The Ghosts and Haunted Tales of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green
Often called Western Kentucky or WKU, Western Kentucky University is easily one of the state's most haunted spots. A.W. Mell opened a small school called the Glasgow Normal School and Business College in 1876. Located in Glasgow, Kentucky, the founder's donation allowed the school to offer both business and teaching programs. citing the need for more space, it moved to Bowling Green in 1884, which led to a new name: the Southern Normal School and Business College.
As the college only accepted young men, Pleasant J. Potter opened a separate school for women in 1890 known as Pleasant College. Big changes occurred in the early 1900s as Potter College closed and the Western Kentucky State Normal School opened under a government act and took over the former college's campus. It wasn't until 1966 that the college finally became Western Kentucky University. Students and visitors find it hard to go anywhere on the WKU campus without hearing a ghost story.
Barnes-Campbell Hall - Photo Available from WKU
Barnes-Campbell Hall
In 1967, James Wilbur Duvall was a junior at the university. From Litchfield, Duvall lived in the residence hall and worked as an RA. He was responsible for keeping an eye on the undergrads. Though the building was newer, it had an elevator that often malfunctioned. Duvall often needed to grab the elevator key, open the doors, and hit the switch to get it running again.
On November 9, he made a big mistake. Duvall opened the door without first checking the shaft. The elevator came down on top of the student, crushing him between the wall and the car.
Duvall now haunts Barnes-Campbell Hall where he died. Students will often see the elevator move on its own and stop on the fifth floor. Duvall lived on the fifth floor. Those who live on the same floor often go to press the button and find someone already pressed it. The elevator stops on the floor, the doors open, and it's empty inside. It's almost as if the elevator is capable of moving on its own.
McLean Hall - WKU Photo
McLean Hall
Henry Hardin Cherry was the first president of the university. Not only after taking the position, he picked Mattie McLean as his secretary. McLean was a regular sight on the campus and so popular that WKU later named McLean Hall in her honor. The university even hung a portrait of her on the wall.
McLean makes her presence known in multiple ways. The light under her portrait will turn itself on and off. Even after testing the breaker and system, WKU could find no reason for the malfunction. Another legend says that the expression on her face will go from somber to friendly. Others claim she likes to wander through the halls. They hear the sound of her quiet footsteps or the rustling of her dress.
Campus lore claims McLean never appeared until a group of students held a séance in the building. The girls brought back an Ouija board and decided to make contact with the building's namesake. They saw the planchette moving on its own as it affirmed she was in the room with them. The students also said they saw the ghost of a woman in a gray outfit with gray hair in the room. Ever since the séance, Miss Mattie has roamed the halls.
Florence Schneider Hall
The story about Florence Schneider Hall dates back to at least the early 1970s. If you know anything about urban legends, it's clear how this story started.
At the time, the residence hall was called Whitestone Hall. A young woman woke in the middle of the night to see a man holding an ax and standing by her bed. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, the man dropped the ax before escaping out an open window. Barely alive, the woman crawled into the hall and tried to get help.
Behind the door, another young woman awoke with a start. Hearing strange sounds coming from the hall, she pulled her blankets over her head, too afraid to open the door. It wasn't until she heard the screams of her roommate coming home in the morning that she threw open the door to find the lifeless body of the girls from down the hall, her hands still pressed against the door.
Ever since that night, students living on the same floor reported similar noises. They claim to wake in the middle of the night and hear something scratching at their doors. Those brave enough to open them always find the hallway empty.
Academic Complex
Also on the WKU campus is the Academic Complex. Legend says the university used this building as a hospital during the early years before adding more classrooms. Those who study radio or related fields often work or take classes here. It's also home to the campus radio station.
DJs are responsible for working long hours and handling the university's radio station. Those tasked with working late hours will often see someone standing nearby but the figure disappears when they try to get a better look. Others saw things or people moving when nothing or no one was there. Two workers claim their CD player went crazy when they were joking about the hauntings. I've heard from some that older students started telling new students these stories just to scare them, making them urban legends.
Another story claims the Academic Complex sits on the site of the old Vets Village. For years, WKU offered cheaper tuition for veterans. The university built Vets Village as a new housing complex just for them. There are rumors a student killed himself or was killed by another student while living here.
Potter Hall
Named for the old Potter College, Potter Hall was one of the university's dorms for many years. Tons of men and women lived here over the years before WKU turned it into an administration building. No matter what changes they make to the building, its haunted reputation lives one.
Teresa Watkins was just one of the many who lived in Potter Hall. As much as she looked forward to college, it wasn't quite the experience she expected. Instead of hanging out with friends or going to parties, she spent much of her time locked in Room 7, one of several rooms in the basement. On April 21, 1979, she could no longer handle taking it anymore and hanged herself in her room.
No one is quite sure if Watkins is the ghost of this WKU building. Legend says that during its residence hall years, a group of students performed a séance. They talked to a spirit who called herself Allison. Allison is the ghost blamed for moving things or outright stealing from rooms. She allegedly admitted she was the thief during a séance.
The female ghost also liked to annoy students. Nicknamed Casperella, she tends to play in the halls and unlock doors. Former residents remember locking their doors and finding them unlocked later, even when everyone who had a key was inside. Others left their doors unlocked and found them locked, leaving them stuck in the hall.
Once Potter Hall became an administration building, workers had encounters with a ghost they nicknamed Penny. While the stories about Allison slowed down, the stories about Penny amped up. Employees will occasionally arrive and find a single penny sitting on their desks. Others claimed to find multiple pennies left behind, which led to her nickname.
