Haunted Midwest: the Ghost of Sibley Hall

The Missouri town of St. Charles sits on the banks of the Missouri River not far from where it meets the Mighty Mississippi. The history of St. Charles is filled with legends and stories of the past. It is not unexpected, then, that a city with this much history would be home paranormal activity and ghosts.

The most famous ghost in St. Charles resides in Sibley Hall on the campus of Lindenwood University.

Mary Sibley and her husband founded Linden Wood School for girls in the early 1800s. The school evolved over the years and is currently known as Lindenwood University. It is home to over 3,400 resident students. A few of those students have the opportunity to live in a dorm haunted by the resident ghost.

Sibley Hall is sits in the center of the oldest part of the Lindenwood campus. Originally Sibley Hall was home to the Sibley family. Before her death Mary Sibley promised her students that she would always be with them and watch over them. Appearances of her ghost, along with paranormal and poltergeist activity seem to indicate that she has indeed remained. Reports indicate that Sibley hung herself on the third floor of her home and was buried in the family cemetery. The burial plot remains on the Lindenwood campus near the football stadium. Sibley's ghost, however, roams the campus.

Since Sibley's death mysterious things have been seen and heard around the campus. Credit is given to her ghost. The hauntings center around Sibley Hall. Today Sibley Hall is a woman's dorm. Most students dread being assigned a room in this old building. The campus location is great but they fear an encounter with a ghost.

The ghostly activity seems to be focused on the third floor of the residence hall. Students have reported seeing blue orbs and misty figures. Others claim to have awoken in the night to find their mattress floating in air. Past residents have also claimed that furniture was moved, pictures turned and voices were heard coming from vacant rooms.

School officials closed a portion of the hallway where most of the ghostly activity reportedly occurred. The common understanding is that this was to prevent problems with the ghost although the school does not have an official comment about the hallway.

When asked by a nervous in-coming student about the ghost, the school president quietly chuckled but did not deny her existence or the stories that abound.

With such a long history in the area it is no surprise that many St. Charles residents know someone who has personal experience with the ghost of Sibley Hall. Parents tell of daughters who stay at home rather than in their dorm room because they feel a presence in their room even when no one else is there and believe it is Sibley's ghost. Other students have reported electrical items turning themselves on and blinds the suddenly open.

Does the ghost of Mary Sibley remain to protect her students over 100 years after her death? A large number of people believe it does, making her the most famous ghost in St. Charles, Missouri.