Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH is more haunted than many colleges.

In our previous article, Ghosts of Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH, we share one story about a popular ghost at Colby-Sawyer’s Colgate Hall.

Recently, we researched additional ghost stories from Colby-Sawyer College, New London, and vicinity.

This is not a complete list, but includes locations not previously reported.

Additional ghosts at Colby-Sawyer College

Best Hall – Best has at least one and perhaps two ghosts. One is a young woman. She appears to be older than a student, and dressed in a grey, diaphanous gown, perhaps from the Victorian era. Her sleeves and skirt seem to billow slightly, as if there’s a breeze, even when all of the doors and windows are closed and no air is stirring. She seems to float through the corridors, and then turn to look at the viewer, smile slightly, and fade until she’s invisible. The entire manifestation takes just a few seconds. According to one former CSC student, the ghost’s name is Mara or Maura. A second ghost–or perhaps the same one, manifesting differently–creates breezes when no doors or windows are open. Some have reported this as a wind that seems to hum slightly through the hallways.

Burpee Hall – A ghost of a field hockey player roams the halls, especially upstairs. She’s usually seen as just a shadow, and when you take a second look, all you see are her lower legs quickly fading.

She’s more often heard than seen.

Colby Hall – Colby is reported to have a phantom cat. Sometimes you’ll see it, but often you’ll only hear it meow a few times. Don’t bother trying to chase it; it will disappear around a corner, or seem to walk right through a wall or closed door. It’s been reported that demonologist John Zaffis confirmed this specter.

Colgate Hall – In addition to our earlier report, we’ve heard that Governor Anthony Colby is one figure seen gazing over the campus from Colgate’s tower. He has grey hair and a stern look, like a sea captain.¹ He’s usually translucent, and a very faint image, and then he vanishes.

McKean Hall – There are stories about the ghost of Gilbert Ross, supposedly an 18th-century witch who was burned at the stake on the land where McKean is now.

Gilbert Ross is rumored to look similar to Snape, as played by Alan Rickman, in the Harry Potter movies. He’s pale and dressed in black, and you’ll see him out of the corner of your eye, or reflected in a window pane.

Like most ghosts, when you turn to look straight at him, he’s gone.

Our research suggests that no witches were burned at the stake in America. Even during the Salem Witch Trials, all of the victims were hung, pressed, or died in prison. Mr. Ross may have been hung on the McKean site, but he probably wasn’t burned at the stake.²

Page Hall – Page has almost always had a reputation for “something” in the basement. It’s not clear what that is. There are also tales of the residual energy of a student from the late 1960s, who used to walk through the second floor corridors, wearing only a loosely-draped noose and a heavy dose of Jean Nate cologne. She wasn’t a suicide, just an eccentric student.

The Quad – This tale is reported about the Quad, as well as the fields in back of Colby-Sawyer College. According to legend, you can still hear the marching steps of students on foggy mornings, especially very early in the morning. Around World War I, students practiced daily military drills immediately after breakfast. Some later went to war and didn’t return… except as ghosts.

Sawyer Fine Arts Center – In addition to a typical theater ghost that lingers at the back of the auditorium, a former teacher may haunt the building. He used to tap nervously on the wall or desk when he talked, and the rhythmic sound of his tapping fingers can be heard softly, especially near his old office.

Shepard Hall – Like Page Hall, Shepard has reports of “something” uncomfortable in the basement.

The old Colby Academy building is now the property of New London, New Hampshire, after the college donated it for use as the Town Office Building. However, it was rumored to be haunted by something very dark when it was used as temporary housing for professors who were snowed in at the college, overnight.

When the building was donated to the town, important papers were transferred to the Colby-Sawyer Library. This may be why the college library is reportedly haunted. Stories include the spirit of a boy in a loft area, and a ghost that rearranges history books overnight.

For more ghosts of the New London area, see our article, Ghosts of New London, NH.

About 25 miles from New London, discover the Ghosts of Old Center Cemetery, Andover, NH

Footnotes and References

1. Governor Anthony Colby – A Guide to Likenesses of NH Officials.

2. The Witches Way – Executed during the Burning Times – a List.

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