Hatch Auditorium
Hatch Auditorium is a facility of the North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell. The auditorium is situated next to the old Fort Caswell and faces the parade ground. Construction of the auditorium was made possible by a gift from Rachel E. Hatch upon her death in October 1966. Her estate, which included 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) in Duplin County, was valued at $200,000. Hatch was an Episcopalian who is quoted as saying, "The Baptists have their hand on the pulse of humanity and seek to touch the needs of the people."
Ground was broken in the fall of 1967 and the auditorium was dedicated on July 17, 1968 with a trumpet fanfare and singing. Total cost of the auditorium was $400,000.
Auditorium Layout
The auditorium consists of the main floor, an upstairs and downstairs front lobby, a balcony, and two classrooms behind the stage. In the original building, two rooms opposite each other in the upstairs lobby served as a kitchen and sitting room. Those rooms now serve as utility and storage.
The main floor and balcony accommodate approximately 1,000 people in pew seating. To the rear and center of the balcony there is a sound booth with an excellent view of the stage. The stage itself is surprisingly large and it is currently rumored that it may be shortened in an effort to add more seating. The classrooms are known as "Hatch A," located just behind stage left, and "Hatch B" which is behind stage right. To each side of the stage there are double doors leading into side exit lobby areas. These lobbies also have the entrances to the classrooms and directly to the stage itself.
The downstairs lobby of Hatch has two of the auditorium's restrooms (the other two are located in the rear hallway which connects the two classrooms) and they face each other on the left and right sides next to the entrances to the main floor. On the wall between the entrances hangs a portrait of Rachel Hatch.
Features
The exterior of the building was originally designed to reflect its wooden interior and was brown. It wasn't until the campus was completely standardized to its now familiar blue/gray tones that Hatch was repainted. The front upstairs and downstairs lobbies are, essentially, one room with two staircases leading up. One of the most remarkable features of the building is its glass facade which stretches over both floors. Inside the auditorium itself, the rafters are painted brown and wood is the dominante design texture. The curved back wall of the auditorium features an intricate pattern of small beams which also work to disguise the built in organ speakers. These speakers appear to be a part of the wall itself. Also the back wall there is a large, brass cross mounted high above the stage.
The facility was recently (2006) upgraded in the sound and lights department with over 20 new lights mounted, a new lightboard, a new speaker system, and a digital soundboard.
Impact
For the thousands of visitors of the Assembly the importance of Hatch Auditorium is undeniable. Many programs take place in the auditorium throughout the year but the most important, perhaps, are the study and worship sessions held in it during the summer youth camps. Each week the auditorim is usually the place in which most people come to make decisions regarding their faith in Jesus Christ. Because of this, Hatch auditorium holds a special place in the hearts of those who have been affected by their experiences there.
Ghosts?
Like many other places on the campus of the assembly, Hatch Auditorium is rumored to be "haunted." This is, of course, unverifiable, but many stories do exist which seem to suggest that something strange does happen there on occasion. Footsteps are heard in the back hall and on the stage when no one else is there. Electrical equipment mysteriously malfunctions and, in at least one case, a figure has been reported to have walked down the right main aisle just before vanishing instantly.
One particularly vocal supporter of the validity to the hauntings believes they are caused by Rachel Hatch herself. Rumor has it that when her picture in the lobby is taken down, bad things happen during the next service. This is proven to be completely false as it has become a popular habit of many staffers to move the portrait and the disturbances do not follow, usually.
Sources
Herring, Ethel; Williams, Carolee (1999). Fort Caswell in War and Peace. Oak Island, NC: NC Baptist Assembly. ISBN 0-9671897-1-3.