Finding the perfect study spot is essential to academic success and Seton Hill has many great spaces to consider. However, there are places on campus you might want to avoid.
The school is 100 years old, and that means it comes with it’s fair share of ghost stories. Some things you might hear in passing are simply campus lore, however many have been confirmed by the ghost investigation groups brought to Seton Hill University by Bill Black.
The following are the top five places not to study.
Admin. Fifth Floor
Did you know the administration building had six floors up until it’s major renovations in 2000? The sixth floor used to be a residence hall, but was closed for being a fire hazard.
Before Seton Hill had RA’s, they had nuns called Angels who lived on each floor. In 1897, there was Angel who loved to sit on the east side of the hall in her rocking chair on the sixth floor. Eventually she passed.
In the weeks following her death, two sisters swore they spotted her walking to her favorite rocking chair. Students studying on the fifth floor occasionally hear the creaking of the rocking chair and phantom footsteps.
If you’re looking for peace and quiet while you study, the fifth floor is not for you.
Third Floor Saint Joseph’s Hall
From the extra large elevator to the tight hallways, St. Joseph’s hall has always had an uneasy air surrounding hallways and stairs.
Before the 2000s renovation, St. Joseph’s hall used to house SHU’s nuns. As many of the nuns tended to be older, the elevator was built to accommodate their caskets when they passed.
Their bodies needed to be transferred to the chapel and the parlors after death. Having a larger elevator made transportation much easier.
If the creepy casket elevator isn’t enough to chill you to your core, go to the end of the third floor hallway. Do you get claustrophobic? Can you make it to the end of the hall without feeling like you’re burning up?
In the 1980s, the last office on the left side of the hall became a scene of a horrific tragedy. A nun was making tea before bed when she reached over the oven in her long sleeve nightgown and caught flame.
She ran out into the hall in a “ball of flame”, according to the other sisters on her floor. Seven days later, she passed away.
Recently, paranormal groups have investigated SHU with Bill Black, the campus archivist. The female investigators who can sense other worldly energy (aka sensitives), would feel very hot and claustrophobic as they’d walk toward the end of the hall. The male sensitives could sense the presence of a woman on fire.
In essence, a residual ghost is a ghost that doesn’t know that life has moved on without them. They are stuck in their own timeline and will never bother you.
Admin. 308
A308 used to be the campus infirmary. In the 1940s and 50s a doctor and nuns would work there.
Unfortunately, students have died in this room. One girl who passed in the late 1940s can still be found here. She is considered to be a residual ghost.
In essence, a residual ghost is a ghost that doesn’t know that life has moved on without them. They are stuck in their own timeline and will never bother you.
This girl appears to be in high school. She sits in the windowsill at the back of the room. She merely gazes out the window, not even paying attention the the girl falling perpetually into the courtyard.
Again, she will not bother you, but if you can’t shake the feeling of not quite being alone in A308.
Chapel
Something…or someone doesn’t like it when you’re in the chapel for anything but worship. Many residual ghosts exist in the chapel, such as a priest who is forever at the altar, but there is one infamous entity that is known to interact with students.
The rumored lady in white is not residual. She has been seen as a faceless figure praying in the pews. This seems harmless enough until she trips you when you cut through the chapel to attend class.
If the Lady in White doesn’t appreciate students cutting through the chapel, she surely won’t appreciate students using the space to study.
Admin. Fourth Floor
The fourth floor is easily the most spiritually active place at SHU. Rooms 409, 410, and 405 should be avoided if you wish to avoid encounters with the other side. Most hauntings on this floor are not residual.
409 houses the ghost of a former theology professor. This professor specifically detests male students. These students in particular should avoid studying here or proceed with extreme caution.
Students with long hair should keep away from A410, or at least the back corner of A410. This classroom used to house novices (aka nuns in training). About 20 novices would live in each room, each having a small section to themselves.
A young girl, who still hangs around, used to live in the back left corner near the windows. She has a strong fascination with long hair. Many students have felt a phantom hand brush through their hair during class.
Finally, if you plan on having a productive study session, do not go to A405. The nun in the front of the room despises technology and frequently interferes with it such as computers and monitors.
She firmly believes that students should be writing with a pen and paper and teachers should use blackboards. When students enter the room attempting to use the projector or even their own laptops, she’s very likely to shut them down.
These are just five of many ghost stories on campus. If you would like to learn more, be sure to check out the Homecoming ghost tours, Club Conspiracy’s ghost tours held every semester, or stop by the archives and chat with Bill Black.
Study safe, Setonians.
Published by Caitlin Srager