With its close proximity to the site of a historic Civil War battle and dorms that are decades old, one would naturally expect UT to have a few spirits here and there. According to the Online Schools Center, UT’s campus is the 30th most haunted college campus in America. Keep your eyes and ears tuned for ghoulish figures in the following locations around campus.
Strong Hall
Nowadays, Strong Hall is a high-tech academic building catered to anthropology and the sciences. However, barely over a decade ago, Strong Hall was a women’s dormitory, and the women who lived there reported numerous incidents of hauntings. The paranormal activity was said to be caused by a poltergeist of the spirit of Sophronia, or “Sophie,” Strong, the woman whom the dormitory was named for. Sophie’s antics were said to be more playful than menacing, as she often locked students out of rooms and made lights flicker and float. Additionally, she often appeared to students engaged in useless arguments to show her disapproval of the situation.
Perkins Hall
Apparently, several of UT’s buildings were constructed on top of the former graves of Civil War soldiers. One such building is Perkins Hall, which was constructed near the former site of Blount Hall. When Blount was being constructed, the grave sites of several Union soldiers were discovered on campus, and their bodies were relocated to the National Cemetery. Although the physical remains of the soldiers no longer reside at the site of Perkins Hall, their spirits are alleged to remain in the area, haunting the building and appearing as apparitions near their former grave sites.
The Hill
The entire area of the Hill, the location of several engineering buildings, has been noted for its paranormal activity. In particular, a mysterious creature with fangs and jet-black eyes has often been seen prowling around the Hill, always perched on its hind legs. The strange being has been described as canine and feline, so its exact genetic classification is unknown. Additionally, the ghost of a student who committed suicide in the 1930s reportedly roams the Hill. He can be seen wearing a Celluloid collar and bowler hat — the latter of which hides a gaping head wound.
Buildings constructed atop of Native American burial grounds
In addition to soldiers’ graves, there are allegedly several Native American grave sites around campus. McClung Museum, Reese Hall and the Agriculture Campus were all apparently built atop these graves. The spirits of many of those buried beneath the infrastructure of these buildings are said to roam these structures’ halls. In Reese Hall, in particular, ghosts supposedly take the form of “shadow people” — dark, shadowy creatures — that have been seen wandering around.
Hoskins Library
Hoskins Library, which is located in the Fort Sanders area of UT’s campus, has been the location of many supposed sightings of paranormal activity by multiple spirits. Allegedly, the building is haunted by the spirit of the library’s former director, as well as a woman whose ghost is known as Evening Primrose. She has been encountered by many throughout the years, and Primrose has been known to knock books off of shelves, to play with the library’s elevators and to create the smell of food cooking in the library. The exact identity of Evening Primrose is unknown, but she is suspected to be the ghost of a graduate student who lived in Hoskins while researching her dissertation that ultimately died there.
Hess Hall
Hess Hall, which was constructed in 1960, is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a student who committed suicide in the dormitory in the 1970s. Although the identity of the supposed deceased student remains unknown, their shrieks are said to be heard throughout Hess’ halls.
