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upei.haunting
upei.haunting
This has been a while in coming, but here it is.
During my time at the University of Prince Edward Island (where? :-)), I
have heard of a number of campus hauntings. As background, our campus
used to be two campuses, St. Dunstan's University and Prince of Wales
College. The two amalgamated in the late 1960's (1968 I believe) to form
the only university in this province.
The first dates back to when the building currently in use by the Home
economics department was used as a male residence. On this particular
night, two students were in the town having a high old time. A snowstorm
began to blow up and they started back. One was slower than the other, so
he asked his friend to go on ahead an make sure the door was open because
he knew he would not make it back before curfew when the front door would
be locked. The friend went on ahead and made it just before the door was
locked, but he was banished to his room to being so late.
Later, the second roommate arrived to find the door locked and no way to
get in. He pounded on the door, but the priests woudl not let him in,
intending to teach him a lesson. An hour or so later, the first roommate,
worried for his friend, heard a knock at the dormroom door. He went up to
answer it, sure it was his roommate, but all that greeted him was cold
draft of air. He looked down to see a trail of water leading to the
staircase from his doorway. Puzzled, he returned to bed.
The next morning, the second roomate was found frozen to death outside
the front door.
Ever since that night, staff or students who are working late in the
building during a particularly blustery winter's night may find a cold
breeze blow past them and look down to see the same trail of water
leading from a particular room to the staircase.
Such is the tale of Dalton Hall
************
The next is a more uplifting storing surrounding the Cass Chemistry
building. Father Cass was a benevolent soul and a caring teacher during
the early part of the century. When he died, the building was named in
his honour as he had spent most of his life teaching chemistry to the
college's varied population.
It is said that Father Cass still roams the halls, looking after his
students, even those who were born long after his death.
One night, two chemistry students were working late on a project. Despite
the rule that noone is allowed to work alone in the building in case
something happens, one student decided to make a quick run down to the
local Burger King for something almost but not quite entirely unlike food
to tide them over through the wee early hours. The second student was
left on the top floor to look after the experiment.
Not long after the first left, the second heard a noise from downstairs.
Thinking it might be his/her partner, they went downstairs to see who was
there. Before I go any farther, you must understand that there is one
staircase inside the building, thus one way from the main level to the
top. The fire escape is accessible from the second floor and up, but has
never been used due to it's advanced state of disrepair. There would be
no way for a person to get through the building without being seen or
heard. Also consider that sound travels VERY well in this empty building
at night.
To return to the story, they went downstairs to see who it was. Not
finding anyone, nor hearing anyone in the building, they went back
upstairs. There they found the bunsen burner that had been left running
was shut off, the gas shut down both at the nozzle and the wall, and the
tube neatly rolled up. It was then that this student remembered the
stories of Father Cass putting things away that were left unattended.
*****
There is only one other historic haunting I can think of, but we refuted
it with a bit of investigation. Apparently in Main building, before it
was renovated, a certain room would be seen from the outside to have a
light on. Not so strange you say, but if you look closely you can see a
figure hanging from the ceiling. Apparently, one of the professors had
hung themself in that room. Ever since then, the room could be seen from
the outside to be lit revealing a dim figure swinging slowly on the end
of a rope from the ceiling. If you tried to find the room, you woudl find
the only door into it covered with boxes. Remove the boxes and unlock the
door and you would find an empty light socket.
As I said, we disproved this. There was another way into the room (they
forgot about my teleport spell ;-) ).
*****
The last story I will relate is a bit hard for me to believe, even though
I was there. I am a skeptic by nature. I believe there probably is more
to this world than meets the eye, psychic powers may be possible, though
I see precognition as being incredibly perceptive and being able
to deduce the future based on a paranormal knowledge of what is happening in
the world (beyond normal human perception, that is).
It has been said by the women of Bernadine hall, the campus's women's
residence, that the lounge on the fourth floor is a focus for spirits. Of
this I'm skeptical, but I have an open mind so I'll reserve my
disbelief until I see proof either way.
On one particular night we decided to try a seance using the Ouija board.
Now, I have been described as being an excellent receiver, one of the
reasons they wanted me involved. Once I was asked to try to describe a
house as a friend of mine "walked" through it in his mind. I was able to
describe the house indetail, down to the colour and style of furniture
and the geodesic dome in the back yard. I've not been able to explain it,
but I've haven't seen the place either. I'll reserve my judgement of what
I saw until then.
Back to the story. Several of us took part in this, taking turns (male
with female) on the board to see if we could find anything. Soon, we
started feeling cold, and one of the more sensitive of the group began to
take on a different personality. Now, we were all trying to be open to
spirits. I was trying my hand at automatic writing as this was happening.
The person affected was at the ouija board. He began to talk as if he
were a scared young girl. At the same time, I and another friend got this
increadibly clear vision of a room in this building, but we could feel it
was on the other side of the building on the third floor. My vision was
of looking out over a bed from a black room to an open doorway. Standing
in the doorway was a young woman wearing a kirt to just below the knee
and shoulder length hair. I the light from the hallway was shining in
behind her. I could feel fear of....the girl? Something anyway... and a
feeling that I had to get past her into the light.
At the same time, one of the women had a vision of looking onto a
dark room on the opposite side of the building at a young woman cowering
behind a bed. The feeling she received was of concern for the girl, who
looked to be terrified, but of what she didn't know.
These stories were heard by an independant witness so we would not trade
information, so I'm at aloss to explain it. Was it a vision of a person
cowering in fear, or did we simply have a psychicly linked dream? Or did
the independant witness collaberate with my friend to match her story to
mine? I guess I'll never know.
By the way, there person who because "posessed" was faking it. Orr at
least he appeared to be faking.
If you know of any other UPEI stories, I'd be happy to hear them, or any
stories relating to Eastern Canada.
Dave,
David K. MacKinnon, | Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
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