By Caitlin Casey–During the day Morningside’s campus is always active and full of people. No one thinks twice about walking into any building, unless you’re about to take a test, because there is nothing to fear. Or is there?
What about at night when the lights are turned off and the doors are locked? If you’ve ever gone on a round with campus security, you may know the answer. There are many ghosts that haunt the buildings of Morningside. Here are a little more about them and some tips from Jacey Tomhave, a campus security officer, about how to act if you ever accompany someone on night rounds.
It is said that many years ago an architect that was working on Klinger-Neil fell off the building while scaffolding and died. While at work he would eat his lunch in the boiler room, always sitting in the same chair. That chair is still there today. Rumor has it the old man is still down in the boiler room all the time and if you move his chair it will move back. I think advice on this one is pretty obvious: don’t move the chair!
Tomhave had her scariest experience in this building. On her first round (around midnight) when she went downstairs the cage was locked. She noticed a wig on top of a headdress inside the cage. At the time, she didn’t think much of it. On her second round (at 2 o’clock in the morning) she went downstairs to find that the cage was unlocked and the wig and headdress had been moved.
“I turned around right away and went back upstairs. It freaked me out,” Tomhave said.
Everyone complains about the walk to the third floor of Lewis Hall. Not only is it tiring to climb three flights of stairs, but at night it can also be scary. After that long trek up the stairs be careful not to let slip a cuss word because the lady that haunts the floor will not approve. It is said that she can be heard laughing at night and some say they have even seen her.
Charles City is known for being the original college when Morningside first started. In 1914 an explosion and fire occurred. Everything except the original bell tower, dormers, and slate roof was replaced.
“There’s a grand piano on the top floor that Charles City was built around, so they can’t get it out,” said Alex Howrey, a student ambassador for admissions at Morningside.
It is said that at night you can sometimes hear the piano being played.
“We’re not supposed to tell them [prospective students] that it’s haunted, but everyone knows it is,” Howrey said.
Let a red balloon go in Eppley Auditorium and supposedly it will float to the seat of the little girl that died when she fell off the balcony, reaching for her own red balloon. The little girl still haunts the building and will set traps for you if you’re not careful.
“I’ve heard whispers behind me while I walked the building and turned around and no one was there,” Jacey Tomhave said. “Just make sure you always say hi to Buddy; he’ll protect you from her.”
Buddy was a janitor here at Morningside until he died. A painting of him hangs in the entrance to the Auditorium. Always say high or good night when you walk past the painting and he will protect you from any tricks the little girl might have up her sleeve.
Last but not least there is the well-known story of “Hidden Hall” in the Dimmitt residence hall. This can be found on many websites of hauntings in Sioux City. “Hidden Hall” got its nickname because at the time there was no way to get to the hall from the outside. You had to go up or down a level to gain access to it. A student living on the hall committed suicide by hanging herself from the heating pipes in her room. Ask anyone who has lived on that hall and they probably have a weird story for you. It is said that you can hear choking noises coming from the room and some say they have seen a girl walking down the hall into the room.
“If I go into a building and get a weird feeling I leave right away,” Tomhave said. I would say to follow Tomhave’s advice. Don’t cuss in the buildings at night, don’t move anything, and always remember to say good night to Buddy.
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