The Seacoast Repertory Theatre - Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The building was originally used as the warehouse for the Portsmouth Brewing Company, with the earliest parts of the building dating from 1894 - 1898. The upper stories were added in 1905.
The Portsmouth Brewing Company was founded in 1871 by Arthur Harris as the Harris and Mathes Company. In 1876 the named was changed to Portsmouth Brewing Company. Arthur Harris was originally from England and lived in New York before moving to Portsmouth. His treasurer, W.M. Harrington, and Vice President, L.J. Harrington, were the other ruling members of the family. The original Vice President was George Scott and the Treasurer was Mark Scott. His brewmaster, Thomas Leary, was originally from Ireland.
Operations ceased in 1917 when New Hampshire became a dry state. The brewery never reopened after prohibition. One branch of the family when reopening found that a member of another branch of the family had stripped the insides, selling off all equipment and pipes. This caused a huge rift and the families did not speak for many years.
The brewery parts of the building still had some of their brewing equipment as late as the 1970s.
The glassed-in lobby of the theater was added in 1980 when the building was extensively rehabilitated for the theater. One major alteration was the removal of six steel columns that held up the entire load of the brick building (1.8 million pounds) to allow an unobstructed view.
The Seacoast Repertory Theatre began in 1988, when the Portsmouth Academy for the Performing Arts (PAPA) moved into the building. The theatre is now beginning its third decade as a non-profit arts and educational institution.
The claims of activity include unexplained voices, shadows and being touched. There is a room in the basement where a girl is reported to have died. As of yet we have been unable to verify any tragedies associated with the building. Unexplained pranks have been reported to be played on the theatre staff.
We had some personal experiences over the course of the investigation however we were not able to collect the evidence to back up these experiences. We were told that the day after our investigation the staff experienced an increase in activity. We feel this location will require futher investigation to better understand what is occurring here and we look forward to returning for future investigations.
The Portsmouth Brewing Company was founded in 1871 by Arthur Harris as the Harris and Mathes Company. In 1876 the named was changed to Portsmouth Brewing Company. Arthur Harris was originally from England and lived in New York before moving to Portsmouth. His treasurer, W.M. Harrington, and Vice President, L.J. Harrington, were the other ruling members of the family. The original Vice President was George Scott and the Treasurer was Mark Scott. His brewmaster, Thomas Leary, was originally from Ireland.
Operations ceased in 1917 when New Hampshire became a dry state. The brewery never reopened after prohibition. One branch of the family when reopening found that a member of another branch of the family had stripped the insides, selling off all equipment and pipes. This caused a huge rift and the families did not speak for many years.
The brewery parts of the building still had some of their brewing equipment as late as the 1970s.
The glassed-in lobby of the theater was added in 1980 when the building was extensively rehabilitated for the theater. One major alteration was the removal of six steel columns that held up the entire load of the brick building (1.8 million pounds) to allow an unobstructed view.
The Seacoast Repertory Theatre began in 1988, when the Portsmouth Academy for the Performing Arts (PAPA) moved into the building. The theatre is now beginning its third decade as a non-profit arts and educational institution.
The claims of activity include unexplained voices, shadows and being touched. There is a room in the basement where a girl is reported to have died. As of yet we have been unable to verify any tragedies associated with the building. Unexplained pranks have been reported to be played on the theatre staff.
We had some personal experiences over the course of the investigation however we were not able to collect the evidence to back up these experiences. We were told that the day after our investigation the staff experienced an increase in activity. We feel this location will require futher investigation to better understand what is occurring here and we look forward to returning for future investigations.
