1st haunting: Sisson Hall, Third Floor Women’s Bathroom
Why it’s haunted: It is rumored a student hung herself in the third floor women’s bathroom of Sisson Hall over Spring Break in the ‘80s. She supposedly wasn’t discovered for 12 days. The Scout’s Office is located across from this bathroom.
Who was involved and what we used: Maddie Gehling (camerawoman), Sammy Dellaria (leader), Tori Moses (participant), Michael Echeverri (participant) and Rachael Kosinski (participant). Used dowsing rods, a homemade ouija board and a voice recorder.
Answers we got: Even though the spirit told us they didn’t want to speak with us, we kept pressing. The spirits made their presence known, but beyond that, they seemed more content to mess with us in other ways. The camera lens stopped focusing and the screen went black while still rolling. It was also a great deal colder in the bathroom than the rest of Sisson Hall. We didn’t get any words through on the ouija board, but the “toothpick holder” we used did hover over “S” for a significant amount of time.
Maddie: I spent the entire session kneeling on the bathroom counter, so after a while, I thought the only spooky event experienced was that of my feet falling asleep. But after we switched to the dowsing rods, the activity picked up a little. It would’ve been spookier with the lights off, but I wasn’t ready to die that night.
Sammy: I think the most effective part of this investigation was using the dowsing rods. We were able to get some ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to the questions that were asked. We asked the question “Are you the spirit that is doing things to The Scout office?” The dowsing rods crossed each other, signifying a ‘no’ response.
Upon review of the voice recordings of the session, no paranormal voice phenomena were detected.
Conclusion: While the story of the Sisson Hall ghost is compelling, we were unable to receive any substantial communication that would lead us to believe that paranormal activity is actually taking place in the bathroom.
2nd haunting: Constance Hall, Second Floor Practice Room
Why it’s haunted: Olive White, former Dean of Women and head of the English Department in the 20th Century, supposedly haunts Constance Hall. Before the building was home to the School of Music, it was a women’s residence hall. Bradley students and faculty alike have claimed to hear White’s heels clicking throughout the corridors of Constance.
Who was involved and what we used: Maddie Gehling (camerawoman), Lisa Stemmons (leader), Tori Moses (participant) and Brian Haas (participant). Used dowsing rods and a homemade ouija board.
Answers we got: We kicked off the investigation by learning the spirit we were speaking with did not have good intentions in the afterlife. They clarified they were not Olive White – nor were they friends with her, either – so we felt the need to apologize for angering any mysterious ghosts. The spirit revealed it was a member of the music department before we signed off.
Lisa: I wish I could say I was secretly fiddling with the dowsing rods, but I truly was not. When they first showed movement, I did get freaked out and my hands reacted accordingly, but it was never abrupt enough to make the rods move that distinctly. I think my experience in paranormal knowledge combined with my serious attitude toward the endeavor was why I was the perfect outlet for the spirit to communicate. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for why they would have moved other than the clear spiritual presence among us in that third floor practice room in Constance. I even felt a little ill following the session.
Tori: When we first sat down and started with the ouija board, I was pretty sure we debunked the rumor that there is paranormal activity in Constance Hall. I felt pretty silly sitting next to a grand piano in a cramped practice room. After about 10 minutes of sitting in silence with our fingers lightly propped on my “toothpick holder,” Lisa decided to turn the lights off and try the dowsing rods. They moved quickly and decisively after every question, and the atmosphere of the room went from silly to spooky in a matter of seconds. I was watching Lisa’s hands for movement, as I am a spirit skeptic, but it seemed like she wasn’t in control. The answers we received were consistent and didn’t contradict each other, either, which made everything so much creepier. When the spirit moved the rods to indicate “Yes,” it has bad intentions, I bolted out of that building faster than Usain.
Conclusion: Olive B. White may roam the halls of the building, but we weren’t able to contact her. Instead, we had a nice little chat with a former faculty member who has bad intentions. There is at least one spirit in Constance Hall, and it’s not a happy one – so our adventures in Constance are officially over.
