Friday, March 18, 2011

Marshall University

There are various places around campus and off which are said to be haunted.  Here's a brief listing of those places from a Parthenon article by Kelly Donahue:
Old Main While tales abound from each part of this structure, Old Main is most noted for its ghost(s) of the stage.  A large, well-dressed man has been seen sitting backstage during performances who quickly disappears.  This man is believed to possibly be the ghost of a 1920s theater director.  This director disappeared after he was discovered to have been embezzling money from the college. However, in the late 1980s, a set of invoices and bills from the 1920s began arriving, signed by the missing director.  Old Main history.
Morrow Library  Morrow Library is now home to special collections and much of it is off limits with the new Drinko Library opening up.  However, at the time of this article, the library was still a largely functioning building...and a spooky one at that.  Several students admitted to have heard loud arguments while no one was around, and one student claims to have seen books fall off the shelf for no apparent reason.
Twin Towers East  In room 1218 of Twin Towers East (the male dorm) Jason Ranson had an experience that he said still haunted him. While lying in bed one night, Ranson claims to have seen the image of a young man sitting in his room, looking at him and his roommate.  In fear, Ranson pulled his blanket up over his head momentarily and when he looked again, the young man had disappeared and the door was still locked. Ranson later learned from friends that a young man had in fact committed suicide in that room.
Sigma Phi Epsilon House  The Sigma Phi Epsilon House is located at 1401 Fifth Avenue.  In the late 1960s or early 1970s it is rumored that a woman named Gail and her twin sons died in a basement fire of the home.  Reports of hearing sobbing and seeing unexplained images are just a few of the things that are attributed to the ghosts.  According to Chris Neusbaum, a junior and resident at the time of the article, the ghost of Gail takes care of the fraternity house and is a welcome addition.
Alpha Chi Omega House  At the Alpha Chi Omega house (located directly across from Corbly Hall on Fifth Avenue) is the ghost of another little boy who died in a fire. Unexplainable gusts of cool air, flickering basement lights that electricians cannot explain, and disappearing/reappearing objects are just some of the occurrences attributed to the little ghost boy.
More Marshall locations and stories coming soon!

7 comments:

  1. the reason for the Marshall hauntings is the fact that the players came home from the eastern carolina game

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    1. Hmm...that may have some impact, but there have been plenty of other deaths, some quite tragic, associated with the campus and off-campus student housing as well.

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    2. I worked late night security at the MU ERMA BYRD BLDG that sits on the grounds of former Fairfield Stadium. I have seen elevators run on their own, heard voices, hear radios/tv turn on, and feel people staring at me. The scary part is that I knew for a fact I was the only there.

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    3. Now that is creepy! Thanks for sharing; I hadn't heard about this location being haunted!

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  2. I have often wondered about the little one room schoolhouse on the grounds, my grandmother taught in that building when it was out Wayne.

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    1. Years ago I took a Marshall ghost tour that one of the student's was giving. While the history was...a little more than a TAD...off concerning the school house, according to the guide there are a few ghostly legends about it. If you put your ear up to the door it is said you can hear children singing and/or laughing, and if you knock on the door, they're supposed to knock back.

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  3. Y'all forgot the Pike House on fifth Avenue also.

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