Ghost Hunting at UL Lafayette

Whether or not you’re a believer, you’ve probably heard a ghost story or two in your life. Ghostlore “encompasses tales of hauntings and ghosts that are a long-standing tradition in nearly every culture around the world” explains John “Pudd” Sharp, assistant director for research at the Center for Louisiana Studies. He says humans make sense of the world through narrative and “hearing a master storyteller weave a tale is like watching a symphony be performed as it is being composed —and ghost stories are no exception.” Dr. Shelley Ingram, professor of English at UL Lafayette, describes ghostlore as “all the ways people tell about a haunting, about a ghost.” In this way, she says ghost stories serve as a form of connection where past and present exist in the same time and space.

For UL Lafayette students interested in exploring the supernatural, Dr. Ingram teaches a ghost hunting class. In this course, students examine ghost hunting as a social phenomenon. Using equipment Ingram purchased through a Friends of the Humanities grant, students go to various locations on campus and around Lafayette attempting to contact ghosts. During an after-hours visit to the university library, some students reported seeing a figure in white and a face coming out of the floor.

The class also visited Harris Hall where a dorm mom turned ghost named Lily is said to reside. Two former university housing employees recalled residents of the dormitory reporting things going missing and reappearing unexpectedly, sheets being pulled off them or hearing running water when there was none. Stephen Cruthirds says since Harris Hall used to be an all-female dormitory, it became customary to “let Lily know” there were men on the floor. For Cruthirds, Lily’s desire to keep the dorm male-free became evident one summer while the building was undergoing renovations. Following the completion of their work, contractors asked if the building was haunted. When pressed, the men shared that they saw a shadow go in and out from the hallway, despite being the only people there. Later, after turning off the lights, they reported seeing the silhouette of a female figure. Speculation is that Lily manifested since there were men in the dorm after hours.

Despite the spooky beliefs that surround ghost stories, Dr. Ingram explains most people’s first-person accounts are mundane, not scary. She says ghosts represent the unknown and people are interested in these stories since they provide “mystery in the world.” Similarly, Sharp believes people’s fascination with ghost stories is because they allow us “to ponder the seemingly impossible.”

Can’t get enough ghostlore?

While Sharp and his colleagues have not experienced the supernatural at Roy House on UL’s campus, he concedes that “students who have done ghost detecting here might say otherwise.”

Check out Maison Freetown Museum and B&B. Rumor has it this location is home to French-speaking ghosts!

Have a UL Lafayette ghost story you’d like to share? Contact Dr. Ingram at shelley.ingram@louisiana.edu.