Once again, it's Halloween. It's the time when haunting stories are the 'in' thing and dressing up to go trick-or-treating is a child's wish.
For those seeking a haunting experience, there is always the Haunted Mansion ride at Walt Disney World in Florida, but if that is too far off the beaten path, there is always Mynders Residence Hall.
"I've heard many rumors of a girl's spirit going up and down the halls telling people to get out," said Mynders Hall resident Tasha Douglas, sophomore biology major. "Also they've said that the mirrors are in the closets because she doesn't like them."
Even though Douglas has heard the rumors, she doesn't believe them.
"Sometimes I've heard a clanking in my pipes, but I assume its because they are old pipes," she said. "I don't believe the rumors because I know it's not true."
Mynders Hall was built in 1912 and was one of the first buildings on campus. Some say that the hall was named for Elizabeth Mynders, the daughter of the first University president Seymour Mynders. It is also said that Mynders built the building in memory of Elizabeth who died shortly after she turned 21, and that is why the building is in the shape of an "E."
According to The U of M residence life Web site, Mynders "has a history of ghostly encounters." It also says that the spirit is friendly and protective of the women there.
Ashley Johnston, another Mynders resident, doesn't believe the rumors either.
"I don't believe them because I haven't seen anything yet," the junior English major said. "It's a cute little story, but it's not real.
"But the picture of her in the (Mynders) living room is pretty creepy."
But Mynders Hall is not the only place on campus that is supposedly haunted. According to the Shadowlands Haunted Places index, both The University Center and old Brister Library are haunted as well.
In The UC, one of the elevators has a presence riding it. It is believe that a construction worker fell from the third floor during its construction. Normally the elevator is at rest on the second or third floor, but at night, it rests on the first or fourth floor.
Supposedly, a young woman was raped and murdered in the old Brister Library. The Shadowlands Web site states that campus police have responded to screams of "help me" coming from the building, but have never found anything.
Even though these hauntings are well-known around The University, they are not the most infamous hauntings in Tennessee. That title belongs to the Bell Witch of Adams, TN.
According to legend, the Bell Witch haunted and tormented the Bell family until 1828 when it vowed to return 107 years later. The Bell Witch Web site states "some believe that when the 'spirit' returned in 1935, it took residence in Adams, TN, once part of the Bell farm."
Although there are those who do not believe in ghosts, there are those who do.
"Sure I believe in them," said Collin Miller, junior early childhood education major. "I guess anything's possible."
