Haunted Colleges of the Midwest

Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois, formerly known as Monticello Female Seminary College, one of the first all female colleges in the Midwest. Harriet Newell Haskell, the first headmistress, can still be seen roaming the campus of her beloved school. Elevators operating on their own, cold spots, and footsteps that come from nowhere and abruptly end. Miss Haskell died in 1881 but her "school spirit" remains strong.

Beecher Hall, on the campus of Illinois College, located in Jacksonville, used to house cadavers for use by the medical students. Legend has it these medical students, their pursuit of knowledge so great, would steal bodies from morgues and hospitals and hide them in the attic of Beecher Hall. The smell coming from the attic finally alerted the college president to investigate and discover the grisly sight. The students were expelled and the attic closed off. Today it is used as a meeting hall but ghostly footsteps can still be heard roaming the hallways of Beecher Hall.

Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, where the ghost of a girl named "Roberta" is still rumored to dwell. Roberta was killed on campus in 1951 when a gas tank exploded, killing her and destroying the residence hall where she lived. The hall was rebuilt and named in her honor. She has been seen walking the halls and has a habit of throwing hairbrushes, sometimes grabbing them right out of girl's hands.

The University of Missouri in Kansas City also has a resident ghost. A woman who died in the arms of the stage manager in 1957 haunts the university's playhouse. The details on how she died and why she still haunts the playhouse are sketchy, it is rumored that she was so overcome playing a part in a Shakespeare play that her heart gave out. Another rumor suggests that the stage manager was also her lover. Knowing they were about to be exposed, he used a poisoned prop. As she lay dying in his arms, she cursed him and the school.

Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa is home to the Old Chapel. There have been many deaths there. Suicides from ill-fated love affairs, accidents, and perhaps a murder or two have been rumored to have taken place here. Mysterious lights, haunting faces peering out the windows, and disembodies footsteps have all been reported. Numerous reliable eyewitness accounts tell of lights that won't come on or refuse to turn off, footsteps come from nowhere and unexpectedly stop, and face-to-face meetings with apparitions.

A unique spirit roams the campus of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Gertrude was a high school student who was refused admittance to the college. Not because of her academic scores or abilities but since women weren't allowed to attend college at that time in history. Gertrude is given credit for false fire alarms, strange sounds, and it is reported that she makes off with young women's clothes, leaving her own old-fashioned garments in their place. Gertrude was reportedly killed in 1918 when an automobile hit her bicycle as she was riding by Luther College. The college admitted its first female student in 1920.

The choice of college can heavily influence your life. And beyond.