Throwback Thursday: Ghostly Greeks at WKU
As we finish up this month of haunted or chilling Throwback Thursday stories, our final October
tale is about Western Kentucky University ghosts. We’ve told stories of campus ghosts in years
past, this week takes a new ghostly Greek view instead. Thanks to Tamela Smith and the WKU
ghosts site for these unusual stories involving fraternity houses of campus’ past and present.
For any of you WKU Greeks out there: can anyone verify these?
The former Sigma Alpha Epsilon, or SAE, house that was on College Street is top of the list.
These stories are corroborated in articles from the College Heights Herald student run
newspaper printed in 1992 and 1997. They say the house was a Civil War hospital, haunted by
a ghost known only as “Kevin,” courtesy of a Ouija board experiment. Kevin was supposed to be
a young soldier who died in the home and never left. They say he was seen in a long military
coat and on the old dance floor.
More from the old SAE house, they say some students were studying during finals week in the
days before cell phones. The house’s answering machine kept coming on without the phone
having rung. When a student commented on it, the phone finally rang, but no one was at the
other end. They say Kevin’s favorite number is seven, as odd things like lights turning on and
off, fans falling off shelves, and doors slamming always happened in room seven.
A College Heights Herald article from 1981 tells stories about the Lambda Chi Alpha house on
Chestnut Street. The Tudor style house was built in the early 1900s. Brothers tell stories of a
ghost that enjoys using an old typewriter in an otherwise empty room, and another ghost that
once started a fire in the old fireplace when no one else was awake. A young girl was allegedly
killed at the home before the fraternity bought it, and her figure has been seen on the lawn.
In 1985, a young Delta Tau Delta named Bill died at the house in the middle of the night
from a blood clot. We found the College Heights Herald about his death. The brothers say Bill’s
spirit never left and continues haunting his old room at the house.
The Kappa Sigma men say their own house has a presence, a cowboy named Jim – another
Ouija board discovery. Jim allegedly has his own daily routine of haunts in certain rooms and
times.
The WKU Alumni Center started offering ghost tours this fall. The tours visit many other campus
buildings with known paranormal activity and ties to the supernatural. Read professor Lynwood
Montell’s books – the retired professor of Folk Studies and Anthropology used to take classes to
stay the night inside Van Meter Hall. you don’t want to be alone there in the wee hours of
morning.
Find out more about WKU ghosts and tours on the WKU site.
