Fred-The Theater Ghost of Fairburn and Other Spooky Happenings

Situated in the southwestern part of Fulton County is the small town of Fairburn, which used to be called Campbellton, and was the county seat of old Campbell County before it became part of Fulton County. The small town is quite quaint, and just one trip through the historic downtown area will convince you of the need for future trips to the area.

Perhaps the most famous resident of the town is Fred, a spectre many have seen at the local theater. According to an article published by Michael Boylan on TheCitizen.com, a division of the Fayette County newspaper, "It is said that when things go awry during a rehearsal or performance, or if you hear strange noises while working back stage or in the props or costume loft, it is just Fred making mischief." Most say Fred is just a story, a local legend if you will, but there was so much buzz surrounding this little theater on a sidestreet in downtown Fairburn that it attracted the attention of the Ghost Hounds Network.

Denise Roffe and Loretta Brown, two Ghost Hounds investigators, decided to spend the night in the theater. Theater guild members decided to stay with them as well. They were investigating stories of footsteps heard by people in the theater when noone else was present, or doors that opened by themselves. Other incidents include shadow figures and reflections of people who were not there. While there, the ghost hunters did record six EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon). The voice on the recordings cannot be matched with anyone who was there that night. One recording frightened one of the ghost hunters so much that she quit the group after that night.

One of the voices on the tape can be heard to say, "Shh, they're calling me." The investigator that quit the group was frightened by the voice on the tape saying "tepga", which is Tibetan for "riding beast" or "way of transportation." In addition, members of the group were frightened by a shaking couch and an unseen hand touching their arms.

Group members claim that they did not experience any negative energy in the theater. I have been by the theater but never inside. One of the administrators at the college where I teach reported to me that there was talk by one of the guild members that TAPS had contacted the theater administrators and was planning an investigation at the theater soon. I will get back to you when I hear more information about that.