Have you ever felt like you were being watched in Burleson? Have you ever had a window randomly shut on you or hear a door slam in Gilbreath? Have you heard anything strange in Lucille-Clements? If you have, don’t worry – you aren’t the only one experiencing these strange occurrences. According to College Raptor, ETSU ranks eighth in the thirteen most haunted campuses in the United States.
These ghost stories have been around for years, but that doesn’t make them any less spooky. It is said that ETSU founder and former school president Sidney Gilbreath himself still wonders around Gilbreath Hall. According to Paranormal Technology Investigations TN’s (PTITN) website, fondly nicknamed “Uncle Sid” becomes more active during approaching thunderstorms by making sure all the windows are closed and doors are shut. There have also been many reports from students that hear a man’s voice telling them to get to class. Although Uncle Sid passed away in January of 1961, it seems like he has never left the school.
Burleson Hall also inherited its own ghost story during the 1960’s. Professor Christina Burleson, who taught Shakespeare, is said to haunt this building. Reported by PTITN and Prairie Ghosts, Burleson contracted a chronic, debilitating illness in the latter part of her life that left her wheelchair bound and depressed. Because she felt like a burden to her family, she committed suicide. A rather calm ghost, she is said to be seen following students or just watching them. And that portrait of David Sinclair Burleson that hangs in the hallways? Those who knew him say that those aren’t his eyes but his daughter Christine’s eyes. The legend states that those eyes will follow you as you walk by.
The most haunted place on campus, though, is Lucille-Clements Hall. There are said to be multiple spirits haunting this building; a little boy with marbles, a girl who turns on faucets, a woman who will loom over you and a man that will disappear after speaking. These stories have been reported by PTITN, Prairie Ghosts, College Juice and have even gotten national attention from the Huffington Post. The little boy, who is the most popular of the ghosts, reportedly died while playing a game of marbles when he fell down the elevator shaft. There have been a large amount of reports from the students who reside here stating that in the middle of the night, they can hear marbles being dropped on the ground. There have been many reports of sinks and faucets randomly being turned on by the girl as well.
These two spirits are accompanied by what many think to be ghosts of the victims of the plane crash in the parking lot that barely missed the hall in 1985. All three passengers died in the crash. Students who live in the dorm have reported their TVs searching through channels by itself, the elevator opening and shutting when nobody is there, a soda bottle that was sent flying, the woman looking over you while you sleep and the man that disappears after speaking.
Has anything like this ever happened to you while on campus? Tell us about it.
