Ghosts are almost “normal” in many eastern seaboard states.

The entire northeastern United States is profoundly haunted. This may be due to its history. The more dramatic an area’s history, the more opportunities for ghosts and ghost stories.

In addition, some people speculate that the area’s huge quartz deposits act as ‘magnets’ for ghosts and hauntings.

Colleges are especially likely to have ghosts. Here are some well-known haunted colleges in NY and PA:

New York

• West Point - U.S. Military Academy
  Several buildings have reported ghosts, including the Superintendent’s House and the area around the 47th Division/4th Regiment barracks.
• [If you know of other profoundly haunted campuses in NY, let us know with the contact form, linked above.]

Pennsylvania

Because Pennsylvania has considerable Colonial and mining history, it’s a perfect place to find ghosts. These are just a few of many haunted colleges in PA:

• Allentown - Cedar Crest College
  Since 1956, a female ghost has haunted Butz Hall.
• Allentown - Muhlenberg College
  Bernheim House is haunted by its former owner.
• Bethlehem - Lehigh University
  Linderman Library is visited by an annoying male ghost.
• Doylestown - Bucks County Community College
  Tyler Hall may be haunted by Stella Tyler, for whom the building was named.
• Easton - Churchman’s Business College
  She hasn’t been seen for many years, but a woman haunted the old First Presbyterian Church, which is now part of the college.
• East Stroudsburg - University of Pennsylvania
  Several hauntings occur here: at the Fine Arts Center, at Hawthorne Residence Hall, at Phi Sigma Kappa, and at Sigma Pi.
• Gettysburg - Gettysburg College
  This college is so haunted, the ghosts are too numerous to list here. Many are from the Civil War era, as you would expect in this famous town.
• Kutztown - Kutztown State College
  A 19th-century student haunts Old Main, the administration building. A woman who once lived in Whiteoak Street has haunted that building, too.
• University Park - PA State University
  A ghost of a mule, once a sort-of mascot for the school, haunts Watts Hall. Runkle Hall experienced poltergeist phenomena in the mid-1990’s.

For more about haunted colleges, see our articles tagged “Colleges - US” or search for “colleges” in the Search form at the top of this page.

We also recommend our article, College ghosts - reality and urban legends.