So it’s Halloween and you’re craving that sick-to-your-stomach, hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck scary kind of feeling, right? Well, you may be interested to know that OSU is said to have it’s fair share of lurking spirits. Before you try a seance in your residence hall, let me tell you where legends say they hang out.

The Lady of Mirror LakeAccording to this tale, in the autumn of 1915, some students and faculty said they saw a distraught woman sitting on the banks of Mirror Lake. They reported seeing her in the early morning and evening, and some even described seeing her walk across the lake. Who was she? It turns out that the body of a Professor Clark was found in Mirror Lake in 1903. He had apparently taken his own life after losing a considerable amount of money in the stock market. Clark had advised several of his colleagues to buy a particular Alaska mining stock that turned out to be a bad investment. He slipped into a deep depression afterwards. His widow vowed never to leave the spot where he died. In 1915, she died and her image was seen by the lake for the first time.

The Pink Dress in PomereneIn a possibly related story published in the Lantern in 1990, a woman in a pink party dress is said to haunt Pomerene Hall. According to legend, the woman walks across room 213 to a window overlooking Mirror Lake and disappears. The article says that this room in Pomerene was once a meeting place for women where teas were held. Although no reported deaths could be found which occurred in this area, the article reported sightings of another image of a woman ice-skating on Mirror Lake. This woman is reportedly dressed in old-fashioned clothing, possibly from the same period as the pink dress. According to the 1990 article, she always skates on “cold, wintry nights” while “warming her hands with a muff.” Some think her image may explain why the woman in Pomerene always goes to the window overlooking the lake.

The Haunted ElevatorAnother article that appeared in the Lantern pointed to spirits that may inhabit an elevator in Denney Hall. Although there is a lack of evidence to support this story, as legend tells it “years ago a professor murdered a young female student in the northwest elevator of Denney Hall while it was stopped on the fifth floor.” The professor then supposedly took off, “leaving the woman to bleed to death.” As the legend continues, “now when the elevator stops on the fourth floor to go down, the dead woman’s spirit makes the elevator go back up to the fifth floor to save her before taking you down to the floors below.”

Why Oxley is no longer a residence hallOxley Hall, now home to university offices, was Ohio State’s original residence hall. Supposedly, the university stopped assigning rooms in the building because so many parents heard ghost stories that they wouldn’t let their daughters live there. Many stories have been reported over the years by people who have had peculiar experiences in Oxley. Articles published by the Lantern in the 1980s and 1990s give details of lights that switch on and off by themselves, doors that unlock themselves and eerie sounds that can be heard inside both Oxley and neighboring Mack Hall. People who have reported spooky incidents include the former night security staff of the building and Bill Wahl, former community and visitor relations manager. Explanations for these strange occurrences offer legends of a woman who died while locked in Oxley over winter break in the 1930s. Supposedly every December 17, the date of her death, her third floor light can be seen on and screams can be heard. Another tale states that three women now haunt the building, and people claim poltergeists come to Oxley Hall to steal things, such as a Christmas tree that turned up mysteriously missing in the middle of the night.

The Trustee’s Remains in Bricker HallOne story that may not be quite as creepy but is definitely true is that of a former OSU trustee buried in the walls of Bricker Hall. Herb “Hub” Atkinson graduated from Ohio State in 1913 and served as a trustee for 23 years. After his death in 1952, his wife brought his will to the board. The will included a request to have his remains buried somewhere on campus. The board chose to place his ashes in the wall near a conference room where Atkinson attended many meetings during his time at Ohio State. His ashes are located on the second floor of Bricker Hall and the location is marked with a small, inconspicuous plaque.

Though they may not be widely known, OSU ghost stories can be found with a little digging. They may simply be products of overactive imaginations, but some people swear by their truth. As with any legend, it is your choice whether or not you believe in them. The only way to make this decision is to check them out for yourself, if you dare . . . .

-Thanks to David Hothersall and the staff at the Ohio State University Archives for their help compiling these stories.