Have you ever been to Gallows Hill at midnight? Chances are pretty high that you have. Gallows Hill was Tallahassee’s favored spot to hang criminals in the 1830s. That same spot is now where our beloved Westcott Fountain resides. Have you ever felt a chill when walking past? I do not mean from the splash of new legal drinkers frolicking in the fountain. Some passersby claimed to hear abnormal sounds and feel chills in that area at night.
One famous example of a hanging was a mother convicted of murdering her child. How odd to have such an important spot on our campus tied to such a gruesome history. If there are ghosts anywhere on campus, Gallows Hill would most certainly be the place. Have you ever inexplicably experienced chills or felt your hair stand on end? Pay attention next time you are strolling through late at night.
The next noteworthy campus haunt takes place in Cawthon Hall. In the 1950s, a lightning strike occurred on the top of Cawthon Hall. The building was damaged, as you can see below in the newspaper. Where does the paranormal part come in, you ask? Well, legend has it that there was a student sunbathing on that very roof. The story goes that a thunderstorm rolled in and as the student tried to re-enter the building, it was locked. Stuck on the roof, the girl screamed and pounded on the windows for help, hoping someone would let her back in the building. The legend says she died on that rooftop, struck by lightning. They say she was not even discovered until the next morning.
Even today, residents on the top floor of Cawthon Hall claim they can hear her screaming and pounding on the window. There have even been accounts of seeing a girl looking in at them from outside the window. I know I would be packing my bags. At least now we know why there is no roof access anymore. Cawthon is also said to have a second ghost in residence, that being the spirit of its namesake, Sarah “Tissie” Landrum Cawthon.
A few other honorable mentions include the death of a diver at HCB. You may say, “What? There’s no pool at HCB.” Well, it actually used to be the campus pool. That diver is said to still roam HCB making groaning noises. Another is at the physics building. Dr. Keen is said to have taken it upon himself to perform lobotomies on homeless people on the top two floors of that building. Apparently, that story is so believable that they still keep those floors’ lights on at night! It is truly haunting how many paranormal possibilities this campus has and there are plenty more. Have you ever had a run-in with a ghost on campus? Do you want to? Visit these places, and you might just regret it.
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