Before “Ghost Hunters,” Louisiana Spirits Explored Shreveport’s Haunted Past

The gang from Syfy's "Ghost Hunters" isn't the only group that's investigated Shreveport's historic Municial Auditorium. Louisiana Spirits has done several of its own investigations there.

Lead Investigator John Combs tells KEEL News that it's a rare day when something strange doesn't happen there.

"It's a very active location," Combs says. "We did the very first paranormal investigation, then came back and hosted the Paranormal Conference, with some ghost-hunting there."

One of the questions "Ghost Hunters" was trying to answer is whether the spirits that have taken up residency at the Municipal were musicians who once played there, or random visitors from the cemetery nearby. Combs says it could be either. "I don't think anybody could rule it out, being that close to the cemetery," he says. "But the building has such a rich history, you can't rule that part out, either."

The Municipal is just one of many local buildings Louisiana Spirits has investigated. Combs says his team has also checked out places like the Multi-Cultural Center, Central Art Station, a couple of downtown nightclubs, and the Spring Street Museum.

Combs says his team was supposed to be checking out Voodoo on Commerce Street downtown last night, but that had to be cancelled because of a scheduling conflict.  The staff there has reported some activity, and there are actual Voodoo objects inside the nightclub, which he says can cause some "attachments."  But he says none of the activity he and his group have found so far has been malicious. In fact, it's been helpful, in some cases. He shares one interesting story.

"Marty at the Spring Street Museum, for example, was doing some work, about to get up on a ladder. Just as he was going to stand up on the ladder, the front door of the Spring Street Museum just completely swung wide open. If you check that door, you'll find it doesn't swing open very easily, and it latches pretty securely. That sudden door-opening frightened Marty a little bit, and he went to see what it was or what had happened. And when he came back, he found out he hadn't set up his ladder properly. If he had climbed that ladder to work on the ceiling up there, it probably would have collapsed and could have caused serious injury there."

LA Spirits is preparing for the very first Downtown Paranormal Festival, which runs the 20th through the 23rd. We'll have more information on that for you next week.

If you want to check out results from some of the group's investigations, visit the LA Spirits website.