13 (Probably) Real Spooky Campus Stories
By Catherine
Ghosts, haunted buildings, murders — our campus has its share of dark tales and secrets. How much is dark truth and how much is contrived conjecture will never be known. Read on at your own risk, as there is no guarantee that once you’ve learned of these chilling tales, you’ll ever be able to forget…
A Study in Scarlet
In the 1920s, someone reported that a fight had broken out between two men behind Athabasca Hall, followed by screams and gunshots. When police got to the scene, they found it covered in red stains. The murder investigation went on for weeks until a few students admitted that they had faked the incident using red ink.
Barred Books
Somewhere on campus, in a carefully hidden location, behind locked doors, there is a restricted library. Used mainly for special investigations, it is filled with texts on dark and controversial topics. Think of it like the U of A’s very own Restricted Section from Harry Potter, but good luck trying to sneak in without an invisibility cloak.
An Amalgamation of Design
The story goes that the contractors building the Biological Sciences Building couldn’t agree on its design. This resulted in floors that don’t quite match up, doors that open onto walls, sinks with no drains, rooms that can only be accessed through closets, and some rooms that are walled of altogether.
The Ghost of Corbett Hall
It is rumoured that the home of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine used to host a benevolent ghost named Emily, who could sometimes be seen crossing the stage of Corbett Hall’s theatre.
Emily Murphy’s House
If you walk over to this house in East Campus Village, you may notice the ghost of Emily Murphy. She can be seen in the left upstairs bedroom window, where she proudly looks down at the young women receiving a post-secondary education down below.
An Unfortunate Convocation
Legend has it that during the construction of Convocation Hall, two of the workers fell in love with the same woman. When things eventually reached their boiling point, the two got into a fight which eventually resulted in one accidentally pushing the other to his death. The woman in question refused to marry the survivor and returned to her home in Ireland.
The Tunnels Below
Underneath campus lies 21 kilometers of vast tunnels that were built in the 20th century. Today these tunnels are mainly used by utility workers on motorized scooters. Closed for safety reasons, they’re like our very own inaccessible catacombs.
Henday Hall Horror
Rumour has it that only 10 of the 11 floors are used in Henday Hall because the 11th floor is inhabited by the ghost who died that area in the 1920s. The ghost is said to sometimes unlock doors to the 11th floor to trap wandering students there.
The Dewey’s Debacle
Formerly an engineering building, the story goes that a researcher discovered a new way to separate oil from sand and soil that would later revolutionize the oil sands industry. Sadly, the researcher died before seeing his project in use. Today the building is Dewey’s, and it is said that drops of unrefined oil can be found in the drains on occasion while the ghost of the researcher still wanders the halls.
Aberhart Apparitions
The Aberhart Centre is said to have been a tuberculosis clinic. Security guards have reported that the elevator doors open and close spontaneously and that the building’s basement is a radio dead zone, making the space extra conductive to creepiness.
The Blue-Lipped Boy
The story goes that in 1910 the son of one of the families hired to help construct Athabasca Hall disobeyed his parents and went to play on the river. He forgot his jacket there, and froze when he went back for it that night. He is now said to haunt the building and can be recognized for his ice blue lips.
Taking “Ghosting” to a Whole New Level
As the story goes, a couple of star-crossed lovers, a nurse and a soldier, met for the last time during WWII in Pembina Hall, which was a military hospital at the time. It is rumoured that the ghost of the nurse resides in Pembina Hall, searching all these years for her lover who died during the war.
The Smoking Specter
Ring House 1 is said to be haunted by Emma Read Newton, wife of former U of A President Robert Newton. Staff who have previously worked in the building have reported hearing her footsteps and smelling the smoke from her cigarettes while inside the house.
This post was originally written in 2016 and refreshed in October 2020.
