By Madison Bonner, Writer
Photography by Madison Bonner
On Monday, October 30th, McKendree celebrated Halloween with two events: a Haunted Campus Tour and Trick-or-Treat! Despite the freezing weather, they had great turnouts. Students braved the cold to dress up – and dress warm – for both events.
The first event, McKendree’s Haunted Campus Tour, was hosted by McKendree’s History Club. This year marks its second annual occurrence. On this tour, students learned about McKendree’s past and its suspected hauntings. As the oldest college in Illinois, there is an abundance of spooky stories and fun facts to explore!
President Isabella (Bella) Barbaglia led the tour with Alexandria (Alex) Terveer and history professor Dr. Shelly Lemons.
The campus tour began in front of New Residence Halls East and West, which are positioned across the street from a cemetery.
Shadowy figures and apparitions have been spotted at this graveyard from New Res.
According to rumors, a little girl in a white dress has been seen running around and playing in the hallways of Baker. She poses no threat to students, though. As Bella says, “She is more afraid of us than we are of her.”
Traditional hall residents have reported experiencing nightmares and waking up covered in scratches and bruises. Older dorms also have unexplained plumbing issues and water damage. The pipes have been inspected, but no issues were ever found.
Holman Library was built in the 1960s. There are various rumors of paranormal activities surrounding this building. For example, the toilets randomly flush on their own, especially when the lights turn off.
A librarian who used to work here was alone in the basement shelving books one night when books kept falling off the shelves … almost as if they were being pushed. After a series of similar situations, that librarian eventually quit.
Did you know that McKendree used to have a lake? It was named Lake Beautiful, and it was a popular area for students to socialize and have picnics. Marion Piper Academic Center (PAC) was built over this lake. When Lake Beautiful was still at McKendree, a celebration called May Day was held. During this event, students would crown a May Queen who would then canoe across Lake Beautiful. It is rumored that one of these May Queens drowned. Muddy handprints have reportedly appeared on mirrors and windows in PAC, and muddy footprints have been seen trailing through the halls. Before it was drained, a former student often swam at Lake Beautiful. She eventually stopped because she would feel things grabbing her ankles and pulling her down.
The next stop on campus was Voigt Science Hall. This building was built in 1965, during the Cold War. It can also double as a bomb shelter!
Once the tour moved inside, Bella told a story about a former science professor at Voigt. While working at McKendree, he began experiencing paranoia and hallucinations. This eventually led to him no longer being able to teach. Despite being let go, he would often return and try to teach his old students. Due to his work with chemicals, he later passed away.
After visiting Voigt, the History Club paused to tell the group fun facts about campus that are not necessarily spooky – but they are interesting!
Did you know that McKendree’s mascot was originally a bear, not a bearcat? What’s more, there used to be a bear on campus! In the 1920s, Susie the bear cub lived in a cage near Voigt. Each year, a student worker was chosen to take care of her. She would attend sporting events, walk around campus, and even visit classrooms. Once Susie grew too big, the cub would be retired, and a new “Susie” would be brought in.
Next on the tour, Dr. Lemons described the history of Carnegie Hall. Clark and Carnegie were both previously used as dormitories, rather than offices and classrooms. Can you imagine walking up all those stairs just to get to your dorm room?
The tour guides then told many stories from when Carnegie Hall was still a male dorm. On the third floor, one student hung himself. There have since been multiple instances of unusual activity in the building. Faculty have often heard doors slamming when they thought they were alone.
When another student was locked out of his dorm room, he decided to break in instead – but not through the door. He left through the window of the second-story bathroom and climbed across the exterior wall of the building to his dorm room window (note: do not try this at home).
Another incident at Carnegie occurred when a student’s Volkswagen crashed through the lobby at night.
After learning about Carnegie’s history aboveground, the tour then explored the basement of Carnegie. Underground tunnel systems connect many of the older buildings on campus. These tunnels have low ceilings with unfinished structures and exposed wood beams. The walkways are slim, with bare flooring and dim lighting. There are also storage and crawl spaces to the side of the walkway.
Next to Carnegie is 1828 Cafe, which used to be the dining hall at McKendree. It hosted formal dinners for the upperclassmen, whom the freshmen would serve.
The breezeway between Carnegie and 1828 used to be enclosed with windows. These windows would occasionally fall, sometimes even slamming someone’s hand inside. Remember how freshmen were servers at the old dining hall? Screams and loud noises have often been heard in the breezeway, even long after the windows and walls were removed. It is believed that these are the screams of freshmen getting their hands trapped in the windows as they leave the dining hall.
