Education
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dorms
Columbus colleges spill their most terrifying tales By Sarah Robinson
C
ollege campuses are bound to have gossip that goes back to earlier days, but not all can boast of ghosts. As Halloween approaches, our favorite local campuses spill the tea on their spookiest and creepiest stories. The Ohio State University While the undeniable excellence of the football team is nothing short of superhuman, these stories dabble in the supernatural. Jeffrey Dahmer, AKA the Milwaukee Cannibal, spent one quarter at OSU before flunking out in 1978. Though he reportedly did not commit any murders during his time on campus, it’s said that his ghost still haunts his old residence hall: Morrill Tower. Hopkins Hall has its own haunting, too. When the hall was built in the 1960s, a student got stuck in the elevator and remained there overnight. As legend has it, she wrote angry messages all over the walls and left her handprints everywhere. She survived the ordeal, but even today, in the right lighting, you can see the faint outline of a handprint on one of the pillars outside the building.
History credit to Avery Samuels.
Otterbein University There are two spooky phenomena that call Otterbein University home. First and foremost, the theater department in Cowan Hall tells tales of Twyla the ghost, who’s reputedly responsible for all mishaps there. From technical issues 16
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Hopkins Hall handprint
to unexplained door-slamming to ghostly weeping only heard when the building goes quiet at night, there are clear suggestions that someone or something is wreaking havoc from the beyond.
Second is the true and wacky story of the flying skeleton from 1903. The skeleton, lovingly dubbed Mary Ann, was the subject of a prank war between classes. After being stolen from her home in the old biology lab in Saum Hall, she flew not once, but twice, from the electrical lines in front of Towers Hall. Photos and history credit to Otterbein University Archives. The skeleton sketches depict drawings of Mary Ann as shown in the 1904 Otterbein yearbook.
Columbus State Community College At only 30 years old, Columbus State may be a young campus, but it has a petrifying past nonetheless. The community college is built directly on top of an old Catholic graveyard, which has been disturbed by the construction of new buildings. Legend has it that the spirits buried there haunt the halls, Poltergeist-style, in revenge for their final resting place being disturbed. Make sure
you watch your step if you’re on campus late at night! Ohio Dominican University A Catholic college founded by a sisterhood of nuns, this campus has an undeniable connection to the mystical. A few ghostly nuns are said to walk the grounds to this day. One legend reports a nun who died in a fire whose mission in her afterlife is to keep watch and make sure nothing is left burning, whether that be curling irons or cigarettes. Another sister, for whom Wehrle Hall is named, is said to haunt the building where she taught. Students report disturbances in the basement of the building. The sisters from the grave are apparently displeased with the university’s decision to enroll male students at the historically all-women college, so men should beware walking around campus when it’s dark and dreary. Capital University This private university may be small, but it still has room for a ghost story of its own. Students should keep an eye out for the old biology professor who reportedly haunts the halls of the Science Building. His ghostly movements are anything but sinister, though: Students say he puts away rogue lab equipment and occasionally frees animals in the lab. History credit to Nellie Kampmann, author of A Haunted History of Columbus, Ohio.
Sarah Robinson is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
