1921 Orlando concert venue built on the site of Orange County's execution ground, where nooses were found in the walls during renovation
46 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
Research updated June 2026
Age
18+
Cost
$$
Varies by event; check thebeacham.com for current show ticket prices
Access
Wheelchair OK
Indoor venue on a city block; paved access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1921 · Former Execution Ground · Orlando Historic Landmark · Early 20th Century Theater Architecture
The property at 46 N Orange Avenue served as the Orange County Jail from approximately 1873, functioning as the county's central facility for detaining and executing condemned prisoners. Public hangings took place on the grounds, making the site Orange County's primary execution location for nearly five decades.
In 1919, theater developer Braxton Beacham Sr. purchased the property and demolished the jail. The theater he built for $200,000 opened in 1921. The venue was designed to anchor the commercial strip along Orange Avenue and became a central gathering place for Orlando entertainment through the mid-twentieth century. Over subsequent decades the building underwent significant alteration: Art Deco renovations in 1936, CinemaScope installation in 1954, Cinerama conversion in 1964, and conversion to a music venue in 1976. The City of Orlando designated the Beacham a historic landmark in 1987.
After years of varying use including several nightclub configurations, the venue reopened as The Beacham in 2011, partnered with the adjacent venue The Social. It currently operates as one of Orlando's primary mid-sized concert venues for national and international touring artists. As of 2026, the venue is seeking city approval to restore the Orange Avenue facade to a midcentury aesthetic consistent with its 1921 origins.
Sources
The paranormal lore at the Beacham begins with a physical discovery: during renovation work, nooses were reportedly found hidden within the walls of the building. Whether structural remnants from the jail era or something placed during the theater's construction, the discovery passed into oral history among Orlando ghost tour guides and local historians.
The most frequently reported phenomenon is a pipe organ playing without a player. The theater installed an Austin Organ Company instrument after opening, and stories circulated that the installation took an unusual length of time due to what workers described as interference — men in antiquated clothing were reported near the site, and the work stalled repeatedly. After installation, the organ has been reported to play on its own, the sound carrying through the building with no one seated at the keys.
A second recurring report involves a shadowy older woman observed on the stage. Accounts describe her as elderly and indistinct, appearing in the stage area and then gone. Paranormal investigators and ghost tour guides who include the Beacham on Orlando's haunted circuit connect these reports to the execution history of the property beneath the building, though no specific individual has been identified as the source of either the music or the apparition.
The Beacham operates as an active concert venue and nightclub hosting national and international touring artists. The building retains its 1921 envelope with a restored facade. The former jail site beneath and around the building is not marked, but the historic connection is documented in the Orlando Memory archive and the building's landmark designation. No formal haunted tour is offered.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Arcadia, FL
In August 1905, a fire destroyed much of downtown Arcadia, burning across the block where the opera house now stands. J.J. Heard built the Arcadia Opera House on the cleared site in 1906, and it functioned as a Vaudeville venue before transitioning to film in 1923. The building sat idle for more than 60 years before being restored to active use in 2021 as a community venue, antique shop, and events space. It is recognized as one of the most paranormally active locations in Southwest Florida.
Sebring, FL
Highlands Lakeside Theatre is a community theater in Sebring, Florida, organized in 1974 and offering its first production that July. Long known as Highlands Little Theatre, the group adopted the Highlands Lakeside Theatre name in 2019 to distinguish itself from other venues and mark its growth. In the late 1980s it added a full bar named Anthony's Lounge. The theater operates at the Altvater Cultural Complex on West Center Avenue.
Clearwater, FL
The Capitol Theatre opened March 21, 1921, designed by architect Lester Avery for developer John Stansel Taylor at a cost of $160,000. The Mediterranean Revival building hosted vaudeville and films for decades before falling into decline. During a 1980 renovation attempt, theater manager Bill Neville was beaten to death by robbers in the balcony; his body was found in the space during subsequent work. The City of Clearwater purchased the building in 2008 and completed an $11 million restoration in 2014.