The legit most haunted buildings on campus

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Campus.

I am your host, your… ghost host.

There’s no turning back now – unless you have a midterm, then you go ahead.

As halloweekend approached, I took it upon myself to do some serious sleuthing and discover which buildings on campus might still host ghoulish entities from way back when.

There have been several ghost sightings on the Hill and we could probably attribute that to the fact that, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, people would bury their dead in their backyards rather than a cemetery.

That’s right, you heard me, and you’ve probably seen it yourself – creepy headstones sitting in the shadows of some of the most prominent mansions on College Hill.

Machado 

Originally built for the family of Ellen Dexter Sharpe in 1912, the house was acquired by  RISD after Sharpe’s death in 1953. Brown got its hands on the house two years later and made it an all-female dorm. An extension (New House) was added in 1975 to house more students in the building. In 1989, the house’s name was officially changed to Antonio Machado House, in honor of the Spanish poet.

A bust of Machado that was once in the Ann Mary Brown memorial now sits comfortably on the front entrance driveway, which just adds to the eeriness. Whispers in the dark and mysterious screams coming from the hallways have been rumored to be heard here, in addition to supernatural forces that seem to inhabit Old House rooms.

Machado House

Antonio Machado Bust

Ann Mary Brown Memorial

Rush Hawkins, devastated by the death of his wife Ann Mary Brown (who was also the granddaughter of Nicholas Brown) built this mausoleum for her to rest in peace, conveniently located next to The Ratty and Health Services.

However, he was also buried here, and now both of their bodies are entombed at the end of the memorial. As you can probably guess, this is definitely haunted because, after all, it’s a TOMB. We literally have a tomb on campus with skeletons underneath the stone floors!

Ann Mary Brown Memorial

Rush Hawkins (left) and Ann Mary Brown (right) tombs

University Hall

You’ve seen it before, this marvelous old brick building that lines the Main Green. Home to the President’s Office, administrative offices, and even some dorms at one point, it is the first and oldest building on campus (erected in 1770.) Its history was quite changed when, only six years later, it was converted into a war hospital for French soldiers and a barracks for American troops during the Revolutionary War.

Naturally, this building has seen more deaths and lethal wounds than you could ever imagine. According to Providence Ghost Tours,  the contorted face of a wounded soldier has been seen staring out a second-story window.

University Hall

As it turns out, we have 999 happy haunts on College Hill, but there’s room for 1,000. Any volunteers?