Our Friendly Campus Ghosts By: Kathryn Drey Staff Writer
Let's start off with our beloved main campus, which according to www.exemplore.com, “…was originally home to Franciscan nuns as an infirmary for the sick and poor.” During the influenza outbreak, there was an influx of deaths that occurred in the building. Flash forward to present day, and visitors and students alike have reported seeing a nun pacing in the halls. Student Security Officer, Ryan Ramsden, shared that, “People think that they have seen a nun in the Church Chapel, or just in the halls of Motherhouse. She would appear around the corner and would just be gone.” Others have reported feeling chills late at night near the Chapel and hearing footsteps, moans and whispers throughout the night. Next up is the Rialto, which has a few stories of its own. People say that there is a little boy that haunts the basement and the staff of the Rialto have noticed a woman wandering the premises after hours. The most prominent story is
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that of the couple in the balcony. According to www. legendsofamerica.com, “…the pair fell to their deaths from the balcony, and like others who have died in tragic accidents, they just won’t move on.” No one truly knows why the lovers took their lives, but their spirits have yet to move on from this world and continue to haunt the theater. The last stop on our ghost tour is the St. Clare campus. The ghost story here revolves around when St. Clare was an orphanage. In short, the story was that a little boy jumped off the building and his spirit has resided within it to this day. St. Clare security guard, Diana Plisic, stated that “I walk through here alone at night locking up, and out of the corner of my eye I will see something moving. Sometimes on night patrol, the motion sensors in classrooms will be triggered even when no one is there.” Diana also described hearing laughing and other noises, but not seeing anyone around if she went to check. On a positive note, she believes that there aren’t any bad spirits, only good ones in her eyes. From the main campus to the Rialto to St. Clare, USF has aged over time, so it only makes sense to have a few ghost stories to accompany it. Keep an eye out as you wander around campus, you may just encounter one or more of these ghosts.
Photos courtesy of stfrancis.edu
Have you ever heard a ghost story that chilled you to the bone? Maybe it was one told around a campfire or one that revolved around the old cemetery by your house. But did you ever think you went to school with these spirits? You heard right. The University of St. Francis (USF) is a dwelling fit for the paranormal and we are going to dig into it.
