These are various 'ghost stories' or 'urban legends' I've heard of about OSU. Actually, all of these were printed in the Halloween issue of the Lantern, OSU's newspaper. It's a pretty good rag, but since it was a Halloween issue, I don't know if I'd actually fall for these stories (not that I would anyway).

Mirror Lake/Pomerene Hall

Around the 1900's an OSU professor named Dr Clark was upset about a oil mining experiment gone bad. The president and faculty told Dr Clark that everything would be fine, not to worry, etc...BANG, Dr Clark commits suicide. A student found his body in a garden that grew were Pomerene Hall is not located. His wife, angry at OSU's insensitivity, swore she would never leave the place her husband died. She died in the 1920's.

Supposedly, people have seen a lady in pink skating or floating across Mirror Lake at night. Also, there have been reports of footsteps and other noises in Pomerene hall at night when nobody else was in the building and there were doors opening up that were locked.

So, Dr Clark haunts Pomerene and Mrs Clark haunts Mirror Lake. What I don't understand is, why don't they just get together and quit bothering all of us?

Oxley Hall

Oxley Hall was the first women's dorm on campus. In 1992, International Affairs moved into the Oxley, and at first there were only 4 or 5 people in the building because it was being renovated. Those staff members heard footsteps in the hall on the third floor and saw windows open and close.

Firemen were checking the fire alarms in the building's attic, and all of the sudden the hanging ceiling lights began swaying back and forth, although the windows weren't open.

Hopkins Hall

In the 1960's, a girl who was working on an art project at night got stuck in an elevator in Hopkins Hall. The janitor didn't know she was in there, so he shut off the lights and left, leaving the girl to spend the night there. Because of this, she had a mental breakdown. Although she later graduated from OSU, she was killed in an automobile accident.

Rumor has it that sometimes the elevator in Hopkins Hall gets stuck and lights go on and off. Also, occasionally, a note is found the elevator that says, "I am still mad at OSU for what they did to me."

Bricker Hall

In the 1950's, Herbert Atkinson, a board of trustees member died, and his ashes, at his request, were placed in a wall on the second floor of Bricker Hall, where a plaque now hangs. There have been reports of the lights flashing for no reason, and at some faculty meetings, people have seen the man drinking punch.

Orton Hall

OSU's first president, Edward Orton, still haunts Orton Hall, OSU's oldest building. Before the bells were installed in the tower, Orton spent time up there reading. You can still see black streaks on the wall, remnants of the flames of his oil lamp. Supposedly, he comes back to read, and a light can be seen flickering in the window of the tower.

True or not true, still pretty interesting. I'd like to see the black streak marks in the bell tower, but I've never been up there. I've tried not to copy to much of the text word for word from Beth Davidz (Lantern staff writer)'s article, but I had to every once in a while, she's just a damn good writer :).