Thayer and its Friendly Ghost

Thayer Hall is well known for its central location, impressive common room, and...Victorian-era ghosts? Yes, Thayer, long rumored to be a host for paranormal visitors, claimed one of the coveted spots on Internet Web site Hollow Hills’ “Haunted New England Colleges” list.

Now the site of last minute cramming, illegal parties, and early morning wake-up calls (courtesy of its bells), Thayer, according to Hollow Hills, was once the home of a textile mill. For what we can only assume were the mill’s amazing health benefits or notable 401(k) plan, its employees haven’t seemed to want to quit for a few centuries now.

“A professor who chose to remain anonymous contacted me and said that he had seen Victorian figures going through areas in the hall where there used to be doors and there aren’t now,” says Fiona F. Broome, who composed the list. “He had a lot of credibility. Just in the way that he wrote, I felt confident that this man was not a crazy person.”

Despite Broome’s confidence, many campus experts have disregarded the legend, and there are no records of it in Harvard’s database.

“I have seen no evidence to that so far,” says Josh A. Bookin, a Thayer proctor who is admittedly not a strong believer in ghosts. “The most notable of the out of the ordinary activities are parties that need to be broken up.” Note to Thayerites: Bookin will not be accepting a fear of ghosts as an excuse to cuddle up with him in his room.

Whether or not the mill’s workers are still wandering through the halls, Broome suggests that they contain historic value. “I’m not going to do the whole, ‘Dude, run!’ thing. I don’t get scared of ghosts. I’m interested in the stories that ghosts can provide about history.”

So, instead of staying up for hours reading over your coursepack and memorizing countless dates, try hanging around the mill’s old doorways. You might just catch a glimpse of an ancient worker in authentic Victorian garb. If, on the other hand, you find yourself up at 8 a.m. staring at a blank wall, FM does not take responsibility for any failed midterms, gaping professors, or general humiliation.­