A HISTORIC LOCATION HAUNTED BY THE GHOST OF A MURDERED ACTOR is the King Opera House.
The King Opera House, which is situated on Main Street in the center of Van Buren’s Historic District, has been providing entertainment for the neighborhood for more than 140 years.
There have been claims of paranormal activity here for almost as long, dating back to the early 1900s.
The King Opera House, which was constructed in 1880 at the height of the Victorian era, hosted a number of famous artists, including Arkansas native Bob Burns, William Jennings Bryan, and Jenny Lind (The Swedish Nightingale).
The Opera House frequently presented weekly runs of Vaudeville performances from the middle of the 1890s through the beginning of the 1930s, one of which featured Charles Tolson in the title role.
Tolson’s ghost still wanders the opera building, where he gave his final performance, to this day.
The Crime
The Tolson Stock Company, a traveling acting group that had been presenting its Vaudeville performance at the King Opera House for a week at the end of September 1903, was owned by young, brilliant actor Charles Tolson.
A 17-year-old named Allye (Allie) Parchman noticed Tolson and thought that Tolson would be her way out of the small-town lifestyle.
On October 4, 1903, as he prepared to depart with his troupe from the Frisco Train Depot, Allye’s father, Dr. Parchman, learned through a local salesman named C.G. Murray that Allye and Tolson would be at the depot at 7:45 AM, and their intention was to elope.
As Dr. Parchman waited inside the depot waiting area, he saw Tolson and cried out, “I want to see you,” after hearing his name. Dr. Parchman fired his first shot from his 44 caliber handgun as soon as Tolson turned, missing Tolson who had started to flee the firing.
Another shot was fired by Parchman, hitting him in the back just above the hip with such force that he turned to face Parchman once more. Parchman fired one final shot at Tolson’s chest. He was knocked to the ground by the bullet, which fortunately struck a pocket watch.
Tolson was seriously hurt and taken to Fort Smith by the arriving train. There, he was transferred to Belle Point Hospital, where he would pass away the next day, on October 5, 1903.
Conspiracy
Some people think Allye had really fallen for Tolson and was planning to go away with him. But the truth is somewhat hazy.
Allye might have wanted to get away from the town and her controlling father. In fact, there were notes in her purse that confirmed this. She wasn’t at the station, though, when Tolson was shot, and Tolson was actually happily married to a woman who was a member of his acting company.
The local salesperson called C.G. Murray who had given Dr. Parchman this information actually had feelings for Allye and could have arranged the entire incident knowing what could have happened, which heightens the suspense.
The Haunts
Chuck Tolson
Charles Tolson, called the Phantom of the King Opera House, is only known to have one known photograph.
As the last venue Charles Tolson performed at before being brutally murdered by Dr. Parchman, King Opera House is thought to be haunted mostly by Charles Tolson’s ghost.
Several weird incidents have been recorded by former opera house staff. One of them was the persistent sense of being seen even while they were ostensibly alone.
A director of the Young Actor’s Guild, which used to stage performances at the opera house, claims that after closing up shop one evening and turning off all the lights, they returned the following morning to find that everything had been turned back on.
Others have seen the ghost of Tolson in full costume, complete with a cape, a long, black Victorian coat, and top hat.
Is Charles the reason for all the activity here, or does this old opera building have more ghosts than just Charles? Dare you find out?
What Comes With It?
You’ll encounter the following during your ghost tour of The King Opera House:
Vigils for ghost hunting,
Organized Vigils,
Using a professional ghost hunting team,
Utilization of our conventional and cutting-edge paranormal apparatus, such as trigger objects, EMF meters, and more
You should have some alone time to look around and conduct your own personal vigils.
Soft drinks and bottled water are available in unlimited quantities all night.
a variety of munchies.
