The Ocala…Morris the Magician and the Ocala Civic Theatre

The Ocala…Morris the Magician and the Ocala Civic Theatre

In 2022, I published Haunted Ocala National Forest through Arcadia/History Press.

The story of Morris the Magician came to me via two amazing writers who had spent time writing for the Ocala Star Banner, Rick Allen and Dave Schlenker. I came across their names in connection with the activity at Fort King, and became an immediate fan of their writing. Both took the stories in the area about ghosts seriously, and it was obvious they saw the connection between a ghost story and history. They both loved their city.

I have an obsession with haunted theatres, from my first experiences at the Majestic in Boston to the Arcade in Downtown Fort Myers. The Ocala Civic Theatre may have the best backstory of them all. Between its connections to Silver Springs to the idea the new theatre tried to get the ghosts to travel to their location to the concept that lawyers like to buy haunted locations, Morris was the kind of magician who still continues to inspire magic.

Bibliography

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The parking lot which stands at the site of the old theatre.

Click to get into the hauntings at the Seven Sisters Inn

Click to read the Travel Log and get the stories on Fort King

Click to read the story of the cardinal at Fort King

Explore the darker side of Fort Myers with Christopher Balzano during the dark on a hauntingly unforgettable walking tour with True Tours.

Check out Christopher Balzano’s books, including the newly released Haunted Southwest Florida.

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