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Ghost hunting with The Scout

3rd haunting: Hartmann Center, on the stage and in the upper lobby

Why it’s haunted: The Hartmann Center has a long history, as it was built in 1909 as the Hewitt Gymnasium. During World Wars I and II, it served as a barracks and officer headquarters. It became the theatre in 1979 and is rumored to have four spirits: The Whompus, a goblin-like creature; The Man in the Brown Suit, who smokes a cigar and roams the catwalks above the stage; The Lady in White, who has been known to appear to students; and The Little Boy in the Pit, who drowned in the pool when Hartmann was a gym.

Who was involved and what we used: Maddie Gehling (camerawoman), Lisa Stemmons (leader), Tori Moses (participant), Kylee Higgins (participant), Cenn Hall (participant), Hannah Yglesias (participant), Rachael Kosinski (participant) and Emily Goldman (theatre major). We used dowsing rods and our homemade ouija board.

Answers we got: Nothing came of the ouija board, so we quickly switched to the dowsing rods. With those, we had activity on the stage right off the bat – a female spirit told us she wasn’t a theatre student, and she didn’t want to communicate with us. We moved upstairs to the second floor lobby and tried to contact more supernatural beings, where we learned they didn’t like to be called “ghosts” but rather “spirits.” The spirit told us her death was not recent – she passed away over 50 years ago – and after she told us she wasn’t a fan of the “Harry Potter” series, we ducked out of that investigation.

Tori: The Hartmann Center was an overall disappointment for me. My best friend is a theatre major, and she’s told me many horrifying stories about interactions with the spirits that reside in Hartmann. As we sat on the stage and turned off the lights, my heart pounded in anticipation for what would happen in that eerie building. Unfortunately, my high expectations weren’t met. The first spirit we met told us she didn’t want to continue communicating, so I was feeling pretty low. We then moved to the upper lobby and chatted with some friendly spirits who were very willing to answer our questions and kept the dowsing rods spinning. I’d never successfully communicated with spirits via the dowsing rods, but I was able to ask a couple questions and get some answers from our galpals.

Kylee: I’ve never thought deeply about the existence of ghosts, but I’m pretty open to the idea of the supernatural. Sitting on the stage was spooky enough, but once all the lights were turned off except for the conveniently named “ghost light,” my heart was racing. I breathed a sigh of relief when the ouija board didn’t work, but my blood ran cold when the dowsing rods turned by themselves after the questions were asked. Talking to the spirits was a thrilling experience for me, despite being afraid of dying or getting possessed the whole time. The last thing I wanted to see was a ghost out of the corner of my eye, and I was relieved I didn’t. Thankfully, the spirits seemed to be as nice as spirits could be, and I was surprised to find myself believing in them more after the investigation. But I was still super happy to get the heck out of there.

Conclusion: We didn’t encounter as many spirits as we thought we would, but the creepy “Phantom of the Opera” vibes definitely made this investigation worthwhile.

 

4th haunting: Harper Hall, 7th floor

Why it’s haunted: The seventh floor of Harper Hall is said to be haunted by a male student who died in 1987. The student was celebrating the end of final exams by drinking at the local bars. Heavily intoxicated, he was making his way back to campus through Laura Bradley Park when he tripped and fell off a footbridge, breaking his neck on the rocks below. The student was a resident of the seventh floor of Harper, and visitors have said the dorm’s elevator often goes to floor seven regardless of what button is pressed.

Who was involved and what we used: Maddie Gehling (camerawoman), Tori Moses (leader), Brien Jackson (participant), Cenn Hall (participant), Brian Haas (participant) and Hannah Yglesias (participant). We used our DIY ouija board and the dowsing rods.

Answers we got: We got out the ouija board, which yielded results for the first time in our series of investigations. We learned there are at least two spirits haunting Harper Hall, and we spoke directly to one of them – a male student. He confirmed he was the student who died in 1987 and immediately after spelled out “ER.” When we used the dowsing rods, he told us he didn’t want to talk much longer and that he was up to no good. Hopefully, he meant the typical freshman pranks every dorm resident is accustomed to.

Brien: Having grown up watching and reading different materials involving ghosts and spirits, I think I’ve always somewhat believed in this sort of stuff. It doesn’t really frighten me, though –more so piques my interest. The experience in Harper was my first, so I wasn’t really expecting much, but I was hoping to have fun with it. I thought it was cool that we got a few responses from the ouija board and dowsing rods. I must admit, though, I’m a bit skeptical on the responses we got; I don’t think it was done on purpose, but I kept thinking someone may have been moving the glass on the ouija board, or shaking caused the dowsing rods to move. But it was funny watching the reactions of Harper residents wandering by when they saw us.

Cenn: A friend of mine, who firmly believes Harper is haunted, told me all about the student who died in the 80s. Because of her enthusiasm, I really wanted to believe. Going in, I was less skeptical than when I went to Hartmann, but I had no idea what I was in for. I didn’t think the ouija board would work this time, seeing as it hadn’t in the past, so when it worked immediately after, it shocked me to say the least. The responses we got at first were somewhere between unsettling and depressing, and I felt really bad about bothering it. When it started to spell out “ER,” I felt the biggest chill. The dowsing rods did not disappoint either, revealing the spirit didn’t want the students of Harper seven to feel safe. I’m pretty sure any of the students who saw us sitting outside their elevator with a ouija board already feel that way. At the end, I’d say I was sufficiently spooked.

Conclusion: Harper Hall students beware: there’s a spirit amongst you.

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