As “Halloweek” encroaches upon campus, so do the stories of the supernatural around us. Colorado College has been known to house several ghosts who are anticipated to make their presence known this weekend.
Of the several whispered stories between students, janitorial staff, professors, and visitors, the most well known is that of Lady Bemis, who is said to haunt her namesake, Bemis Hall.
Alice Bemis was the wife of Judson Bemis, who founded Bemis Hall in 1908. Their daughter, Marjorie Delight Bemis, died in her childhood and was allegedly murdered by a man who entered her room at night. In reaction to this event, the Bemis family donated the money for an all-women’s dorm on campus to provide safety for female students.
Young Marjorie is said to be heard skipping down the hallways and giggling late at night. One janitor described how after mopping floors, she would see the bare footprints of a little girl show up one at a time.
Alice Bemis’s presence is the most substantial of the family. All visual encounters of the supernatural in Bemis have been of Alice wearing the white dress she is wearing in her portrait, which stares down from the wall of the great hall.
How much truth do these stories hold? Corderrol Harris, the Residential Life Coordinator of Bemis, isn’t sure. “Over the summers, I’ve heard some mysterious noises, and I’m the only one who is supposed to be here,” said Harris. “I have only seen flashes out of the corner of my eye. Sometimes things seem to move around in my room when I’m not there—although that could be me just forgetting.”
The second most famous ghost at Colorado College has caused a more definitive scare than the first. You may have heard of the cadavers in the basement of Cossit Hall, but you may not have heard of the spirit of the beloved dance instructor who haunts the building.
Dorthea Cornick worked in the dance department for nearly 30 years between the 1950s and the 1980s. She is said to have died from a flesh-eating disease. For the first few years after her death, Dorthea’s ghost was just a minor presence, sometimes making strange noises and the occasional appearance.
Then, one night when two construction workers were removing asbestos in the crawlspace below Dorthea’s old studio, they heard beating drums. They looked up and saw a woman at the top of the stairs, her red hair blowing in the wind and her face completely eaten away, revealing her skull.
The workers were so disturbed that they refused to return to the job. A janitor contacted them and described the exact same appearance, despite never having met them.
How wary should you be in Cossitt? Debbie Mercer, a dance instructor, said she hasn’t experienced any spookiness.
“Before the renovation [in 2009], there were some creaky winding staircases and some things that could suggest haunting,” said Mercer. “Since then, everything has been normal.”
However, current choreography student in the room, Julia Hammann, begged to differ. “When I am here late at night, there are lights coming from rooms that are locked,” said Hammann. “Sometimes we hear things when the music stops playing.”
Other buildings on campus that are said to be haunted are the Glass House, Taylor Theater, Synergy, and Slocum Hall. Dale Street, only a couple blocks away from CC, also has a deadly reputation, being the site of two mass murders in the past century.
Wherever All Hallows’ Eve takes you this year, it is unlikely that you will be isolated from the folklore in the air.
Anna Smith
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