CW: This article contains mentions of murder and gun violence.

The arrival of autumn at MU feels like it belongs on a movie screen. The sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the tints of color on the trees are almost cinematic. But as the seasons change and Halloween draws closer, MU students may also sense a touch of classic horror in the air. According to some, ghosts are in our midst …

With a prolific history spanning across nearly 200 years, some of MU’s historic buildings allegedly contain supernatural elements. Although accounts of ghosts may have more plausible explanations, these stories are still unique pieces of university history. Among those trying to compile that history is Dr. Christine VanPool.

VanPool is an associate professor in the MU Anthropology Department, and the supernatural is her forte. VanPool teaches a course called “Spirits and Souls: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Supernatural.”

Spirits and Souls examines how human brains — and various human societies at large — perceive what we consider to be ghosts or hauntings. However, VanPool adds a local spin to the course as well, taking her students on a “haunted tour” of campus. From the historic Chancellor’s Residence on Francis Quadrangle to the bookshelf-lined halls of Ellis Library, the MU community is no stranger to supposed supernatural presences.

The Conley House

Left: The Conley House photographed around 1886-1890. Photo Courtesy of State Historical Society of Missouri. Right: The Conley House as it currently stands on Oct. 20, 2022. Photo by Sophia Scheller.

The Conley House is one of many supposedly haunted sites on campus. Built in the late 1800s, the house still stands today in an alcove of shrubs and trees across the street from Conley Avenue Parking Garage and Mark Twain Residence Hall.

Among those in the Conley family who originally resided in the house was Aunt Sally Conley. Though Aunt Sally is long dead, rumor has it that her spirit never left the house. According to VanPool, Aunt Sally is thought to be buried in the Conley House’s walls.

“She is said to frequent the fireplace area,” VanPool said. “Supposedly … things move around, especially at night.”

One of the Columns

Left: The Mizzou Columns, as photographed around the 1900s. Photo Courtesy of University Archives, Collection C:0/3/8. Right: The Columns stand, decorated for 2022 Homecoming. Photo by Sophia Scheller.

Back when the historic Columns on the Quad were still attached to Academic Hall — the former main MU building that burned down in 1892 — blood was shed in a deadly dispute between two students.

“Monday, December 19, 1853, W. W. Thornton … shot and killed Benjamin F. Handy … at the front of the stairway in the east wing of … Academic Hall,” VanPool said.

Handy’s murder was the culmination of several disputes, ranging from accusations of cheating in a friendly game of cards to an argument about a church sermon. After his death, local legend has it that the second column from the East became “haunted.” In future years, ivy plants refused to grow on the column, supposedly due to the mark of death it received over a century ago.

The Chancellor’s Residence

Left: The Chancellor’s residence as photographed at an unidentified time. Photo Courtesy of University Archives, Collection C:0/46/7. Right: The Chancellor’s residence in October sits surrounded by foliage in the Quad. Photo by Sophia Scheller.

Located on the Quad, the Chancellor’s Residence has its own unique ghost story. VanPool said that Alice Read, the wife of a former MU president, passed away in the house and is suspected to occupy it to this day.

“All kinds of stories throughout the years by chancellors [and] chancellor’s wives have come out of that house,” VanPool said.

Inside the house, residents reported the broken grandfather clock would still chime from time to time. Additionally, Dr. Anne Deaton, the wife of former Chancellor Brady Deaton, reported strange activity while she resided there.

“Dr. Deaton told people that she would go out shopping and come in … with groceries, and her keys would just disappear and then … appear somewhere else in the house” VanPool said.

Peace Park

Left: People walk through the snow in what State Historical Society of Missouri Historians believe to be McAlester Park in the 1930’s. Photo Courtesy of University Archives, Collection C:0/47/2. Right: Peace Park, also known as McAlester Park, now resides between Downtown Columbia and the University. Photo by Sophia Scheller.

Surprisingly, not all supernatural sightings on campus involve human ghosts. VanPool said that in the trees of Peace Park, a ghostly monkey may be roaming.

“There was a monkey that escaped out of [an MU] lab,” VanPool said. “He … nested in the trees of Peace Park.”

For VanPool, this story contains a unique personal element. When her son was younger, she would take him to visit Peace Park. One day, he exclaimed, “Mom, I think I see a monkey!” Initially, VanPool didn’t know much about the rumored ghost dwelling in the trees, but her son’s experience foreshadowed her discovery of more information about the legend.

“Years later, I read that people see a ghost of a monkey … at Peace Park,” VanPool said. “So … yes, we have a resident ghost monkey on campus.”

Ellis Library

Left: Newspaper archives sit in the basement of Ellis Library in 1934, which at the time was where the State Historical Society housed their newspaper collection. Photo Courtesy of State Historical Society of Missouri. Right: Walls have been added, and windows have been removed, but the original stairway and the marble decorum remains in this stairwell in Ellis Library. Construction is currently underway to develop a museum in the basement, once again adding to the long list of additions. Photo by Sophia Scheller.

VanPool acknowledged there have been various accounts of supernatural activity in Ellis Library. However, she noted there are several theories about why we tend to perceive supernatural presences in buildings like Ellis.

“When we’re in dark places [that] are really constraining, we tend to have an emotional response,” VanPool said. “Think about Ellis Library … [It’s] dark, the ceilings are too short … It has that ‘creepy factor,’ and it should not surprise us because of the … environment that we’re going to have spirit perceptions.”

As for whether VanPool believes in the presence of ghosts on campus herself, she knows that her response to that crucial question often drives her students crazy.

“I don’t want to ever say yes or no to spirits,” VanPool said. “I want students to make informed decisions and then figure out what they’re willing to believe … But the one thing we can say is … human cognition can do amazing things.”

Edited by Egan Ward | eward@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Emily Rutledge | erutledge@themaneater.com