The Haunted History of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

If you ask me, the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is hands-down one of the absolute coolest landmarks in North Louisiana. Built back in the 1920s, it’s iconic. I mean, we’re talking about the home of the Louisiana Hayride, the very stage where Elvis Presley got his big start, and where legends like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams performed. The energy in that building during a packed concert is unmatched.

When there’s a huge crowd, music blasting, and the energy is buzzing, I love being there. But when the lights go down and things get quiet backstage? Absolutely not. I am so good on doing a haunted ghost tour there!

Let me tell you why: I’ve spent my fair share of time backstage at the Muni, and I have personally felt things that made the hair on my arms stand straight up. There have been moments while standing in those backstage hallways where out of nowhere, in a completely warm building, a sudden, deep chill just hit me. You know that instant drop in temperature that makes you stop dead in your tracks? Yeah. That was more than enough for me. I know you've felt that too right?

And don't even get me started on the basement. I straight-up refuse to go down into the Muni basement. Zero chance. Stagehands and touring crews have talked for decades about the weird occurrences down there, from disembodied voices to ghostly shadows slipping around the corners.

If you’re wondering why the basement gives people instant goosebumps, the building's grim history says it all. During its early decades, a section of the auditorium's basement actually operated as a city morgue overseen by Dr. Willis Butler, even housing an early municipal health clinic.

Local lore suggests it was used to store deceased individuals, including bodies brought over following courthouse hangings. With that kind of dark footprint, it’s no surprise the Muni has gained national fame as one of Louisiana's top paranormal hotspots, featured on TV shows like Ghost Hunters, where visitors and guides constantly report disembodied voices, unexplainable footsteps, and chilling echoes from the bottom floor.

Plus, local lore says the auditorium has a few permanent spectral residents, like the famous "Girl in the Blue Dress" who people swear they've seen wandering the halls and balcony areas, or the ghost of an old operator who still keeps watch over the stage.

I’ll gladly stick to enjoying the Muni when it's filled with thousands of screaming fans for a live show or a killer comedy tour. But if you want to go exploring the dark, chilly backstage corners or brave the basement by yourself? Be my guest... I’ll be waiting out front in the lobby! Have you ever experienced anything eerie? Have you seen the little girl in the blue dress? Tell us in the comments all about your experience. Want to book your tour? Just click here to get in on the action.