Alex Pacheco's Inner Most Thoughts

The central nervous system of a group of buildings can be an exciting place to visit. Passers by often wonder when driving or walking through such stretches of buildings how they all connect and interact. Some buildings are important while others stand for no reason at all. The campus of Morningside College contains this exact landscape. One building in particular that still stands today is Charles City College Hall. This building is where the college experience first began for students in 1890. The hall was a very different place in 1890 than it was today. Listening to different professors discuss the building, Charles City’s basement classroom used to be where the cafeteria fed the small student body. The building has a unique feel to it because the many other buildings on campus besides Lewis Hall have a much more modern feel and they were built much later than Charles City Hall. It is quite fitting that Charles City Hall houses the history, philosophy, theatre, and religion departments. The Hall was first used for strictly music students and their classes. The attic is said to be filled with different types of music instruments and pianos that were used in the late 1800’s. Charles City Hall on the outside appears to be a cozy building that entices students to open up their minds to many different types of information but, people have said their are certain spirits roaming around inside with the students. During the day the hall sounds like and educational place but, at night things change. Sounds that once were thought of to be normal to due its age are now sounds of fear and question. The building is dark and empty yet feels full and loud. The creaks speak to the thousands upon thousands of people that have climbed up and down the stairs and walked through the halls for over one hundred years. People have said that they sometimes, if they sit very quietly, can hear music playing from some of the classrooms late at night when they are the only person in the building. Charles City Hall is surrounded by trees and looks different than any other building on campus. There are pictures on the walls that remind people of haunted houses where the eyes seam to be watching your every step. A good initiation spot may be to have students spend the weekend in the attic and not get frightened. There are of course more frightening buildings than Charles City Hall, but the place seams to take on a life of its own. The College absorbed this building when the Methodist Church decided that it would be the birthplace of Morningside College. The building is now a historical landmark site for the state of Iowa and holds a lot of importance to the surrounding area and the history of Sioux City, Iowa.