The origins of local folklore, particularly those involving college campuses, are often shielded from public knowledge. The initial sources of folklore have the potential to imitate, telling characteristics about the culture that produced the fruit of these cultural seeds. Aside from the origins, the lore itself still has an immense impact on the communities that perpetuate it.
Guilford College
For decades, the stories of Dana Auditorium have circulated throughout Guilford College and the surrounding area. Students know the lore well, each personal rendition adding a detail here and there– for reference, check out this Guilfordian article (Gilliams, 2008). Or this one (Guilfordian, 2017). Or this one (Haarmann and Washington, 2006). Or this one (Setzer, 2014). Or this one (Gooch, 2013). Or this one (Gaskin, 2012). Or this one (Devinsky, 2011). There’s many more– every year, or every season, features some version of the Guilford-beloved tale: there’s a ghost, it’s a soldier, spooky things are happening. However convoluted, together the stories paint a comprehensive portrait of the spirits reportedly inhabiting the campus.
According to extra-local legend, Dana Auditorium was built on the site of a Revolutionary War field hospital, tending to the locally-infamous Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Lucas, Dana’s most reported and talked-about ghost, is said to have perished during said battle, and is stuck wandering the halls of the auditorium to this day.
Over the years the story has been distorted a few times; in one previously linked Guilfordian article, Lucas is cited as a fallen soldier of the Civil War (Haarmann and Washington, 2006), while a few years later, an article by the same publication cites his death as linked to the Revolutionary War (Gaskin, 2012).
Lucas likes music. Late at night, music students, particularly those of piano, frequently turn from their craft to see a folding chair open behind them, in the previously empty room, an eerie audience of one. Sophie McDowell ’20 echoes this: “Especially when I played [piano] alone at night, it felt like other people were there….There were times when I would play and then have the strongest sense that someone was outside the practice room.”
Other times, Lucas himself plays the instrument; late at night (2 AM is when the spirits are most active), students hear his music echoing from the Moon Room, and hear it cease as they enter to investigate (Calloway and FitzSimmons, 1990).
Lucas isn’t alone. The Guilford ghost stories also prominently feature a nameless little girl, commonly described with black hair and a white dress. Her stories tend to stray on the more malicious side; she reportedly has scratched Public Safety Officers, become visible and stared down the occasional spectator (TheresaHPIR, 2013), and in 1973 supposedly dropped a chandelier (Haunted Places, 2016).
The little girl, or at least her general description, isn’t confined to Dana Auditorium. Students also frequently mention the apparition of little girls, similarly clad, in Mary Hobbs Hall. There, the ghost is accredited to the 1976 fire that engulfed the entirety of the third floor. A rather pathetic rumor claims that the namesake of the dormitory died in the fire at a young age, and that the ghost is indeed Mary Hobbs. The beloved benefactor passed away at 78 due to bronchial pneumonia, years after playing a major role in the hall’s creation (Hardiman and Janisch, 2006).
Nevertheless, various details beg for the stories to be true: the third floor, to this day, remains locked away, inhabited only by a lone unnerving bathtub and various burn marks on the floor and ceiling. There was also a similarly catastrophic fire in 2014, caused by a renovation complication, and an (unconfirmed) fire in 1911(King and Jones, 2014).
The Guilford woods also have their fair share of ghost folklore associated with them. These stories, less detailed, revolve around mere sentiment; spirit sightings and definitive events are far less reported. Rumors generally attribute these spirits, or the feeling of their presence, to the Underground Railroad, or the general spookiness bound to be found in any forest.
UNCG
Similar to Guilford College, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro has a rich history of spirit activity, and many different people have written articles about experiences that they have had. One of these articles gives an overview of all of the buildings and why these different interactions have happened (Trojanowski, 2012). This article goes more into depth about the Aycock and Mary Foust spirits specifically (Moran, 2008). Whereas another article goes more into depth about a specific experience that was had with Mary Foust Armstrong (McQueen,2014). These stories, among others, help to paint a more complete picture of experiences that are had at UNCG.
Three buildings have the most reported activity: Spencer Residence Hall, Mary Foust Residence Hall, and Aycock Auditorium. The Spencer Residence Hall was built in 1907, and is known to have a spirit named Annabelle living there (Trojanowski, 2012). Although she is a more reserved spirit with a reportedly calming presence, she’s still known to have flung things across rooms.
UNCG lore cites that Mary Foust Residence Hall is home to the spirit of Mary Foust Armstrong, who passed away a few days after childbirth due to complications (Trojanowski, 2012). The most frequently reported student interaction with her is mainly noises and sentiment; reports of her sightings are much less common. Although she was one of the most prominent spirits on UNCG campus, it proved somewhat difficult to find information on her. Throughout history, her presence, as a woman, has been drastically overshadowed by the men in her life– her father, brother, and husband. In researching Guilford spirits, a relevant quote came to light: “It has been an unjust fashion and a mistake to drop from genealogical works in a large measure the female lines. The daughters are members of the family as much as the sons are; the names they adopt by marriage are mere accidents, depriving them of no rights of relationship,” (Guy Scoby Rix, 1908).
Lastly, the Aycock Auditorium, later renamed the Tate Street Auditorium, is known to have the most infamous spirit, Jane Aycock (Brown, 2016). Although there once was lots of activity in the Aycock building it has resided to much smaller events as Jane has supposedly become more settled.
How to Safely Interact with Spirits– Spirits Are People Too!
