This time of year, spooks and specters haunt neighborhoods, shop windows, and big-box stores. But what about real hauntings?
There are many Blount County ghost stories. But, one of the hotbeds of local spook sightings is the campus of Maryville College. As you might expect for an institution that has existed for over 200 years, MC has more than a few legends and hauntings.
The earliest-cited ghost on campus is “Whiskers,” who walks through Anderson Hall…
The iconic Anderson Hall is the oldest building on campus, constructed in 1870. Whiskers was first described in a fictional 1930 story in The Highland Echo, MC’s student newspaper. Whiskers soon took on a life of his own, with many reported sightings over the years. His appearance is consistently described as an older, bearded man in antique clothing and a wooden leg. The leg makes him heard as often as he is seen.
Was he a night watchman who died on the job? Was he a Civil War soldier who had his leg amputated on the site (which housed soldier encampments)?
Those who have seen him—or heard his bumping walk through the halls—have different theories, but none of them depict Whiskers as a malevolent spirit. Perhaps he just watches over Anderson Hall.
Another, even more famous ghost is The Woman in White…
Many people assume that this spirit is the benevolent soul of Susan Wiley Walker, who built the home in the College Woods that was, for years, Morningside Inn and has become RT Lodge. She donated to many campus improvements and helped many students and their families. When she died in 1950, she was buried in the Maryville College cemetery on the edge of the Woods.
Her spirit definitely lives on in the good works she did—but is she the “Woman in White”? That specter has been reported in the cemetery, making the connection with “Mrs. Walker” plausible, but she is most often seen in The House in the Woods. The House was built in 1917 to serve as the house of the college chaplain. It is now a campus conference and event center.
Those who have spotted The Woman in White, often seen through a window from outside, report a silent and sad specter. There’s even at least one picture that seems to show her image in the glass window beside the front door of the house.
Who is she, and what does she want?
There are other, sadder stories: A student purportedly haunts the former dormitory where she died. An aspiring actor haunted the catwalks of the old theater.
What’s your favorite MC ghost tale? Have you seen Whiskers or The Woman in White? Tell us your story!
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