Opened February 18, 1918 — within months Augusta's 1918 flu quarantine closed it after 52 servicemen from a nearby camp died
745 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by performance; ghost tour admission separate
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic theater interior; accessible seating available
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1918 · Opened February 18, 1918 — same year as influenza pandemic · Closed during Augusta's 1918 flu quarantine · 52 servicemen from nearby Camp Hancock died during the outbreak · Listed on the National Register of Historic Places · Active performing arts venue on Augusta's Broad Street
The Imperial Theatre opened on February 18, 1918, on Broad Street in downtown Augusta. The building was designed for vaudeville performance and silent film exhibition, formats that were at the peak of their commercial popularity in the first years after the theater's opening. Its Broad Street location placed it in the center of Augusta's commercial and entertainment district.
The theater's first year of operation was interrupted by the influenza pandemic of 1918, one of the deadliest infectious disease events in recorded history. Augusta, with a substantial military population at nearby Camp Hancock, was exposed to the pandemic through the movement of soldiers. The city implemented quarantine measures that shut down public assembly points, including theaters, in the fall of 1918. Documented sources indicate 52 servicemen from the Augusta military camp died during the outbreak — a figure that provides specific context for the pandemic's local toll.
The Imperial Theatre survived both the pandemic period and subsequent decades of economic change on Broad Street. It was eventually recognized as architecturally and historically significant and was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The building underwent restoration and continues to operate as a performing arts venue.
The combination of the theater's 1918 opening — placing it squarely in the influenza year — and the documented military deaths in the same period has made it a consistent stop on Augusta ghost tour itineraries. The theater appears on the National Register of Historic Places listing as a documented 1918 structure with confirmed pandemic-period history.
Sources
The paranormal claims associated with the Imperial Theatre are rooted in the 1918 influenza pandemic rather than a single dramatic incident. The argument made on ghost tours is epidemiological and atmospheric: a building at the center of a community during a mass-death event, one that was physically closed during weeks when the surrounding city was losing dozens of people, carries that history in ways that outlast the reopening.
Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours, which operates Augusta walking tours, lists the Imperial Theatre as a stop with active accounts. The reports documented on that itinerary describe ghostly figures seen in the theater's seating area, appearing during performances and late-night events when the auditorium is otherwise empty or partially occupied. The nature of these accounts — figures appearing in a performing space — is consistent with a broader pattern at historic theaters where the accumulated presence of audiences is interpreted as residual.
No formal paranormal investigation with documented methodology has been conducted at the Imperial Theatre. The haunted reputation is built on consistent tour-guide report and the historically grounded 1918 pandemic narrative rather than any single dramatic event. The theater's active operation as a performing arts venue means any investigation would require coordination with venue management.
The Imperial Theatre operates as an active performing arts venue on Augusta's Broad Street. Events range from touring productions to local performances. The 1918 opening date and flu pandemic closure are documented in the building's National Register listing, and the historical narrative is accessible on request.
The Imperial Theatre is included on Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours' Augusta walking tour, which cites the theater's 1918 flu pandemic history as the source of its haunted reputation. Tours typically cover multiple downtown Augusta sites.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Phoenix, AZ
The Orpheum Theatre opened January 5, 1929 as a 1,800-seat vaudeville and movie palace built by partners Jo E. Richards and Harry Nace during Hollywood's golden age. Designed in Spanish Baroque Revival style with an atmospheric ceiling simulating a starlit Mediterranean sky, it operated as a movie theater under various names through the 20th century before being acquired by the City of Phoenix in 1984, restored, and reopened in 1997 as a performing arts venue. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Washington, NC
Built around 1913 for proprietor C. A. Turnage — who incorporated the enterprise as New Theatre Inc. — the Turnage Theatre originally combined a shoe store on its ground floor with a vaudeville theater above. A separate 'talkie' theater was constructed behind the original structure in 1928. Adaptive rehabilitation in the 1990s restored the complex, and it now houses Arts of the Pamlico in a 32,000-square-foot facility with two theaters.
Gainesville, GA
Pearce Auditorium at Brenau University dates to 1878, making it one of the older surviving performance venues in northeast Georgia. The university itself was established in 1878 as a women's institution and has remained a women's college at its undergraduate level. The auditorium has been an active venue for university performances throughout its history.