Haunted Plymouth: The Tunnel

There are some things in this world that just can’t be explained: crop circles, the Bermuda Triangle, Déjà Vu, and of course, ghosts. 

Ghost stories have been around for ages, and Plymouth State University has its own fair share of spooky tales. All of these unexplained tales of things that go bump in the night here at PSU have been passed along by word of mouth, and have experienced some change over the years, but all remain based in the idea that there is something supernatural out there. The story of the tunnel is no different. 

Most students who live in Mary Lyon or Blair Hall have seen, or at least heard about, the tunnel.  Back when Plymouth State University was still Plymouth College and had just become a co-ed school, there was a tunnel that connected Blair and Mary Lyon. The girls at the school had to wear long skirts, and as such, they would use this tunnel in the middle of the winter so that they could avoid getting their skirts wet and muddy.

The story goes that one day two girls were walking in the tunnel, going from Blair to Mary Lyon, when they encountered a boy. This boy murdered both girls and then proceeded to kill himself. It is said that the two girls now haunt Blair and Mary Lyon and, if you listen closely, you can hear them screaming. 

This dark tale has been around for a long time, and some student testimonies seem to bring further confirmation to the story. 

“…I have heard weird noises coming from behind the door to the tunnel in the basement [of Blair], and every now and again you’ll hear footsteps but not see a person,” said Tristan Mayes, a sophomore resident of Blair Hall. “I don’t know if I believe in ghosts, but there is definitely something off with that tunnel door and the basement, like it’s trying to hide something.”

On the Mary Lyon side, stories spread further from just the tunnel, to the building itself. 

“I have heard a student saying their room was always cold, even when the heating was on,” said Adam Beauparlant, a sophomore resident of Mary Lyon Hall. “[There have been] lights flickering on and off…I don’t think my room itself is haunted, but I have heard of people going down into the tunnel and hearing and seeing things.”

To some people, these stories are an automatic deterrent from venturing anywhere near the basement of either hall. For others, it is viewed as an invitation to explore. 

“I’ve thought about bringing some friends down sometime around Halloween and seeing if I can have an experience,” said Beauparlant. “I really believe in supernatural and ghostly hauntings." 

Some choose to believe in these things, some choose not to, and some choose not to take a stance on the matter at all. When it comes down to it, it is a person’s own beliefs that determine whether or not they believe that something is out there. 

Do you know of any other places on PSU’s campus that have been rumored to be haunted? If you would like to see an article on a specific haunted area on campus, feel free to email Ben Hunton at bh1010@plymouth.edu.