Helm Library
Over at Helm Library. Students and workers encountered the ghost of a former student. According to campus lore, she was studying for a test on the ninth floor. As the night grew long, she found herself growing hot and tired. Hoping to get a breath of fresh air, she tried to open the window and accidentally fell to her death.
Though no one seems to remember her name, she now haunts the ninth floor. A handful of students spotted a woman looking frustrated and staring down at a notebook. When they returned only minutes later, the girl and all of her things were gone. Others had the misfortune of seeing what looked like someone falling from an open window. Of course, by the time they got to the library, the window was closed and the ground clear.
Phi Delta Theta House
The Phi Delta House is just one of the fraternity houses on the WKU campus. Students talk about the loud and unusual noises they hear inside, which sounds like someone is shaking the pipes inside the walls. Others claim that the rails on the staircase often move or go missing. While some say the frat is haunted, others believe it's just some of the students messing with their new brothers.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
When Sigma Alpha Epsilon was still open, students talked about a Civil War ghost who haunted the property. They claimed their home was once a hospital. During the Civil War, a young man arrived with serious battle wounds. Despite trying to help him, the man passed away. Brothers called him Ken and claimed they saw him wandering through the halls. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon house burned down in the 2000s. No one knows if Ken stuck around.
Lambda Chi Alpha
Before Western Kentucky University began expanding, the Lambda Chi Alpha was a private home. The daughter of the owner was home alone one night when someone broke it and attacked her. Though she managed to get out and even run across the lawn, the man caught up with her and brutally murdered her on the spot. He left her body there for her parents to find.
Many stories come from students who saw a woman running across the lawn. They usually describe her as quite pretty with long hair and a terrified look on her face and wearing a long nightgown. No matter how quickly they run to help, they never find her. Brothers who lived in the house saw flickering lights or had things move on their own.
Delta Tau Delta
At Delta Tau Delta, you might have the chance to see or hear Billy Lester. Lester was a brother who lived in the fraternity during the 1980s. When he passed away, he returned to haunt his former room. Brothers claim to see the door to his old room opening and closing on its own. Others heard the radio inside come on full blast. The radio would shut off when they opened the door or keep playing when no one was inside.
Kappa Sigma
Also haunted is the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. During a séance, the brothers claimed they spoke with the man via a Ouija board and learned his name was Jim. Jim has a set routine that determines where he goes and what he does every day. Brothers learn to ignore it when they hear someone in the hall and see their door open when no one is there.
Kappa Delta
Ever since Kappa Delta opened a branch of its sorority on the WKU campus, students whispered about a ghost they called Ms. Norman. Ms. Norman was a lonely woman who grew even lonelier when her husband passed away. She used all of her money to build a new home big enough for her two grown children to live in with their families. Devastated when they refused to return to Bowling Green and rarely visited, she took her life.
Ms. Norman is most active in an apartment on the second floor where the house mother resides. Multiple house moms heard strange knocking sounds coming from the closet that they couldn't explain. Supposedly, Ms. Norman hanged herself there. Other residents heard someone or something moaning in the basement. Some believe this is where she went to cry over her relationship with her children.
Pearce-Ford Tower
The haunting of the Pearce-Ford Tower first appeared in the 1990s. A young man lived in the residence hall and hated the showers on his floor. While some claim he complained about the cold water or water pressure, others say he was bullied by some of the other men on his floor. No matter what the reason, he always grabbed his shower stuff and headed up a few floors.
After taking a long shower and drying off, he wrapped his towel around his body and hit the button for the elevator. He made the fatal mistake of not checking before getting inside. Though the doors opened, the car was missing. The poor man dropped 20 floors to his death. Students claim to see unexplained wet footprints near the elevator every year on the anniversary of his death.
Van Meter Auditorium
One of the more haunted spots on the WKU campus is Van Meter Auditorium. During its construction, a worker was near the skylight when he lost his balance and slipped and fell. By the time others rushed to his aid, he was already gone, his crushed boy lying near the center of the stage. Others claim he was distracted by an airplane flying overhead, which caused him to lose his balance. Legend says the stage has a blood stain that always comes back, no matter how long workers scrub the wood. It even appeared through new layers of stain or paint. Actors also spotted an unknown man watching performances from one of the back rows who disappeared without a trace.
Another legend says it was a student who died on the stage. Tasked with hanging new lights, he climbed onto a high ladder and got to work. When someone called his name, he slipped and fell, landing on the stage where he passed away before help got there. In this story, his death also left behind a blood stain that never goes away.
WKU Tunnels
According to a popular legend, the Western Kentucky University campus has dozens of tunnels that run underneath it. A local man with a reputation as a hermit was tired of spending the cold winters outside. He found a way inside the tunnels and used them to stay warm and hide from students. The man eventually found a way to access the Van Meter Auditorium through the tunnels.
It didn't take long for students to begin whispering about the strange man spotted around campus. Though the university attempted to find him, he always evaded the searchers. Legend says he still roams the campus today, clutching a bright blue lantern light in his hand.
Rhodes-Harlin Hall
Yet another haunted dormitory is the Rhodes-Halin Hall. A young woman who lived inside had a difficult time being away from home. She missed her friends and family and just wanted to go home. Somehow, her parents convinced her to stick it out until the end of the year. She didn't even make it a semester before she climbed to the top of the nine-story residence hall and threw herself over the side.
Legend says she returns every year on the anniversary of her death. Students report seeing a dark shadow fall from the roof. When they try to check it out, they find nothing there. Others report hearing the sounds of a woman crying on the roof.
So there you have it, the most haunted places on the Western Kentucky University campus! Have you had any strange experiences in Bowling Green? Let me know in a comment!
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