By: Crystal Wang '25
C.W. : Suicide and death
William and Mary is an old school, thousands have died horrible deaths on these very grounds. But many don't stay buried; instead they come out to play or to finish the business they had in life. Ghosts have been spotted at William and Mary for many years, becoming legends, warnings, and tragedies for the students here to carry with them. Let’s go on a ghost tour of this old campus.
Tucker Hall
Photo Courtesy of William & Mary
Perhaps the most known of all the haunts at William and Mary is the Tucker ghost. Everyone knows about the ghost on the third floor of the English building. Legend has it that she committed suicide in the bathroom on the third floor of the building after the pressures of classes finally got to her. Now, she wanders the third floor of Tucker Hall, forever stuck in the institution that killed her. Students report seeing her shadow through windows or even hearing her crying when they go to the third floor. Supposedly, she convinces other people to commit suicide with her, preying on vulnerable students, especially during finals. These rumors aren’t helped by the fact that other students have committed suicide in Tucker Hall after she did. Tucker itself is a hotspot for ghost sightings so perhaps there is truth to the rumors, perhaps her victims are stuck there with her, forced to stay in the place of their doom.
Barrett Hall Attic
Photo Courtesy of William & Mary
Students are banned from going into the attic of Barrett Hall but that doesn’t keep the rumors from surfacing. Long ago, the fourth floor was open for student housing but it has since been closed down for safety reasons. However, rumors still exist that there are beings living up there. Students have reported seeing a figure through the attic windows; I, myself, have seen something shifting up there during midnight walks. Late in the night, I can hear loud banging coming through the walls of my third-floor dorm and sometimes even a screeching sound like the cursed version of a childish scream. Upon venturing up to the fourth floor and peeking in through the window on the door, I felt an ominous chill down my back as the dark hallway stared back at me. Even the air in the stairwell felt still. Perhaps it's simply students who snuck into the attic but perhaps there truly are ghostly apparitions wandering the halls of their old dorm. Either way, when the rest of Barrett is asleep, students should be wary of who comes out to play.
Sunken Garden
Photo Courtesy of Crystal Wang '25
Some students have reported seeing apparitions running across the Sunken Gardens at 5 a.m. The ghostly runners have been reported to come in all shapes and sizes, some say they saw a teenager while others report having seen children shrieking and running. Legend says that these are the souls of Indigenous children, running away from the school, trying to get home. These ghosts seem to be relatively harmless and will leave you alone if you leave them alone. Perhaps these ghosts feel that 5 a.m. is the safest time, trying to escape their capture under the guise of darkness, desperately trying to run back to their families. It’s best to stay out of their way if you see them on the way to catch an early train or bus back to their families.
Wren Building
Photo Courtesy of Crystal Wang '25
The Wren building is older than the U.S. as a country, has caught fire multiple times, and was used as a hospital during the Civil War. There is a multitude of ghosts in there. Housing an entrance into the crypts that span the entirety of the Sunken Gardens, the Wren building is the perfect place for the souls of the buried to rise again. Students report seeing wounded soldiers walking around the building while others hear footsteps from below. Perhaps Lord Botetourt is rising from his crypt, trying to return to the school he helped lead. Maybe it's Sir Randolph trying to take a look at the complex named after him. Most sightings have been reported after dark when the shadows become ghostly apparitions. But it might be safe to stay away from such a haunted building after the sun has set.
One Tribe Place
Photo Courtesy of William and Mary
Though not often talked about, One Tribe Place has its own share of ghost stories. Being a converted old hotel, there are bound to be disgruntled guests who refuse to leave. There have been reports of furniture being knocked over in the middle of the night, everything from lamps to even air conditioning units. Some report hearing creaking in the dead of night, ghosts wandering the halls trying to get back to their rooms. Perhaps most terrifying, however, are the ones that can get into their old rooms. Some students report having seen handprints on their mirror, knowing it belongs neither to them nor to their roommate and knowing they had locked the door that night. Perhaps the ghost was simply trying to say hello, or perhaps it was a warning, a declaration of displeasure at the students for taking what was originally theirs.
DuPont
Photo Courtesy of William & Mary
With access to the entrances of old steam tunnels under Williamsburg, it comes at no surprise that DuPont has its share of ghost rumors. There have been reports of reflections that disappear as soon as you turn around. A student recounts going to hold the main door open for someone they saw in the reflection of the glass, but when she turned around, there was nobody there. Of course, it could just be the stress of midterms making her see things but what if it wasn’t? What if someone was trying to get in? Waiting for their chance to enter the residence hall housing so many students? Waiting for a chance to go back to the tunnels, retracing their route to other buildings? Either way, it’s best to keep aware of what’s behind you when in this residence hall.