Both UNCG and Guilford College have vast histories of spirit activity– Guilford, stemming from the Revolutionary War, and UNCG from founders and early alumni. Both schools’ reported spirits involve notable individuals to their campus culture– Guilford’s Lucas is reportedly Quaker, (see “Guilford College” page), the little girl is often attributed to Mary Hobbs, and UNCG’s various spirits all relate to people whose presence was essential in the school’s founding. Furthermore, both campuses’ spirits are supposedly there to help, from the Quaker guidance provided by Lucas, to the supposed color symbolism of “The Woman in Blue,” (see “UNCG” page). That being said, the fear that arises in the prospect of their literal existence could be a result of mere adolescent thrill; Elizabeth Tucker, in her article on the Bloody Mary myth, claims that, “College students delight in pushing back the boundaries of what is known, suspending disbelief while learning something new,” (Tucker, 2005). When observed rationally, with the insight of sources acknowledging the objective physical and literal existence of spirits, the vast majority aren’t out to get you: spirits can and often will communicate amicably.
With the assumption that accepts and acknowledges the existence of spirits, there are a few guidelines to be followed when interacting with them. As a disclaimer, our list of advice generally refers to avoiding the attraction of negative spirits, or negative attraction from positive spirits. That being said, be sure to:
Refer to them as spirits, not ghosts
Many spirits can be easily offended. If you offend a spirit, they’re more likely to bother you. One piece in respecting them is to avoid associating them with the inherently negative term “ghost.”
Be respectful of the space you are entering
A spirit’s space is a spirit’s home! Don’t be disrespectful of their space, and try your best to bring a positive, welcoming mindset to their presence.
Acknowledge them when entering their space
Another key to respecting spirits is saying hello! If you are aware of them, they are of you, and it’s best to greet them– acknowledge their presence as you would a living person. Furthermore, call them by their name if you know it!
Avoid places where you don’t feel welcome
Although many spirits are open to building a relationship, some aren’t! These spirits can potentially bother you, follow you, and have a generally negative effect on you. If you get the sense that a space that you enter is fostering a negative spirit, try to avoid it! You can also attempt to communicate to try discern whether you’re welcome or not. But listen to them– if you’re not welcome, continue at your own risk!
Calloway, Burt, and Jennifer FitzSimons. Triad Hauntings. Winston-Salem, NC: Bandit Books, 1990.
Carolinianweb. “Ghosts of UNCG, Upclose and Personal.” THE CAROLINIAN. November 09, 2014. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://carolinianuncg.com/2014/11/09/ghosts-of-uncg-upclose-and-personal/.
“Dana Auditorium: Haunted or Simply Spooky?” Guilford College. October 26, 2017. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilford.edu/news/2017/10/dana-auditorium-haunted-or-simply-spooky.
Devinsky, Laura. “Life before Guilford: Lucas the Ghost.” The Guilfordian. March 30, 2011. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/archives/2011/03/31/life-before-guilford-lucas-the-ghost/.
Gaskin, Daniel. “If You See Ghosts throughout Campus, Who You Gonna Call?” The Guilfordian. November 2, 2012. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/features/2012/11/02/if-you-see-ghosts-throughout-campus-who-you-gonna-call/.
Gilliams, Kylie. “Guilford Ghost Hunters Investigate Dana.” The Guilfordian. November 6, 2008. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/archives/2008/11/07/guilford-ghost-hunters-investigate-dana/.
Gooch, Ty. “Ghosts Could Be Cause of Mysterious Bruises.” The Guilfordian. November 8, 2013. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/features/2013/11/08/ghosts-could-be-cause-of-mysterious-bruises/.
“Guilford College.” Haunted Places. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/guilford-college/.
Haarmann, Landry, and Caryn Washington. “The Ghosts of Dana Auditorium.” The Guilfordian. November 2, 2006. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/archives/2006/11/03/the-ghosts-of-dana-auditorium/.
Hardiman, Ashley, and Juliana Janisch. “Mary Hobbs Hall’s Third Floor Remembered.” The Guilfordian. September 17, 2006. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/archives/2006/09/18/mary-hobbs-halls-third-floor-remembered/.
King, Aubrey, and Matthew Jones. “Fire in Mary Hobbs Draws Attention across Campus.” The Guilfordian. September 26, 2014. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/news/2014/09/26/fire-in-mary-hobbs-draws-attention-across-campus/.
Moran, Caitlin. “We Got Spirits, Yes We Do.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. October 31, 2008. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.chronicle.com/article/We-Got-Spirits-Yes-We-Do/3243.
Setzer, Reese. “The Haunting of Dana Auditorium.” The Guilfordian. October 31, 2014. Accessed December 06, 2018. https://www.guilfordian.com/features/2014/10/31/the-haunting-of-dana-auditorium/.
Stoesen, Alexander R. Guilford College: On the Strength of 150 Years. Greensboro, N.C. (5800 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro 27410): Board of Trustees, Guilford College, 1987.
“The Lake at Guilford College.” Digital image. Wikipedia. March 21, 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_at_Guilford_College.jpg.
TheresaHPIR. “Theresa’s Haunted History of the Tri-State.” Weird Art: Saint Wolfgang and the Devil. January 20, 2013. Accessed December 06, 2018. http://theresashauntedhistoryofthetri-state.blogspot.com/2013/01/ncs-dana-auditorium-has-ghostor-two.html.
Trojanowski, Hermann. “The Ghosts of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.” Spartan Stories. October 29, 2012. Accessed December 06, 2018. http://uncghistory.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-ghosts-of-university-of-north_29.html.
Tucker, Elizabeth. “Ghosts in Mirrors: Reflections of the Self.” Journal of American Folklore 118, no. 468 (2005): 186-203. doi:10.1353/jaf.2005.0028.
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