THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The Maitland Art Center is associated with reports of paranormal activity connected to its unusual history and architecture. Visitors have described apparitions, unexplained footsteps, mysterious voices, and shadow figures throughout the campus. Staff members have also reported unexplained activity after hours.
Avant-garde artist Andre Smith was a writer, etcher and sculptor built the pretty art compound in the 1930s with galleries and Mayan- and Aztec-inspired gardens, courtyards and an open-air chapel (a popular spot for weddings). Although Smith passed away March 3, 1959, folks say his ghost still watches over his beloved compound. Some visitors have felt his presence; others tell the tale of an day when the chairs and furniture were rearranged by unseen hands and the phones and lights went crazy on the center director’s birthday, which happened to coincide with Smith’s death day.