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psu.haunting
psu.haunting
I just thought all of you might like this. It's a listing of all the
ghosts I know/have heard about at Penn State University, University
Park Campus.
Enjoy
Dave
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The Runkle Hall Poltergeist:
This is a second hand story. Last fall, the Resident Assistant
on third floor Runkle Hall was complaining that loud banging was keeping
her up at night. This didn't seem unusual, as the buildings are heated
by steam. The only inconsistancy was that the only pipes that banged
in the building were the pipes in her room. Eventually, she got housing
to go up to her room and look at her register. They tore the register
apart, but found nothing. A short time later, she complained that
the banging had become louder. Housing again looked into it, but found
nothing. Then one night, she was startled by a loud bang. When she
awoke, her desk lamp was blinking on and off. She sat up and looked
around and noticed that her mattress and pillow were, as she described
it, breathing. I am not sure exactly what this means, but I guess they
were rising and falling, as if being inflated and disinflated with air.
Then she started hearing a voice. The voice was obviously speaking to
her. I do not know what it said (for some reason I think I remember her
saying that she could not understand it). She left the room in fear and
went to a friend's room down the hall. The friend went back to the room
and walked in, but found nothing out of sorts. The friend then convinced
her to go back to the room, only when they got there, the door, which
was previously unlocked, was now locked and there was banging.
I am not sure what happened next, but I do know that the next day,
housing went back to the room to look into the register and the electric
outlet and light (it was standard Penn State issue) and once again
found nothing wrong.
My friend (who is also an RA in Runkle) was told of what happened and
gave her some folklore advice about getting rid of a ghost. The RA tried
it and it seemed to work, as there were no more problems. However, the
RA was so overwhelmed by the experience that she asked to be and was
transferred to another RA position. The current RA in the room has reported
no problems.
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Old Coaly's Ghost:
This is the only time I have heard of an animal ghost.
Back when the University was new, a man and his family from the South
moved into the area. The man had a mule called Coaly. Coaly worked with
the University for years and years, outliving most of the original mule
team that helped build the buildings on campus. Because of this, Coaly
became a student icon. When Coaly died, it was decided to preserve the
remains as a sort of memorial. The bones of Coaly were cleaned and
displayed in Old Main Building, the center of Penn State at the time.
In the early 1900's, Old Main was gutted by fire. The area Old Coaly
was displayed in was one of the only areas spared. However, the University
did not have the money to repair Old Main, so the remains were moved to
the basement of Watts Hall, a student residence hall, and over time, were
forgotten about. Then in the 60's, the Old Coaly Society, a philantrapy here,
was formed. As a symbol to their namesake, they relocated Old Coaly's
skeleton to one of the Agricultural Buildings, where it is on display
today. Ever since they removed the bones of Old Coaly, however, the people
in Watts Hall have reported hearing noises from the storage room where the
bones were kept. Several residents have also reported seeing Old Coaly
standing in the hallway outside the storage room, only for the mule to
disappear moments later.
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The Watcher:
This is a personal story. One night I was walking alone across campus.
The area I was walking through is a wooded spot (one of the last on campus).
It was a dim night and I was starting to worry about things lurking in the
woods. So to calm myself, I started singing a chant that I know. The chant
is a protection chant that is supposed to ask an ancient Goddess to watch
you safely to your destination. When I finished the chant, I looked at the
doorway of a nearby building and saw a woman standing there. There was
a light in back of her, so I could not see many features, but she was about
5.5 to 6 feet tall and was wearing a shirt and a loose dress. I chuckled to
myself that she was the Goddess I was singing to. The only unusual thing
about her was that she was wearing a rather summery outfit on a very cold
night (nights at Penn State can get really cold). I was overwhelmed with
a sense of security, but I figured it was just that I knew if there was
someone or something around, that there was another person to aid me.
About three weeks later, I was walking through another portion of
campus late at night. I wasn't feeling scared, but I was a bit on edge.
I really don't like walking alone late at night. Just then I saw the
same woman in the same clothing standing next to a tree, watching me.
I kept my eye on her this time, although I had the same sense of
security as I did the first time I saw her. She just stood there and
watched me.
Several weeks later, I was walking through campus in the early
evening. It was just dark out and there were several path lights out
in front of me, so it seemed darker than the rest of my walk. I slowed
down and became more alert. Then I saw the same woman again, in a place
I knew no one was in before. This time I stopped and watched her. For
several minutes, we just stared at eachother. I became engrossed in
watching her, so when a squirrel made a noise behind me, I jumped. I
quickly looked back and she wasn't there.
I have seen this woman a few more times since then, always when I
am just getting a little scared of walking at night. Each time I see her,
I feel better. I do not kno who or what she is, as I never try to approach
her. I usually just nod my head at her and smile. I like to think that
she is the ancient Goddess from my chant, making sure I arrive at my
destination safely.
Dave
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