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Spooky sites in Lawrence
Haskell Indian Nations University:
Former Sigma Nu house,
Haskell's campus is said to include a few haunted locations, like the auditorium, where some say a spirit can be seen watching the stage, or The Bell Tower, from where some say they feel as though someone is watching them while walking past. At the small cemetery south of Taminend Hall, one can allegedly hear sick children crying.
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1501 Sigma Nu Place:
Legend has it that "Virginia," a mistress of a former governor, lived there and either committed suicide in the house or was killed.
Her spirit purportedly has been sighted by former fraternity members and a previous housemother.
Lawrence Community Theatre,
1501 New Hampshire St.: Formerly a church, some claim the theatre has a mysterious presence causing lights to malfunction and set pieces to move seemingly on its own.
Source: www.theshadowlands.net/places
It's late at night. Annie Werner, Topeka freshman, is sitting in a fourthfloor dorm room in Corbin Hall with her friend, enjoying a quiet night at home. Suddenly, the door mysteriously slams shut. Werner investigates, only to find an empty hallway. During the night, the door rapidly closes four different times with no apparent cause. With each slamming of the door, she and her friend's hearts race a little faster and fears begin to mount. They hope it is just a draft but begin wondering if maybe the cause is something paranormal.
For Werner, these sorts of incidents occur often on Corbin's fourth floor. While the idea of a hall "ghost" may simply be a joke, the town of Lawrence is home to many urban legends regarding mysterious events. From the Eldridge Hotel to Haskell Indian Nations University, it's undeniable that Lawrence residents love to pass on stories of ghosts and strange happenings.
Room 506, please
The Eidridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts, was constructed on a foundation much older than the current building. The first structure, the Free State Hotel, was erected in 1855. Within 10 years, pro-slavery forces had twice burnt down the building, including once during Quantrill's famous raid of Lawrence, which resulted in the death of more than 140 men.
With this dark past, it's no surprise that the hotel now boasts a reputation of being haunted, complete with mysterious door movements, peculiar music and ghostly apparitions.
Ryan Kehr, rooms division manager at the hotel, says the legend of the haunting has drawn ghost hunters to the hotel for years. Tales center on the fifth floor, a spot where the elevator doors often used to open sporadically. Room 506 is of particular interest. He says the cornerstone in this room was part of the original building burned down during Quantrill's raid and is a possible explanation for the strange activity. He says housekeepers would often complain about hearing old-time music with no apparent source and lights turning on and off.
Thomas Morefield, St. Louis graduate student and former employee of The Eldridge, says he had some weird encounters during his employment, including a guest fireplace switching on by itself. Morefield says these events could probably be explained rationally, but still admits that it's kind of creepy.
The hotel does have evidence of its paranormal guest. It keeps a photo behind the front desk taken in 1990 of a ghostly figure in the elevator after the doors inexplicably opened on the first floor.
Phantom of Rhode Island street The McAllister House, 724 Rhode Island St., is supposedly another one of Lawrence's haunted locations. Tony Peterson owns the more than 145-year-old house and says the haunting is very real and very spooky.
Jayplay 10.06.05
Peterson says he began researching the history of his house and discovered that an elderly woman died from smoke inhalation during a fire in the 1960s. He invited Gil Bavel, a local paranormal investigator, to examine his haunting. Bavel discovered nothing unusual during his investigation besides the strange smell of smoke. He planned to write about the house in his upcoming book, Kansas Ghosts.
Put away your Ouija board
If you suspect a haunting, Becky Ray, a paranormal activity investigator, recommends researching as much as possible. She says to first begin learning the story or legend behind the haunting and then trying to discover its historic merit. Stories of ghosts often turn out to be urban legends, she says, so this aspect of the research is very important.
Peterson first noticed a paranormal presence months after he bought the house in 1993 when he says he heard soft footsteps pacing back and forth in the front bedroom. Upon investigation, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Similar events continued over the years, he says, like crashing noises upstairs and the sighting of an old woman in his peripheral vision.
If you find that the story has basis in reality, she says many ways exist to contact the spiritual world. And, no, conducting a séance with an Ouija board doesn't qualify as research. Ray says electronic voice phenomena (EVP) is one popular way to investigate. This includes using any kind of voice recorder with a microphone and trying to capture voices as you address the ghost. She also says video recorders and cameras could be useful as well.
Don't freak out, but...
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While this may or may not be an explanation for the bizarre occurrences in the hall, I think I'll be steering clear of that area, at least during the nighttime hours.
I used Ray's advice and did some of my own research on the Corbin "ghost". Surprisingly, the fourth floor has a dark history. According to a Lawrence Journal-World article, a Dallas freshman died after falling from a fourth floor window in Corbin in 1994.
In the end, whether the stories are fact or just made up to explain away weird events, strange things beyond comprehension have been said to occur. As Morefield, the Eldridge hotel employee, says "All I know is that those things happen and I can't explain why."
Above all, she emphasizes that there is no set way to investigate ghosts. She says you should experiment with different media until you find one that works for you.