While live performances at the State Theatre were in decline during the 1970's, there were strange sightings reported - a presence no one could account for. When the theatre was empty, maintenance workers would sometimes glimpse a man at the back of the theatre, just standing, or perhaps entering one of the utility closets. On a few occasions, the police were called and found no one in the building. Once, hair bristled on the necks of dogs they had brought, but nothing was visible to the officers.
Several people have guessed at the identity of the mystery man, J. Fred Osterstock, a distinguished looking gentleman who managed the company that owned the theatre from 1936-1965. Due to a flood in 1955 that covered the first floor of his house for several weeks, Fred lived at the State Theatre, setting up home in the office located to the right of the foyer.
Convinced that his presence has never left, the staff of the State Theatre has named the ghost FRED. Almost ten sightings have been reported, with some of the voyeurs being members of the State's Board of Directors. Then in the late 1970's, Historian Ken Klabunde saw someone walk off the empty stage while closing for the evening. Some time later he found a photograph of Osterstock and recognized him as the man on the stage.
Fred has managed to endure the State Theatre's restoration, completed in 1990, and continues to have a strong, distinct presence at the State. He is included in the book Ghost Stories of the Lehigh Valley and was introduced to the nation in 1999 on the syndicated radio program The Mike Gallagher Show, which broadcast live from the State Theatre, paying tribute to the Theatre's live-in friend.
In 2003, the State Theatre honored FRED by naming the Annual FREDDY AWARDS after him - an awards ceremony that recognizes outstanding achievement in local high school theater. SOURCE
"State Theatre, originally known as Neumeyers Vaudeville House and now the State Theatre Center for the Arts, is an historic theater located in the City of Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The building began to take its present form in 1910, when modified from a bank building to a vaudeville house. The building was extensively modified in 1926, to include a larger auditorium, balcony, and lush decorations. It was at that time it was renamed "The State." The building is asymmetrical with a cut stone Beaux-Arts style facade and large overhanging marquee." SOURCE Historical speaking, The original was erected in 1873 and was known as the Northampton National Bank which included the granite facade and the Foyer which were original. By 1910, the bank was demolished and the small Neumeyer Theatre was built. It seems (from what I read) aspects of the original bank remained. Somewhere in 1914-1916, the theater's name changed from Neumeyer Theatre to the Northampton Theatre, and then finally to the Colonial Theatre.
The nomination form has an excellent description which I shall borrow:
The Theater possesses a cut stone Beaux Arts facade which is partially masked by a large overwhelming marquee. Below the marquee, the walls are covered with panels of pink cararea glass, several of which have been removed on the Western border of the building. The area below the marquee is dominated by a large octagonal ticket booth which is highly ornamented with wood carving and a pyramid roof. Flanking the ticket booth are two small stone fronts with large glass windows. passing through the exterior doors, which have large beaded glass panels, one enters a large lobby with a 30 foot high ceiling and cut stone walls. Many of the original features such as the huge highly ornamented mirrors are in-tact. On the left of this room near the entrance to the auditorium a wide stairway ascends to a large ballroom and rehearsal studio, which is now utilized as a dance school. The theater hold approximately 1,400. Almost all the original auditorium features, including orchestra pit, Wurlitzer organ, painted back-drop, electrical prompter, and crystal chandeliers are still in-tact. SOURCE
By 1981, the theatre was turned over to the National Development Council. Threatened with demolition, a group of concerned citizens calling themselves the "Friends of the State Theatre" raised enough money to purchase the theatre, screening classic films to ensure some income. The State Theatre was established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. By 2001, the State Theatre celebrated its historic 75th season. The annual reading program "Spotlight on Reading," encouraging literacy in local 5-8 year-olds, begins during the summer of 2001. For the first time ever, the State Theatre stages over 100 performances in one year.