Haunted Indiana: The Ghosts of IU Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana

 

Maxwell Hall at IU Bloomington - By Nyttend

Established in 1820 as the State Seminary and later known as Indiana College, Indiana University Bloomington is one of the Hoosier State's most haunted spots. So many haunted tales surround the campus that they even inspired the book Haunted Hoosier Halls: Indiana University by Kat Klocklow. Some of its stories also popped up in Haunted Bloomington, Indiana by Klara Lee Sweet. While my blog doesn't give me enough space to go as in-depth as those books do, I wanted to take a look at the ghosts of the university known as IU and IU Bloomington.

One site worth mentioning is the Indiana Memorial Union. Known as one of the top places to see spirits on campus, it's allegedly home to a few different ghosts. Campus lore says this was the place where students took their lives when they could no longer handle the difficulties of life away from home. Multiple students climbed to the top of the building and threw themselves off. In a tragic turn of events, a man was walking across campus one day when he heard someone falling. Though he acted quickly, the student landed on and killed his dog.

Both the ghost of the poor dog and the tortured souls of former students now haunt the Indiana Memorial Union. I've heard of several students calling for help because they saw someone standing on the roof or in one of the upper windows. When help arrived, the figure was gone. Others had the unfortunate experience of seeing ghostly students relive their last moments as they jumped to their deaths. Others reported seeing and even hearing a dog barking.

The IU Bloomington Auditorium is the perfect place to watch shows and catch over events. During its construction, a worker tasked with handling a job high off the ground lost his balance while standing on the scaffolding. In front of multiple workers, the crashed to his death, landing near the center of the stage floor. This incident led to the phantom of the auditorium.

Legend says the still lingers in the auditorium. Actors often hear strange noises backstage, ranging from footsteps when no one is around to rustling noises as if someone is going through nearby boxes. He's also appeared a few times in the background during shows. Students say the bloodstain he left behind still appears on the floor. Though the university changed the stage floor a few times, the stain keeps coming back.

Heard across the campus are the sounds of women ad children both screaming and crying. The Career Development Center on the IU Bloomington campus has a medical area where students can seek health services. Though the university says it will refer women to abortion clinics, some claim the center once did them on-site. All of the cries heard are supposedly the sounds of women upset while going through the procedure and the screams of their unborn babies.

This story sounds more like a warning to incoming students to make smart sexual choices. However, I did see a few students who claimed a doctor working in secret once performed abortions here. Whether he wanted to make some extra money or to lend a helping hand to women who had no other choice, he allegedly worked under the cover of darkness and only when no one was around. Maybe the mysterious doctor is the dark and shadowy figure seen lurking in the halls?

Read Hall is a popular residence hall. While it's close to the Showalter Arts Plaza and the Jacobs School of Music, some residents claim the dormitory is also haunted. One is an unknown little girl who may date back long before the university appeared. She's always seen wearing a yellow dress and likes to pop out when residents least expect it. Some students even leave toys sitting out for her.

The other ghost of Read Hall is that of a former student named Paula. Paula and her boyfriend had a tumultuous relationship. Going away to school gave her the chance to get away from him, but the man refused to listen to her. Not only did the follow her to school, but the also lurked outside of her classes and made a nuisance of himself to other residents.

Paula finally had enough and made the decision to end things completely. When she told him their relationship was over and the needed to go home, the flew into a rage. The man grabbed her by the arm and when she struggled, the shoved her hard enough to send her flying down the stairs. Seeing his former beloved dead led to him racing away from Rad Hall. The woman now returns on the anniversary of her murder every year on December 12 to release one final scream.

Another version of Paula's fate claims she was a resident adviser (RA) tasked with making students feel at home. She had a love for her charges but also had a dark side. One night, she couldn't take their complaints and issues anymore. Paula wandered to the staircase, looked down, and made the decision to throw herself down the stairs. She still returns every year on December 12 to scream and remind residents of their fates.

In the third version of the story, Paula and her boyfriend got along quite well. The only issue was the thought she was a little too friendly, especially to other men. After leaving a party one night, they had the worst fight of their relationship. So convinced of her cheating, the man grabbed a pocketknife and brutally stabbed her to death. Once he realized what he did, he dragged her body into the tunnels beneath Read Hall and fled. Students found her body the next morning.

A poster at IndianaHauntedHouses.com claims Franklin Hall is haunted. This ghost is an older man and no one is sure who the was in life. He's most commonly spotted late at night around midnight. The building is home to the university's Media School, which has many students coming and going every day. I didn't find any other claims of this haunting online though.

If you venture over to Third Street, you might come across one of the university's oldest ghosts. In 1911, the Indiana Daily Student shared a story from a group of students. They claimed that while walking back to their rooms, a woman dressed all in black with a veil over her face stepped out of the shadows and attacked them. The attack only stopped when one of the students pulled out a small gun. Legend says the woman still pops up every now and then. Some say this ghost haunts Fourth Street and runs when anyone spots her.

The Lilly Library at IU Bloomington is home to the university's largest collection of rare books. Many students believe the haunting they encountered is someone who donated a large collection to the school after he died. The man has a tendency to wander around inside, scaring anyone who attempts to visit. Those working in the library also hear footsteps and what sounds like someone coughing when they're alone.

IU Bloomington has a reputation for its Folklore Office, which offers a unique program devoted to folk tales and legends. Richard Dorson spent many years working as a professor and helped establish the program along with doing quite a bit of research. It's not surprising he chose to return to the campus later. Students claim to see a man matching his description standing in the window of his former office. Others saw his light flip on when the building was empty.

A former professor who once worked with Dorson recalls leaving the Folklore Office late one night. When the stepped outside and looked up, he saw his former friend stand up from his desk and turn on the office light. The man started walking away and wondered why Dorson was working so late when the realized his coworker passed away several weeks before.

Over on Kirkwood Avenue is Owen Hall. Now home to the College of Arts & Sciences, it was previously the College of Natural Sciences. Future doctors studied human anatomy on the cadavers the school brought in for them. Haunted tours of the campus claim the university even added a dumbwaiter to make moving the bodies much easier. During the early days, many students claimed the building was haunted as things had a habit of moving on their own, and cold spots were so common.

Stories of the haunting in Owen Hall grew when a prank on a nursing student went wrong during the late 19^th century. The young woman was quite serious, quiet, and reserved – a stark contrast to her peers. They come up with the perfect prank, stealing a cadaver's arm and leaving it next to the light in her room. Though they expected to hear her scream, they heard nothing. They opened the door to find her on the ground with the arm in her mouth, their final prank driving her mad.

Have fun checking out the hauntings at Indiana University Bloomington. During the Halloween season, you can even take a tour of ghostly spots. IU Bloomington is located at 107 S. Indiana Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana.