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Mary, the Ghost of the Orpheum Theatre is a story told about Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, Shelby County. Vote believe it or no way, then see what 1 named source says is documented.
Legend Kind of story 1 Named sources Memphis & West Tennessee Region Oct 30 Checked, 2026 Local legend. Not confirmed. Just for fun.
No. 7 of 12
Mary, The Ghost of The Orpheum Theatre People say a young girl named Mary haunts the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. In the tale, she is sometimes seen or felt in the balcony, and staff and performers have long traded stories about her. Different tellings give different reasons for why she stays.
Believe it? No way Or just show me the answer
What The Sources Document We found no source on our allowed list that documents a person named Mary or any ghost at the Orpheum. The Orpheum's own history page, which we read, does not mention a ghost or anyone named Mary, so the story is a theatre-told legend with no documented person that we could find. What the Orpheum's own history page documents is the building itself: the Grand Opera House opened in 1890 at Main and Beale (the page calls it "considered the classiest theatre outside of New York City"); it joined the Orpheum Circuit of vaudeville theaters in 1907 and became known as the Orpheum; a fire destroyed it on October 16, 1923, with the last patrons gone about 30 minutes earlier and the cause unknown; construction of a new $1.6 million, 2,800-seat theatre designed by C. W. and George L. Rapp began in 1927; and the new theatre opened in 1928. It was bought in 1940 and renamed the Malco as a movie house. In 1976 the Memphis Development Foundation formed to save it, bought it in 1977 and restored the Orpheum name, and after a $5 million renovation the theatre held its grand re-opening in 1984. Sources disagree on the fire date: the Orpheum says October 16, 1923, while the Historical Marker Database listing for the Orpheum marker (found in a search, not opened by us) was reported to say October 17, 1923. We use the Orpheum's date and note the difference. The Tennessee Encyclopedia has no dedicated Orpheum entry that we could find, and we did not find a Memphis or Shelby County archives page about the ghost story.
Sources: Our History (Orpheum Theatre Memphis, official site) .
Previous The Lost Sea in Craighead Caverns Next Elvis Sightings and "Elvis Is Alive" A Note The theatre's own history page does not mention Mary. There is no documented person behind the story.
Looked for and Not Found Any mention of a ghost or of Mary on the Orpheum's own history page (read; none). A Tennessee Encyclopedia entry on the Orpheum Theatre (searched; none found). Any Memphis or Shelby County archives page documenting a person named Mary or the ghost story. An agreed fire date Orpheum page says October 16, 1923; a marker listing seen only in search results said October 17. More Legends Plan The Trip Frequently Asked Questions Does my vote count anywhere? Votes and your collected set stay in your own browser. We do not store or share them.
Where do these facts come from? From the named sources listed on this page: Our History (Orpheum Theatre Memphis, official site).
Sources Our History (Orpheum Theatre Memphis, official site) Read on October 30, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards ; spot a mistake? tell us .
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Mary, The Ghost of The Orpheum Theatre”, itstennessee.com/legends/orpheum-theatre-memphis-ghost-mary/ (updated 2026-11-01 ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.
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