There has been a lot of speculation about why one West Green dorm room is closed, columnist Bri Shaniuk explores some of the haunted history.
Imagine living in a residence hall dorm room that is neighbored by a room outwardly labeled as “uninhabitable.” If you are a resident of the fourth floor in Wilson Hall on West Green, this just might be the case.
Wilson Hall, built in 1964, was named after Hiram Roy Wilson, a chemistry professor at Ohio University in 1896. When the building was constructed, it was decided to be a place for students to occupy during their time at the university, and at the time, that was what it was: an ordinary residence hall with nothing suspicious about it. Less than 10 years later, however, the hall became one of the most notably haunted spots on campus.
In the 1970s, it is believed that a student passed away in room 428 in a very mysterious, unknown way. Years after his passing, the students inhabiting the room claimed to experience very strange happenings, including hearing nonexistent footsteps, noises and witnessing objects moving on their own.
The residence hall is said to have been built in the very center of the cemetery pentagram, which is the main fault of all of the historical supernatural occurrences that have taken place there over the years.
Students continued to live in that room until one occurrence that happened a few years later.
Wilson Hall room 428 was declared uninhabitable after a female student was said to have died in a brutal and savage manner after taking part in supernatural practices in the room. It is believed that while being aware of previous stories of supernatural phenomena that have taken place in that location, the girl decided to use the room’s mystical energy to go about a practice called astral projection in which a human’s soul is separated from their body and travels on its own.
This same female student was also known by friends to have tried to contact the dead on multiple occasions within her dorm room.
While there are no certain reasons as to why Wilson Hall is so haunted, it has also been said that one of the explanations is that the hall was built above the location of an old Native American cemetery, making it a prime location for supernatural and psychic activity.
OU and the City of Athens have multiple historical reasons as to why they are renowned as being one of the most haunted places in the United States. It is because of Wilson Hall’s historical happenings, however, that much of these notable occurrences have been considered so sinister. While room 428 is no longer home to students, its true vacancy still remains a mystery.
Bri Shaniuk is a freshman studying journalism. Why do you think Wilson Hall is haunted? Email her at bs714714@ohio.edu.
