 "Photo: Eric R. Carter/Staff Photographer")
As the golden leaves flutter down from above, the brisk autumn wind blows down College Avenue and pumpkins appear all over campus, one thing is clear: Halloween has returned to the University. There are many things to keep students busy throughout the weekend, and one of the most popular is the Rutgers Ghost Tour. These one-hour tours Campus Information Services run take students around some of the most haunted places on campus. They are so popular, in fact, they are booked solid for the entire weekend. So if you didn't sign up in time, you have two choices: wait until next year or read The Daily Targum's abridged version.
The Minister & the Choir Singer
One story deals with Miller Hall, which serves as the residence for the dean of Douglass College. However, in 1922 it was the residence of the Reverend Edward Hall.
Hall was so popular that people were willing to excuse him of his one crime a passionate love affair with the local choir singer, Eleanor Mills. They did not keep their love secret; in fact, they were often seen walking together arm in arm. In an ironic twist, they were also discovered murdered, together arm in arm. To this day, the crime remains unsolved. Many believed the weapon was hidden, and due to reconstruction, buried in the walls of Miller Hall.
Grey Lady of Old Queen's
Ghosts of women who died in sadness over love or who are waiting for a lover to return are know as Grey Ladies, and some people believe that there is a lady dressed in lace haunting the Old Queens campus. One theory dates back to the Revolutionary War.
After the war had toned down, Captain Alexander Hamilton began a flirtatious correspondence with Catherine Livingston, daughter of Gen. William Livingston, the first governor of the state of New Jersey and namesake of Livingston College. Unfortunately, due to their different social classes, the two could not be together.
Could our Grey Lady be Catherine keeping watch over Alexander and longing to finally be with him?
Van, Dot and Frank
In 1835, a young artist named Frank Reynolds was courting a young lady named Dot Degran. One day, a rival suitor, Van Vranken, stopped by Dot's house, taunting and teasing Frank's singing voice. Frank was deeply offended and challenged Van to a duel with pistols.
In the morning, Van brought the pistols, and the two dueled. As the smoke cleared, only Frank remained standing.
Frank realized he could not stay in town, so he fled immediately. After Frank left, Van rose from the ground, shook off the dirt and laughed out loud. The pistols had contained no balls, and the red stain on his shirt was just red ink.
Frank returned to campus to find the whole city chuckling at his expense. They say that when he died, he was still filled with hatred for Van and his humiliating tricks. There have been many sightings of his ghostly frame strolling down Voorhees Mall with his unearthly girl, Dot.
