The Fulton Theatre has been in existence since 1852 as a historical staple in downtown Lancaster. With a 162 year history, you can bet that its walls have many stories to tell. Lancaster native Leslie Stainton is telling many of those stories in "Staging Ground: An American Theater and Its Ghosts" released on June 16.

"There have been more than 10,000 performances in the theatre between the time it opened in 1852 to the present day," Stainton said on Good Day PA on abc27.

Besides the stage performances there is much more of interest behind the curtains as Stainton, a former actress, stagehand and seamstress, discovered.

"I found out, dredging through the newspapers from 19th century Lancaster, how completely calamitous those times were especially in the build up to the Civil War."

Moreover, many believe that the Fulton Theatre is haunted, something Stainton explores in her book.

"What sets the Fulton apart from every other building like it in the United States is that it's built on Ghosted Ground," she explained.

The foundation of the theatre includes stone wall of a colonial prison where Stainton said that the last of the Conestoga Indians were brutally murdered. In addition, for 90 years it served as a jail, holding many African Americans who fled slavery in the south, according to Stainton. There are numerous stories of encounters with strange spirits, including actors who claim to hear cries from the basement. There is a lady in white who has been seen.

"When the theatre was being renovated in 1995, the last big renovation, there's a story of workman who became so panicked by some ghostly encounter he had somewhere in the theatre," said Stainton. "He ran, screaming from the theatre, was hospitalized and never went back."

For more information on "Staging Ground: An American Theater and Its Ghosts," visit: www.LeslieStainton.com.