McKendree’s art building, Benson Wood, used to be McKendree’s library. When students are alone inside, doors can sometimes be heard slamming downstairs. Last year, Alex was working on an art project late after class. When she was nowhere near it, she suddenly saw a pottery wheel spinning on its own.
As its name suggests, Old Main is the oldest building on McKendree’s campus! It also has its unique history. During the Civil War, Old Main used to serve as a makeshift hospital for the citizens of Lebanon. It once served as a Tuberculosis ward as well. Though not many unusual or paranormal activities have been reported there, it could explain some other odd occurrences around campus. …
Have you ever seen a pile of leaves in front of Old Main? This ivy mound marks a burial spot on campus. The remains of an indigenous man were once found by local children and donated to the campus. His bones used to be stored in the museum and the basement of Voigt. Though no one knows which tribe the man originated from, he was eventually given a proper burial and ceremony by a Comanche Native American.
The last stop of the tour was outside Bothwell Chapel. The chapel’s bell tower was once struck by lightning, killing a man. Shadowy figures have been seen in its windows, and a crow perched on top of the steeple. Rev Bev has plenty of her own ghostly stories to tell!
Did you know that McKendree had its regiment fighting for the North in the Civil War? Just in front of the chapel is a memorial for the 117th Regiment. Trees have been planted there in honor of faculty and members of the 117th Regiment who passed. Gunshots have also been heard during graduation ceremonies. They are believed to be a sign of celebration for the new McKendree graduates. One graduate of McKendree who has since become a paranormal investigator confirmed that ghostly figures appear on the lawn at night.
At least three ghosts are suspected to haunt the Alumni House. After his wife’s death, one man was confirmed to have committed suicide in the building. Soon after, more deaths followed. The Alumni House’s back office used to be a nursery. In this room, a baby was rumored to have died due to pneumonia. To this day, that room is the coldest part of the building.
According to the tour, people often get stuck in the bathroom. When they try to leave, the door gets stuck. Those who have experienced this felt as though someone was pushing on the door so they could not escape. Locksmiths have checked the locks, but no issue has been discovered.
The haunted tour is just one of the events the History Club does. If you are interested in joining the History Club, please contact Isabella Barbaglia through her school email.
The second event of the evening was Trick-or-Treat, held at the circle drive. This event was organized by the members of SGA, who invited other campus organizations to have their own tables. Each group decorated their table and provided candy for all students who attended. Those students could then vote for the best-decorated station. In the end, votes were tallied, and the winning table was chosen.
This was SGA’s table for Trick or Treat. As the organization in charge of the event, SGA set up all the tables that other groups decorated before decorating their own. SGA came prepared with plenty of candy and decor, including bats, flower vases, lights, tassels, and pumpkins.
With its multi-colored tablecloths and M&M plates as decor, this table was pretty sweet – and elite! ELITE Sisterhood is McKendree’s chapter of NACWC Inc., a national organization for women of color. ELITE stands for Exceptional Ladies Impacting & Transforming with Elegance.
McKendree’s Green Team decorated their station with flower vases, miniature pumpkins, and sparkly leaves – perfect for fall!
Pictured above is the spooky table that Kappa Sigma Tau (KΣT) set up! KET is a local sorority at McKendree, founded in 1992. Their decorations included a black tablecloth, jack-o-lantern lights, ghost string lights, and a cauldron with candy inside.
This booth was provided by McKendree Radio. They offered two options to students – a “Trick” or a “Treat.” A Treat was a piece of candy. A Trick, however, was a random assortment of prizes, ranging from pens to jump ropes found in the radio room’s storage. Elana Melzer and Emma Cramer, who were manning the station, even dressed up as pirates to match their theme!
The last station was Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society, represented by Sonia Halabi and Becca Sinnatamby. They decorated their table with balloons, painted pumpkins, and lights!
After the votes were counted, Kappa Sigma Tau was announced as the winner of the table decorating contest. Congratulations, KΣT! The sorority received a $15 Dairy Queen gift card as a prize.
SGA provided plenty of games and entertainment to keep students active and engaged while they were trick-or-treating. An extra table held board games and card games such as Would You Rather? and Uno. Next to this table, students played rounds of cornhole.
Thank you to all the organizations involved in McKendree’s Halloween activities, as well as those who showed up and supported the events! We hope you enjoyed this year’s festivities and will continue to participate in future activities around campus.
