardson Theatre, like nearly all the other ghosts. The Little Boy has been spotted in numerous places doing numerous things.

There are two different rumors going around about who the little boy is. The most prominent story we've heard is that the ghost is the son of an Adams State Alumni who had wandered into the Richardson Theatre and died when he fell off the stage and broke his neck. The other story, which has just begun to surface, is that the the Little Boy might be the ghost of Joshua Carey, a 9-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a car while crossing the street. His father worked at Adams State in the Alumni office (located in Richardson Hall) for a while, and it's possible that Joshua made himself at home in Richardson.

Either way, the Little Boy is always the first story told. He is described as a young child (between the ages of 5-9) and he has been seen wearing a striped shirt and baseball cap. Witnesses say the little boy likes to interact with late-night workers. The janitors have said that they've seen a young boy running down the halls after hours; when they pursue the boy, he is no where to be found. Others have told us they often hear the laughter of a little boy, and then what sounds like a tricycle rolling down the hallways.

Personally, I feel that spirits of young children don't understand that we can't see them. I don't think they grasp the concept of the two different realms- the living and the dead. I feel that the Little Boy doesn't know we can't see him, and he wonders why we get scared when he tries to talk to us. So now, whenever my team goes into the theatre at night (and even during the day) we make a point of telling him we're here, and though we can't see him we still want to talk to him.

So far, the Little Boy has proven himself over and over. We truly believe he resides in Richardson Theatre, and we're hoping to catch more evidence of him soon.

**UPDATE: Upon further investigation, we discovered that the myth of the little boy falling off the stage and dying is NOT TRUE. However, the story of the young boy named Joshua Carey is true, and descriptions of the ghost boy match Joshua**

The Ghosts of Richardson: The Theatre

Front View of Richardson Hall

Welcome to Richardson Hall, the most haunted building on campus. When the school first opened in 1921 it was originally called the Adams State Normal School, and was a college for teachers. Richardson Hall (named after Ira Richardson who was the schools first president that died in 1958) was the only building the school had when it opened, holding a gym, library, dorms, and more. Today, it's apparently the home of several notable ghosts, and our center for all things paranormal.

Richardson Theatre 

Facing the stage

Facing the main doors

According to the stories and our research, Richardson Theatre is the hotspot of paranormal activity. This is perfectly understandable because this theatre is the oldest on campus and is one of the only areas not to have been remodeled yet. It has two notable ghosts to its name, and both ghosts have said to be spotted multiple times. 

Inside the theatre, you of course have the audience section (both in front of the stage and then a small balcony above main seats), the stage, and then on either side of the stage (once you climb a few perilous ladders) there are two dressing rooms.  

The dressing room on the upper left is just a plain room. Though it's got nothing creepy and our EMF detectors didn't pick up any unusual spikes, it's not a place I'd want to linger in for too long. 

Creepy dressing room

Right Side Dressing Room

The one on the right manages to raise the creep factor- all over the walls are the titles and dates of plays that went on throughout Adams State history. The oldest date is 1926, and the newest is 1982.

Writing on the walls

Close Up

Then, if you go down beneath the theatre, you enter the old boiler room beneath the stage- home to the janitor, and our first notable ghost. The janitor (whose name is unknown at this time) lived in a small apartment above the boiler room with his daughter, who still works here at ASC. Around the seventies, the janitor died of natural causes in his room beneath the theatre. People have reported hearing boxes being pushed across the stage, seeing the door to his old room open and close on its own accord, and have heard footsteps in the rafters above the stage. 

Boiler Room

The Janitor's Room

Seriously Creepy Locker

Inside the chained off area

Stairs leading down to the basement

The main audience area, though, is where one of the most famous ghosts (not only of Richardson but of the whole campus) is said to have died. Around the early sixties, a young girl (whose name was not disclosed) had become too overwhelmed by the pressures of college, and she never returned to her dorm one night. The next morning, her fellow students found the young girl hanging from the balcony over one of the aisles. People have reported hearing music coming from a piano late at night (though no piano is located in the building because the theatre is out of use for plays), and many have reported seeing a young girl walking the halls, disappearing into the theatre, never to be seen again. 

We've heard some odd things, and seen some unexplainable phenomena, but until we can investigate further, this is all we have so far on Richardson Theatre. 

Jake checking out the rafters above the stage

Jake and Becca scouting out the audience, going down the aisle
beneath where the young girl hung herself. 

Oh, and just to add to the creepiness, here's a picture that Becca took while exploring the audience. Above the stairs leading onto stage, the reflection casts an odd image. We know it's a reflection from the metal basing, but after multiple pictures in the same spot, we were unable to reproduce this reflection. Keep in mind this picture wasn't altered.

Things to Look Forward To

So the Paranormal Discovery Club has made a few breakthroughs in our adventures. Of late, we've been getting permission from the faculty to hold a few explorations, which include some EVP sessions, a few eery EMF detection sessions, and unnerving sights and sounds to add to the mystery.

But just a few days ago, I contacted the principal of the school, Dr. Svaldi, and he's told us that once we get a hold of a faculty member willing to stay after hours with us, we can legally enter the building and stay the night in Richardson Hall, which just happens to be the most haunted building on campus.

On top of that, we've gotten the OK on joining forces with the nursing department's haunted hosue to host our ghost tours, which I've been wanting to do for weeks. Though the way it's going, I'm getting the feeling I'll be the only one actually giving the tours. Because we also have the choice to be actors in the haunted house, and everyone seems more intent on doing that than giving the tours. But hey, it's improvement.

That's all for now, fellow ghost hunters. Keep your eyes peeled and your imaginations open.

Just the Beginning

The Paranormal Discovery Club is a student made club that deals with exploring the paranormal phenomena of the Adams State College campus. In case you don't know, ASC is home to several acclaimed haunted buildings, and our group sets out to discover exactly what's going bump in the night. And now that you know a little about what we do, why not meet the wonderful students behind the club:

Rachel




This would be me, the researcher and the head technician, as well as the co-founder of the club. I'm pretty down to earth most of the time, but I'll admit I've had my share of scares. I basically handle the behind-the-scenes technical work, and I dig up most of our dirt. I can also triple as a 
medic, but hopefully that won't be needed

 Becca


Becca is our wonderful ghost enthusiast. She has a real talent for connecting with the spirits we encounter, and she keeps a level head most of the time. She's always had a fascination with ghosts, and that's what makes her a real asset to the team.








Jen


The lovely Jen is definitely our personality. She's bubbly, exciting, and easily scared, which is exactly what we need in our club. She does most of our interviews, and she's not one to hold back on how she's feeling. She's excitable, and always down for our adventures











Jake


Jake is the other co-founder of the Paranormal Discovery Club. Jake's one of the most level-headed members of the group, and he's always got some new technology for us to try out. He uses rationality to solve most of the problems we encounter, and he always lightens the mood with one of his bad jokes. 

                                           DeeDee

DeeDee is our adventurous semi-skeptic. While she believes in the paranormal, she'd rather jump to facts rather than fear when making a decision, which we all love about her. She's the first one to ascend the perilous ladders or crawl in claustrophobic spaces, and without her we'd have half the facts we do today.