Shawnee's Ritz Theater

Shawnee, OK · Theaters

It was built in 1897 as a dry goods store, and then it was turned into a boarding house. The Ritz theater was born in 1926, and it may be haunted by a 1900s projectionist named Leo Montgomery who died of a heart attack during a movie showing. Flickering lights and unexplained voices have been noticed, perhaps caused by Mr. Montgomery or, as some believe, by the lingering spirits of boarding house residents. Another ghost said to reside here is called Amelia; legend has it that she died of pneumonia when the building was a boarding house.

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Geographic Information

Address
10 Main St
Shawnee, OK
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GPS
35.32756046, -96.92405784
County
Pottawatomie County County, Oklahoma
Nearest Towns

Contact Information

Website

Quick Answers

Is Shawnee's Ritz Theater really haunted?
Visitors rate Shawnee's Ritz Theater at 70 out of 100 on our EHP (Estimated Haunted Probability) scale. So far 7 people have shared firsthand experiences from this location in the comments.
Where is Shawnee's Ritz Theater located?
The address is 10 Main St, Shawnee, OK. GPS coordinates: 35.32756046, -96.92405784.
What kind of haunted place is Shawnee's Ritz Theater?
Shawnee's Ritz Theater is listed under Theaters in our Oklahoma section.
What is the nearest town to Shawnee's Ritz Theater?
Shawnee, OK is the closest town, about 0.1 miles away, with Tecumseh (4.9 mi.) and Bethel Acres (5.9 mi.) also nearby.

Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other regulations.

Share Your Experiences

Comments (7)

  • James d. Gregor |

    When I was in the Ritz. I felt spirits. No kidding.

  • joe de josephina |

    I HEARD MYSTERIOUS COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOS COMING OUT OF NOWHERE!!!!!!!!!!
    I SERIOUSLY HEARD THAT!!!!!!!!!!

  • Sonya moore |

    I got pushed out of the second story window

  • Madison Jackson |

    I was just in there tonight for a haunted tour. The spirits were not happy tonight. I believe it was the man upstairs that's violent and abuses women. While playing the "knocking game" the spirit got angry. I kid you not, it was not possible for this to be fake, but SOMETHING threw a hammer on the stage. At that point , everyone, including the people showing us around, ran outside. Even before this a spirit threw a clay ball at the woman stomach who was on stage talking. This place is definitely haunted and I've heard many stories from friends and my family about when they were at the Ritz. It's all true. It's all real. It isn't a joke.

  • Cora Dahlen |

    We havent seen or heard Leo Montgomery since his wife died. There is a bible up stairs you do not mess with, when you do strange things happen. And as for the violent spirit that attacks women we call him the "Tall Man" or the "Dark Man". You can occasionally see him looming out the windows up stairs when you are across the street. There are other spirits there. One fact you do not have listed was the basement of the Ritz Theater was the original Shawnee city morgue.

  • Central Oklahoma paranormal society |

    Me and my crew are planning an investigation live at the Ritz where we bring everybody along for the investigation through Facebook live simply by going to our Facebook page and join the live feed you can go to Central Oklahoma paranormal society and be able to follow us on investigations make comments and share stories if you have any history or anything you would like to add you can message us on our Facebook page hope to see all of you there until next time keep hunting

  • Malinda |

    Me and my friends and my mom went there a couple of years ago and we were walking around we heard some footsteps behind us but no one was there

Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the truest sense, ghost stories. Haunted Places makes no claims that any of these stories are factually accurate or scientifically provable.