College and University Blog
Top Five Haunted College Campuses
Reality television shows dealing with the paranormal have become normal, and college campuses are not without their own “ghost stories.” The legends vary depending on who you talk to, but we’ve come up with our favorite five (supposedly!) haunted college campuses.
Happy Halloween from StateUniversity.com!
1. Keene State College, Keene, NH
Harriet Huntress, a former New Hampshire Department of Education administrator, is rumored to haunt the Keene State College residence hall which bears her name. The dorm supposedly became haunted after Huntress learned that the once female-only dorm was transformed into co-ed housing. Students tell stories of hearing strange noises and rolling sounds coming from the building’s attic, where the actual wheelchair that Huntress used late in her life is stored.
2. University of Dayton, Dayton, OH
The Theta Phi Alpha sorority house is supposedly haunted by a male ghost that rearranges furniture, turns lights on and off and snatches personal items, only to return them days later. Sorority members and guests have reported feeling an “unknown presence,” and random cold spots often appear when walking through the house.
3. St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN
St. Mary’s students believe that Heffron Hall has been haunted since it was built. The hall’s namesake, Bishop Patrick Heffron, was shot to death in a chapel on St. Mary’s campus by an angry Father Louis Lesches, who was later institutionalized at the Minnesota State Hospital for the Dangerously Insane. Since the 1940s, students have been awakened by the sounds of footsteps and the tapping of a cane and people inside the building often report feeling unexplained cold winds.
4. Fordham University, Bronx, New York, NY
Fordham was built on top of the old Rose Hill Manor and a hospital which closed during the 1830s. Underground tunnels connect several buildings on campus to one another and students have reported experiencing paranormal activity throughout the campus. Residents of Finlay hall have reported feeling someone grabbing at their throat during the night; students have seen the ghost of a young boy in Hughes Hall; and Keating Hall—believed to have been built atop former morgue tunnels—has a reputation for many different types of strange occurrences.
5. Ohio University, Athens, OH
Considered the most haunted city in Ohio, Athens is home to Ohio University. The Alpha Omicron Phi sorority is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a former slave known as Nicodemous, who was shot by a neighbor that discovered the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Ohio University’s Brown House is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Millie Brown, who once owned the home with her husband Louis. Some students have claimed to see a woman wearing old-fashioned clothing in the upstairs window while others say that the sounds of children playing in a pool can be heard in the backyard, where Millie once threw pool parties.
Melissa Rhone+
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.