By Emily Ramser
Photo by Wacline Cius
Founded in 1772 with two graveyards close by, Salem College is known for its supposed ghosts. A Google search using the keywords “Salem College” and “ghosts” brings up numerous posts from various haunting sites and blogs. Many students, including Kimmy Bailey C’16, agree that Salem’s campus is not without its haunts.
Bailey began to collect Salem’s ghost stories with intentions to share them with future Salem students. So far, Bailey’s collection consists of 10 stories that she wants to compile; however, she has heard of several more. She is hoping to publish this collection in a book or as a blog series. Her favorite ghost story is something that she experienced for herself.
“As I spent my first year in Gramley, I came to be familiar with a certain noisy ghost directly above my room.” She explained how a young woman allegedly hanged herself in the old dorm. “The story goes that a depressed student dragged a dresser across her room and used it to commit suicide,” Bailey said. “While I never heard any actual voices or anything, my roommate and I were always accosted by the nightly noise, even though nobody occupied the upstairs room that year.”
Authors of “Ghosts of the Triad: Tales From Salem College and Academy” Michael Renger and Amy Spease also touched on a very similar story in an article with Paranormal News.
“One of the most talked about buildings with an alleged haunting is Gramley Dorm. A student is supposed to have hanged herself in the top floor. Students have often heard the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor on that floor, then suddenly knocked over,” Renger and Spease recounted.
Spease and Renger went on to say though that they were unable to find any official documentation stating the suicide actually occurred.
Bailey heard these stories from many people, students included, but she says that her best resource thus far have been the library and members public safety.
“The library has very well kept archives of everything that has happened over the years, as the Moravians were great at recordkeeping, and public safety has told me about some of the lesser-known supernatural hot spots around campus,” Bailey said.
While Bailey wants to share these ghost stories with her fellow Salem students, she has a piece of advice for those who want to become ghost hunters and experience the stories for themselves.
Bailey said, “I’d prefer to not write any stories about current students becoming ghosts this year; be careful! That being said, as long as you have a flashlight, a couple friends, and Public Safety on speed dial, this campus is yours to explore.”
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