HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1977 Biloxi arena where security staff and a Ghost Hunters crew have reported shadows and orbs on land that once held an orphanage, near the Jefferson Davis estate across the street.
2350 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS 39531
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by event; see Ticketmaster or the venue box office for current concerts, sports, and convention listings.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved arena and convention center with standard indoor accessibility
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1977 · Multi-Purpose Gulf Coast Arena (1977) · Hurricane Katrina Recovery Site
Groundbreaking on the Mississippi Coast Coliseum came in 1975, and the arena opened at 2350 Beach Boulevard in Biloxi two years later, with country singer Charley Pride headlining the first concert on November 18, 1977. Architect H.F. Fountain Jr. & Associates designed the multi-purpose facility to seat 11,500 for reserved events and up to 15,000 festival-style, with a smaller 9,150-seat configuration for ice hockey. The Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission has operated the venue since it opened.
Over nearly five decades the Coliseum has hosted a wide range of events: WCW's Beach Blast wrestling pay-per-view in 1993, Sun Belt Conference basketball tournaments in 1992 and 1993, Metro Conference tournaments in 1990 and 1994, and a November 2000 boxing card featuring former heavyweight champions Larry Holmes and Mike Weaver. Hurricane Katrina caused severe flood and wind damage to the arena in August 2005, forcing the Mississippi Sea Wolves minor-league hockey team to cancel two full seasons; repairs were completed by October 2007.
According to coliseum staff, the arena's own site had a more modest history before 1977. Michelle Minningmann, the venue's assistant executive director, has said on the record that the land held an orphanage prior to the Coliseum's construction in the 1970s, and that before that it was part of the Jefferson Davis home property — Beauvoir, the Confederate president's postwar estate, which sits just across Beach Boulevard. That timeline lines up with Beauvoir's own history: the estate originally covered roughly 608 acres before being reduced over time to the 52 acres it occupies today, with the difference sold off in parcels. Beauvoir itself housed the Mississippi Confederate Soldiers' Home from 1903 to 1957 and remains a separate, standalone historic site, distinct from the Coliseum property.
Sources
The Coliseum's reputation for paranormal activity comes directly from its own staff. IT director Bryan Butler has described watching security-camera footage of shadows moving through the property, and recounted one specific incident to a local TV station: an orb of light that "floated around and stopped right in front of me and then it shot into my body." Assistant executive director Michelle Minningmann has been measured about it publicly, telling a reporter, "If there is paranormal activity in this building then it's not demonic, it's not negative energy, if anything we co-exist."
After watching the show in the summer of 2021, Butler reached out to Travel Channel's Ghost Hunters, and the TAPS team — joined by guest investigator Steve Shippy — spent time in the arena setting up cameras and electromagnetic field equipment. The resulting episode, "Cursed Coliseum" (Ghost Hunters, Season 15, Episode 5), first aired October 29, 2022.
Staff accounts tie the reported activity loosely to the site's own history rather than to Beauvoir across the street: the land held an orphanage before the Coliseum went up in the 1970s, and prior to that was part of the larger Beauvoir estate. No specific documented deaths or named individuals from either period have been connected to the reported phenomena — the activity is described only in general terms by staff who work overnight in the building.
Media Appearances
An 11,500-seat reserved (15,000 festival-seating) arena and convention center hosting concerts, sporting events, wrestling, and conventions. Overnight security staff and a 2022 Ghost Hunters investigation have added a paranormal reputation to the venue's regular event calendar.
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