From the restless soul believed to reside in Igoe Hall at Fredonia State College to the séance that went wrong at St. Bonaventure University, New York State colleges have a deep history of unexplainable occurrences and ghostly encounters.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges , Geneva
At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, former students supposedly haunt many places on campus, but one location that especially sticks out in the minds of students and alumni is Room 304 in Hirshson, where odd happenings have plagued the space for years. Objects have been known to fly off of the shelves and blinds pull down and roll up to the top on their own. Along both walls of the room, odd scratching noises have been heard in the morning time and around one time per week, it sounds like someone is walking in the room and tapping on desks, when no one is around to accomplish the task. It is also said that weird images have been detected in the door mirror.
As for resident ghosts, Smith Hall (also known as the office of the women’s college) is believed to be the home of a male ghost who walks along the roof of the hall , usually at 3am. Interestingly, the space where the quad area is now found was once a cemetery, which was relocated when the school was constructed. It is said that a transparent man may appear walking his dog across the quad between one and three in the morning.
College of Staten Island , Staten Island
Besides the sighting of figures standing alone in rooms, the college radio station (WSIA) is linked to reports of equipment running on its own, as well as lights going on and off on their own.
St. Bonaventure University , St. Bonaventure
Go to the upper floor of Devereux Hall (dormitory for students), which is supposedly shut down after a séance held by residents got out of hand and resulted in the death of a participant. Students claim to hear odd noises originating from the floor. There are also reports of a ghostly jogger who has been spotted running up and down the halls.
Benett College , Millbrook
Head for Dutchess County to locate an old, abandoned all-girls college said haunted by some of the former attendees. It is believed that the restless spirits wandering about the dorms are the product of suicides committed while on campus.
Fredonia State College , Fredonia
While on a fishing trip to Lake Erie, a student named Jimmy Igoe lost his life. It is believed that his ghost haunted the halls of Igoe Hall, where doors mysteriously slam, TV channels switch at will, the elevator sometimes has a mind of its own, water in the bathrooms have a knack for misbehaving, and lights turn on and off by themselves. If you ever come in contact with the ghost, it is said that if you ask him to stop, he will oblige.
