I’m always astonished by how little Davidson students know about their own school. If you’re reading this, chances are you had no idea that Davidson is one of the most haunted colleges in the south. That is a bona fide fact. Thus, for your Halloween season edification, yours truly has compiled a one-hundred percent true list of all the haunted spots on campus…
Chambers Lawn – The old Chambers building burned down in 1921 (not a good enough reason to cancel classes, though), but its remains can still be seen during summer dry spells. A ghost-like floor plan seems to rise up through Chambers lawn and remind current students of the majesty that once was.
Graveyard – Too many people go all four years at Davidson without knowing that a graveyard exists behind Martin Court, next to the practice soccer fields. It’s uncomfortably eerie (especially at night), so it deserves a spot on the list. That being said, I’m 99.7% sure it’s not haunted.
Lake Campus – Throwback to 2012 when a dead body washed up at Lake Campus. The official report says the fisherman had a heart attack and fell overboard, but that notion has been widely disputed ever since. Each spring following the incident, early risers in the Lake Norman community have noted a silhouette of an empty fishing boat trolling the waters as the sun rises.
Patterson Court – Up until this fall, meals would just materialize out of nowhere at Turner, Connor, Phi Delt, and Sig Ep. Legend has it that “Papa D” makes the food, but the cook remains somewhat of an enigma. Over the summer, Connor and Phi Delt hired an outside resource to exorcise Papa D from their houses, but Turner and SigEp continue to find food in their warmers every day. SPEs even claim Papa D sightings on a weekly basis.
Fourth Belk – Believe it or not, Fourth Belk hasn’t always been a residence hall. RLO used to store extra beds, desks, and wardrobes up there. In 1976, three first-year girls picked the lock and gained entry to the attic – and only two came back downstairs. Rumor has it that the third girl’s “friends” shut her in wardrobe and pushed it up against a wall so she couldn’t get out, but her body was never found. After renovations to the building, room 411 functioned as a triple dorm room. Legend has it that someone terrorized the hall by screaming and banging on the walls until one of the residents vacated. It’s been a double ever since. Former 411 resident Caroline Queen ’14 claims to have been woken up on several occasions by an invisible third roommate whimpering from inside the closet.
Cross Country Trails – The North remembers… Davidson College infamously hasn’t cancelled class since the Civil War, when the Union Army encroached upon Confederate territory. General Lee’s soldiers set up camp where our current soccer field stands, and the kept prisoners of war in the woods – but only for a short time. As Grant’s troops gained the upper hand, the Confederates’ dietary resources became harder and harder to come by… Today, runners sometimes remark that the depths of the woods smell like bacon. At night, residents report seeing smoke rise above the treetops… Commons cooks maintain most of the Confederates’ original recipe from those trying times, but have since replaced the Union soldier meat with boiled potatoes.