Haunted halls and the ghosts of Maryville College
Maryville College stands as a testament to nearly 200 years of history. However, not all of it has to do with textbooks and academia. Whispered through generations of students and staff, tales of lingering spirits and eerie encounters have become a part of the college’s folklore.
What is it about the Maryville College campus that keeps the supernatural so close? Students and faculty alike have shared tales of paranormal experiences, many centered around Anderson Hall, the oldest building on campus. Built in 1870, the hall has been said to be the backdrop for unexplained footsteps, doors that open and close on their own, and a mysterious figure said to peer from the windows after dark. Some claim the ghost is that of a Civil War soldier whose presence has never fully left the campus grounds.
But when in the mood to go ghost-spotting, where are some of Maryville College’s best haunts to start out with?
“If you’re looking for ghosts, I suggest either the cemetery or the CCM (Center for Campus Ministry),” said Corvid Jones (’27). “I’ve been up there with friends, and almost every time, we see these two figures. There’s this bright, white one on the right side where the kitchen is at; and there’s this shadowy black figure on the left. He peeks through the windows sometimes.”
Jones does not believe the entities intend malice at all: “I think they’re there to balance each other out. The bright one is supposed to bring positive energy, and the shadow one is negative energy. I haven’t seen one without the other.”
One of the more popular specters on campus is simply known as “The Woman in White”. The Woman’s past, or who she was when she was still trekking the mortal plain, has yet to be concretely determined. However, one thing has remained consistent: According to staff, The Woman in White is an opaque, elderly spirit clad in all white who is purported to haunt the House in the Woods located in the Maryville College woods. Many claim that the spirit might be that of Susan Walker, a deceased philanthropist who had moved to Maryville in 1932.
Some have claimed to see The Woman in White – or perhaps Ms. Walker – roaming around the cemetery that lays right on the outskirts of the campus and the College woods at night. Is this the same Woman in White, or perhaps another wandering spirit who has unfinished business at the College?
Given Carnegie Hall’s past as a former hospital that was later converted into a student dormitory, it would be only natural to assume that the building would have some sort of spectral influence over it. However, no sightings of anything strange or ghostly have been reported by either staff or students currently living in the dorm.
“I haven’t really seen anything, personally,” said resident of Carnegie Hall Austin McKee (‘26) after he was asked if he had witnessed anything particularly ghostly during his time at Carnegie. “I’m not going to rule anything out, but it’s a possibility something might be here.”
Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, one thing is for certain: at Maryville College, the past never stays too far behind.