Spooky things happen on campus. And I'm not just talking about unkempt undergrads trouncing across campus to make to their 9 o'clock class.No, your campus may be haunted. At Penn State, legend had it that Old Botany (the oldest standing building at Penn State, built in 1887) is haunted by George Atherton widow's ghost. It only makes sense since that building looks right onto Atherton's grave. Yes, George Atherton is buried on campus. He was a beloved president who revived the flailing college in the late 19th century and also had an enormous impact on American higher education as an advocate for land-grant universities. (Those truly interested in his legacy should read this excellent book.) Mrs. Atherton is said to have been seen looking out from Old Botany onto George's grave.
At my undergraduate alma mater, the University of Utah, the ghost is named "Clem" and roams Fort Douglas (a military installation from the 1860's, which is now mostly part of the University), guarding the military museum.
We have our own ghosts here at the University South Carolina. We also have a beloved president buried on campus. (Does anyone know of another university where a president is buried on campus?) But that's not the spooky part.
The second oldest building on campus (built in 1809), on the historic Horseshoe is DeSaussure College, which like most of the buildings on the Horseshoe is now home to an academic department and student residences. However, during the Civil War it was used as a Union hospital. (This is why the college wasn't burned by General Sherman like the rest of Columbia.)
The ghost that is said to inhabit DeSaussure is a Civil War nurse. A common story is that she was the daughter of Confederates and poisoned Union soldiers with tainted wine. Only Northerners are said to encounter the ghost and she offers them a glass of wine.
So, beware as you pass through the old buildings on your campus this Halloween. You just never know who may be around the corner...
