University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN

Walter Library: Witnesses have reported hearing mysterious howling sounds coming from the bookstacks. These sounds have been attributed to the ghost of a man who fell into the concrete foundation of the library when it was being built. Apparently, his body was never found and legend says he still haunts the stacks and asks people for directions out of the library.

Pioneer Hall: The story goes that a girl named Anneliese Michel–the real life inspiration for the Emily Rose character from “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is said to have lived in Pioneer Hall when the exorcism occurred. Another spin on this story is that she lived in the Psych Ward of the university’s hospital which is now Pioneer Hall.

Washington Avenue Bridge: Students have reported hearing footsteps following them late at night, but when they turned around no one is there. Other witnesses report seeing someone walking towards them and then disappearing right before their eyes. There are also stories that a runaway psychiatric patient haunts the bridge. There is evidence that a patient died after jumping from the bridge.

Find out more about the University of Minnesota at University of Minnesota.

A note on the Pioneer Hall story

Anneliese Michel, whose case inspired the film, lived and died in Germany. So the Pioneer Hall link is pure campus folklore, a good example of how a famous story gets attached to a local building.

FAQ

Which building has the most stories?

Walter Library, with its howling in the stacks and a lost man asking for directions out.

Is the Washington Avenue Bridge haunted?

Students tell of footsteps behind them late at night and figures that vanish.

More haunted schools in the Midwest

Read about Luther College and Coe College in Iowa.

Top image: Walter Library at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Photo: Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons