Austin’s Haunted Millett Opera House
Local legends drive many of the ghost stories across the United States. Some are verifiable, easily matched with a newspaper clipping detailing the tragic event that spawned the restless soul. Others rely on the curiosities of man to be seen or heard, or else they risk losing their grip on our realm and being lost to eternal nothingness.
Could that be why the specter laying claim to the Millett Opera House in Austin is so adamant about being seen and felt?
In the summer heat of Texas in 1878, a team of builders began construction on what stands today as one of the city’s oldest buildings. Back then, it was an entertainment venue and an opera house to appease the population as it grew from hundreds of residents to well into the thousands. By the time the opera house was completed, over 11,000 people called Austin home. These residents had the unique opportunity to watch the evolution of Texas entertainment — and the unfortunate passing of one of its starlets.
Located in Downtown Austin, just off West 9th Street, the opera house still stands in all its glory, echoes of previous performers still emanating from its ornate interior and inviting facade. Notable celebrities once performed on the stage, but it now belongs to a spiritual presence tied by her tragic passing.
Why is the Millett Opera House haunted?
A building as old as the late-19th century will surely have skeletons stacked inside its closets. What really unraveled at the Millett Opera House to spur a persistent haunting remains a mystery. Was she an opera singer who took one misstep on a catwalk? Or was she a jilted performer who took her own life?
The opera house is just a slice of Austin’s local charm and history, and the specter who resides within its walls is one of countless ghosts in this haunted Texas city. On an Austin ghost tour, you can hear more about the haunts of the Music Capital of the World.
Captain Charles F. Millett: The Father of the Opera House
Travel across the U.S. and ask about one Captain Charles F. Millett, and chances are you’ll be met with blank stares and confused faces. In Austin, though, he earned recognition as a prominent businessman and the Austin Volunteer Fire Department’s first fire chief. A lumber salesman by trade, Millett had plenty to offer Austin, and his opportunity to further help the city progress came in the 1870s when he planned the construction of an opera house.
Designed by F. E. Ruffini, who later went on to design courthouses in Franklin, Paint Rock, Blanco, and Bastrop, the construction of the opera garnered plenty of local attention, so much so that local papers offered frequent updates. Upon its completion in 1878, the Millett Opera House became Texas’ second-largest opera and biggest entertainment venue in Austin, complete with 800 seats.
Bringing the Opera to Austin
The new opera house was set to host its grand opening on October 23, 1878, with a performance of Coquette. The opera, pegged as an “American play of classical merit native in diction and incidents,” was to feature local amateur actors and benefit the Austin Library Association. Cryptically, the Millett Opera House official website alludes to the opera’s grand opening event, stating that the details are contained in the September – October 2018 issues of The Austin Club’s members-only publication, The Austin Clubber—an issue that none seem to have an archive of.
What happened that night remains a mystery, but it’s quite possible the opera did not open as planned. The venue did, however, eventually open, and for years, it filled seats with church services, graduations, political conventions, and, while Austin’s Capitol building was under construction, even welcomed legislative sessions.
The core of its existence belonged to theater, with productions highlighting stars and starlets of all ilk. Many performers gave their all to bring productions to life, but only one is known to have given her life to her craft.
Who is Priscilla?
Over its long history as a focal point in Austin, the opera house had its share of incidents. On June 18, 2018, an arson fire threatened to burn the building to the ground, ironic considering Millett’s time as fire chief. At the time, the opera house was undergoing restoration at the hands of The Austin Club, which had moved into the historic building in 1981. The club eventually repaired the damage, and anyone touring the building would never know of the arson, but not all of the opera house’s tragedies are so easily covered.
Many years before the fire nearly claimed the opera house, on an unassuming night during the height of the building’s notoriety, a young singer who, according to some accounts, fell from a catwalk before her wedding. Another version claims that in a fit of heartbreak, likely at the malice of her beau, she threw herself from the rafters. In both stories, young Priscilla died within the confines of the opera house more than 100 years ago.
Her spirit is still said to be trapped within the building, angered either over her untimely death or the soul-crushing heartbreaking. Staff reports being pushed around by Priscilla, her rage (or at least annoyance) quite evident in every interaction. You can take the elevator, but don’t be surprised if the young singer gives you a fright in her flowing white gown.
Spirits and a Show
The Austin Club may have molded the Millett Opera House to meet its members’ needs, but its long history is impossible to hide completely. Before the shows stopped running, the 800-seat auditorium boomed with musical performances that left their imprint despite the 21st-century renovations.
Part of that is, thanks to Priscilla, the ethereal link between the past and the present. Her tragedy inadvertently ensured that Charles Millett’s original intent for the opera house was not lost, though staff could probably have done it without her pushiness and attitude.
The former opera singer is one of many ghosts preserving Austin’s history. While Priscilla watches over the Millett Opera House, other spirits have their grasp in locations like The Driskill and the Paramount Theater. To dive deeper into the city’s haunted history, book your Austin ghost tour today, and be sure to keep reading our blog.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Priscilla and the Millett Opera House, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and drop a comment!
Sources:
https://www.realestateinaustin.com/blog/vintage-austin-millett-opera-house/
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ruffini-frederick-ernst
https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507014910/print
https://millettoperahouse.com/f/july—august-1878
https://austinclub.com/our-history/
https://thefowlerlawfirm.com/our-library/giving-feels-great-fowler-family-foundation
https://thedailytexan.com/2022/10/25/austins-most-haunted-places/
