This is a three-story brick building constructed in 1912. The ground floor was occupied by City offices, and the upper floors were an 1100-seat auditorium where church revivals, school dances and proms, political speeches, prizes fights, dances and community events were held over the years. Today, the ground floor is the Hobart Fire Department, and the upper floors are occupied by the Shortgrass Playhouse, a community theater.
A local Hobart resident related this story to a blogger: [excerpt from Hobart City Hall]" Apparently, about the time the Shortgrass Playhouse was being renovated a tombstone was found in the Firehall with the name Charles D. Savage on it. It was placed in the side stairwell of the Shortgrass Playhouse and there were attempts made to find its origin but no one claimed it. While painting in the Greenroom, a voice asked "What are you doing in here?". The person responded that they were "renovating the theatre" The counter response was "I wish you would hurry because you are making a lot of noise". The next day a ghostly image appeared on the wall where they were painting. Larry informed me that the image has been painted and repainted but the image keeps reappearing. Larry took me to the room where the image was and also took me to look at the Tombstone in the stairwell.
"She also told me that once when she and a child were in this room that a very audible sigh was heard from the side of the room. She then took me through the dressing rooms and showed me where clothes often moved as though being brushed against, and she took me into another room where she said she often heard "whistling".
"Kathy also told me that children could often be heard running and playing there and that a voice calling "mama" has been heard. She related an occurrence when she and a friend were painting or decorating and one of them asked, "Okay Charlie, why are you still here?" A soft answer came back saying, "Children". Kathy informed me that some of these things she has on video tape and audio tape.
"Another story she related to me was of her and a friend working in the playhouse and the friend asked Charlie for a sign that he was there. Immediately, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor of the stage was heard and then the sound of a chair being thrown down the stairs.
"Kathy told me a story of years back tombstones from the Indian graveyard outside of town being found on main street. All of them were claimed and returned except for one. After doing some research and reading some old newspaper articles I found one that stated the the police department had found a Tombstone with the name Charles Savage on main street and placed it in the side stair case of the "Playhouse". I do not know if Charlie's tombstone was the one that was not claimed.
"She also told me that once when she and a child were in this room that a very audible sigh was heard from the side of the room. She then took me through the dressing rooms and showed me where clothes often moved as though being brushed against, and she took me into another room where she said she often heard "whistling".
"Kathy also told me that children could often be heard running and playing there and that a voice calling "mama" has been heard. She related an occurrence when she and a friend were painting or decorating and one of them asked, "Okay Charlie, why are you still here?" A soft answer came back saying, "Children". Kathy informed me that some of these things she has on video tape and audio tape. [Some think the children may be from a terrible school fire in 1924 at Babbs Switch nearby. Their bodies were brought to a funeral home which used to be in this building].
"Another story she related to me was of her and a friend working in the playhouse and the friend asked Charlie for a sign that he was there. Immediately, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor of the stage was heard and then the sound of a chair being thrown down the stairs.
"Kathy told me a story of years back tombstones from the Indian graveyard outside of town being found on main street. All of them were claimed and returned except for one. After doing some research and reading some old newspaper articles I found one that stated the the police department had found a Tombstone with the name Charles Savage on main street and placed it in the side stair case of the "Playhouse". I do not know if Charlie's tombstone was the one that was not claimed."