Ohio University: The Most Haunted School

Athens, Ohio, has earned the reputation as the most haunted city in Ohio, and one of the most haunted places in the world. At times, it almost seems impossible to walk ten steps in any direction without finding yourself face-to-face with a ghost story or a haunted building. That is part of the city's charm.

Athens is home to Ohio University. Founded in 1804, it isn't surprising that a school with over 200 years of history has a few stories to tell and a few people that aren't quite ready to move into the light. Ohio University has seen itself at the center of numerous paranormal investigations, as well as a few television shows shooting on campus. The school itself has earned the nickname of one of the most haunted schools in the world due to the number of hauntings rumored to exist there.

The Alpha Omicron Phi sorority is haunted by the ghost of a former slave known as Nicodemous. The building where the sorority resides was once a private home that functioned as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Legend says that citizens of Athens rushed the house when they discovered it was being used to hide slaves, and vowed that their families and home would not be placed in danger. Unfortunately Nicodemus was the only slave there, and when he tried to run, a neighbor shot him in the back. The building has housed a handful of sororities and fraternities through the years, and each group claims to have experienced odd, and unusual events there.

Brown House is another building at Ohio University rumored to be haunted. Brown House is named for former owners Louis and Mildred Brown. The two built the house in 1928, and the University purchased it in 1964. Mildred, also known as Millie is rumored to still haunt the house. Some have claimed to see a woman in old fashioned clothing standing in an upstairs window. Others claim that Millie loved to throw pool parties in her backyard. The pool is long gone now, but legend says the sounds of children playing in a pool can still be heard.

Paul Newman himself claimed to see Millie in her former home. The actor once attended Ohio University, until he was kicked out for rolling a beer keg through campus one night. During his time on campus, he also dated Millie's daughter. Years after her death he returned to the area, and claimed to see Millie waving to him from her house. Newman wasn't aware at the time that Millie had passed away.

Another haunted building at Ohio University is Bryan Hall. This dorm isn't just rumored to be haunted, but if the stories are to be believed, nearly the entire building has some sort of paranormal activity occurring. Students living on the fourth floor have claimed to hear someone upstairs in the bell tower, even though it is used solely for storage, and kept locked. On other floors of the dorm, students have heard scratching on the doors and walls, odd noises, and seen strange lights.

Bush Hall is another Ohio University dorm rumored to be haunted. Residents claim to hear the sounds of marbles dropping in the halls, but when they open their doors, there is nothing and no one there. Others claim to hear footsteps in the hallway when no one is around.

Students living in the Convocation Center have claimed to hear chairs moving across the floor, when the rooms above them were empty. This has been attributed to the layout of the building, and echoes from other rooms in the building. Others say that a girl died in her sleep inside the building, and a student who slept in that bed later awoke to feel something holding her tightly. One room also holds a closet, which refuses to stay shut and tosses anything inside, to the floor. Legend says that an RA was murdered by her boyfriend because he believed she was cheating on him. Now her restless spirit walks the building.

Crawford Hall is another story with a newer ghostly legend associated with it. Laura Bensek was a student at Ohio University, living in Room 404 at Crawford Hall. The young girl was sitting in her window when she lost her balance, and fell to her death in 1993. According to the legend of Crawford Hall, Bensek was a fan of Bob Marley music, and now when anyone plays a Marley song, the music will stop or static will overtake the song. Some claim this only happens when they attempt to play the Marley song "Laura". The building also has cold spots, doors open and close on their own, and a girl resembling Laura has been seen walking down the hall.

The bell tower at Cutler Hall is another haunted place on the Ohio University campus. Some claim that the ghost inside is something of a prankster. He (or she) likes to play with the clock in the bell tower, frequently setting the time wrong even when its recently been changed. Campus officials explain away the clock changing times by pointing out that it sometimes happens in other similar clocks.

Ohio University also has a building that was haunted for only a short period of time, the Delta Tau Delta house. According to school legend, a group of the frat boys decided to "borrow" a headstone from the nearby Simms Cemetery, which is also rumored to be haunted. Almost immediately the house began experiencing weird things. Doors slammed shut on their own, things flew through the air, and a window shattered completely. The boys carried the headstone back to the cemetery, and things returned to normal.

Jefferson Hall is a haunted building on the Ohio University campus that has a fairly recent ghost story attached to it. In fact, there were no legends about the building until the mid-1990s. A group of students claimed to have seen a school teacher in an old fashioned dress, sitting inside one of the unused classrooms with the door open. When they returned later, the woman was one, the door locked, and dust covering the desk. Others claim to hear strange noises from the attic area, lights that turn on and off by themselves, and toilet paper that unravels without anyone touching it.

Perkins Hall on the Ohio University campus is also alleged to be haunted. Residents have claimed to hear strange noises including laughter, and a woman speaking. Others have watched electrical appliances turn on and off on their own.

The Visitors Center at the Ohio University campus is an unusual building with an unusual history. The log cabin was the first courthouse in Athens County, and was used as a home for a period of time. It was moved twice, the last in 1987 when it was moved to campus and became the Visitors Center. According to the stories, footsteps are heard inside when no one else is there, and the doors have sometimes mysteriously become locked.

Washington Hall is unlike most buildings on campus because it was built in the 1950s. The legend of Washington Hall centers around a group of girls who lived in the former dormitory and played on the basketball team. According to the legend, the girls were killed in an accident while coming back to campus after an away game. After their deaths, they returned to Washington Hall where they could all be together, and enjoy the place they loved so much in life. Some students have claimed to hear the sounds of a ball dropping against the floor, and things moving on their own. Others claim the girls were visiting campus for the summer, and died on their way home but returned to the building. It is said that you can hear the sounds of a basketball dribbling in the archway between Washington Hall and Read Hall.

Wilson Hall is quite possibly the most haunted building on the Ohio University campus, or at least the most famous. Room 428 in Wilson Hall is rumored to have a face hidden in the wood grain, and that's only one of the legends surrounding this building. According to the legends, the ghost here is something of a prankster. During the 1970s, the ghost seemed very fond of an RA named Susan Manch. It took apart her towel bar, and once threw a glass bottle against the wall while she was standing there. She also claims to gave seen the ghost itself, and that it took the shape of the light. According to the legend, a former student committed suicide on the fourth floor of Wilson Hall.

Those are by far not the only stories told about Wilson Hall. Others claim that a student committed suicide in another room just after the building opened in 1964. That legend is most often associated with Room 428, and some say that the room was closed for a year after the student killed themselves. Unfortunately county records show no suicides occurring in Wilson Hall. Some also claim the building is directly in the middle of five cemeteries, which form a perfect pentagram. Once again though, historical records prove this is false.

As for the hauntings, the stories surrounding Wilson Hall are fairly strange. Students have reported seeing sparks and smoke coming from their computers. Some have even run to their RA's for help, but when they returned, the computers were in perfect working condition. Others have heard strange noises, and returned to their rooms to find their furniture in new positions, even if they were gone for only a few minutes. One former RA found a desk pushed directly against the door from inside Room 428. She almost could not open the door herself, and once she did, she found no one inside but the desk sitting directly behind the door. Adding to the unusual experience, the dorm was empty and readying itself for the students arriving in the fall.

Its easy to see why Ohio University has been labeled one of the most haunted schools in the world.

Sources:
http://cscwww.cats.ohiou.edu/~jour430/SPECTRE/campushaunts.html
http://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-athen.html
www.forgottenoh.com/OU/ou.html