On Twitter yesterday, my alma mater – The University Of North Alabama – put a call out to people who had experienced ghosts on their campus. With several old buildings with several old stories, the ghost tales abound on that campus. I briefly mentioned my experience and then was asked if I had ever blogged about it…No! I have NOT! I love to tell the story in person but I think it looses a little in writing, so I haven’t blogged it…UNTIL NOW.
While I was working on my second Bachelor’s degree in Professional Geography (Basically Computers + Maps) I worked for the department which was located on the first floor of Wesleyan Hall. They had a computer lab that I helped out in, but I also helped out with teacher’s workshops and events related to local students and Geography Awareness Week. Sometimes any one of these responsibilities would have me in the build late at night, periodically even all night.
Of course, I was a Mom during this time too, so E would spend those late night either watch TV or sleeping on the couches in the computer lab. Often, because we had students in that building late, the public safety officers would use downtime to use any of the open classrooms to do their own homework or studying. This was nice because it made me feel safer in an old building that was constantly making weird noises.
Wesleyan Hall was represented a huge shift in my life. I met Donnie there. I discovered my career path there. I found a lot of confidence in that building and I love it dearly. We actually named Wesley after that building. I actually wanted to name him Zebulon – who was the architect of the building – but Donnie opted for Wesley instead. So…even with it’s scary noises? I loved it enough to name my child after it.
However, there was ONE night where I could have been convinced to never step food in there again.
I was working late, alone, and E was asleep on the couch. I was hanging up displays/projects in the hallway for an event with the local schools. I kept hearing sounds in the classroom at the end of the hall but I didn’t investigate because A) The building was built in 1855 – it made noises constantly and B) It was probably a public safety officer studying.
But then, instead of random shuffling or creaking, I heard chalk on a chalk board. Now, if you know that sound? It’s a very distinct sound. There’s not really any way to mix it up with something else. At that point I knew it was a public safety officer and decided to just pop my head in to say, “Hi!” like I usually did. As I walked down the hall I heard the chalk writing sounds and wondered, What is he doing? Is he teaching himself? That’s weird. I got to the classroom…still hearing the noises…and peaked my head in the door with a soft “Hello!” hoping not to scare him.
NOTHING. Not one dame person was in that room. I heard those chalk sounds coming from that room the entire walk down the hall and even up until the milisecond when I looked in. Then? The noises stopped. NOTHING. NO ONE. NADA.
I threw all of my bulletin board supplies in the computer lab, threw a sleeping E over my shoulder, and got the Hell out of dodge. I have never left a building so fast in my entire life. I was terrified.
Once I got home and I realized, DUDE. I think you just had your first ghost experience… I considered the fact that any ghost using a chalkboard was probably not up to anything nefarious. I worked in that building late nights for months later and – while I never heard any late-night chalkboarding again – I constantly talked to my mysterious studious ghost when I was there alone. “Um…Hello ghost! Please don’t scare us tonight, I have a big project I have to finish! Thank you!” I also never investigated any noises ever again. If it sounded normal and human? I just ignored it until that normal human came to ME. I didn’t need any more panicked exits with a Kindergartener over my shoulder in the middle of the night.
I was only at una for one year( 93-94). I took German and I think, ROTC?, in that building. I remember walking past the geography room with the giant maps, but I don’t remember any ghosts. Maybe it was psychology, not ROTC. But definitely German.
This comment has no point.
German and Psychology were both in the part of the building where I worked, the offices were upstairs but sometimes they used the downstairs classroooms! And ROTC was in the connected building! The “Wesleyan Annex” – so you’re right on all accounts!
i used to work in a bar that was in a very very old building on the university of michigan’s campus, and there were widely known stories of a specific ghost (by the name of julius) who, like, lived there. or non-lived there. obviously, in a bar, you will often be around in the middle of the night. and as the bartender, i would often have to venture into the basement alone at 3 in the morning to get to the coolers and restock beer and such. i NEVER descended those stairs without saying “julius? i know you’re very nice, but i scare easily so please stay away while i’m down here.” once, he showed himself when i was safely upstairs, in the broad light of day. i think it was his way of saying: look, i’m here, but you’re safe and i won’t freak you out in the middle of the night. he freaked some other people out in the middle of the night, but never me. ghosts: they can be reasoned with. who knew?
My husband and I first house was a condo, it shared one wall with the neighbor,. My daughter was 2 at the time will yell out Daddy from time to time, when I told her it was too early for Daddy to come, she told me she heard footsteps on the stairs. I would tell her it was probably neighbor’s kids going up and down the stairs. Later on we changed carpet to wood floor throughout the house, including the stairs, and I started hearing footsteps too, by then the neighbors have moved out and next door was empty for about 3 months, so obviously it wasn’t the neighbor. I would also find things missing, but small things like the book I was reading, but reappearing on the floor next to my bed several weeks later. I would not have missed it if the book was there to begin with. From time to time our dog would bark at the empty space in house, when that happened I actually said hi whoever you are. There was never any craziness or harm done to us, so we lived with it for 3 yrs.
So glad you shared your story! What an absolutely creepy experience! I can totally understand your running out of there so fast. And also the realization he/she was probably not up to no good. I know someone who is going to school there now – I will have to see what she’s heard or maybe even experienced herself.
I love the story of how your son was named, that’s really sweet! 🙂