Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

When most students move to Ball State they expect to share their residence hall with hundreds of other students. But not with hundreds of students and a ghost.

Known on campus for being the "over 21" hall, Elliott Hall's other claim to fame is that it's haunted.

Jesse Fivecoate, senior cultural anthropology major, is the president of the anthropology club, which studies and conducts tours about on-campus paranormal activity. According to him, the following is the story surrounding the Elliott haunting:

"There is no official story in regards to the ghost in Elliott, but the most known version of the hall's haunting involves a young man named William Schamberg. After fighting in World War II, Schamberg came to Muncie with the intent of attending the university. During his time at Ball State, he lived in Elliott and due to the mental and physical scarring the war left him, he never left the building. He was said to become a social introvert due to his war experience.

In addition, William suffered from depression after his girlfriend dumped him. He decided to end his suffering by taking his own life in the fourth floor library of Elliott. Some have reported that William hung himself from the rafters of the library and on occasion, if one listens, the replaying of his suicide can be heard. The sound of a table or chair being dragged across the floor followed by the sweeping sound of William's feet against the floor as his lifeless body sways from the rafters."

Colleen Boyd, an anthropology professor, said she is no expert in paranormal studies but has heard of multiple student encounters and very few faculty encounters with the ghost of Elliott Hall.

Boyd said she finds what students report and their beliefs in the paranormal to be interesting. She said students have approached her about overseeing a paranormal club but for now, she is interested in people's paranormal interests.

"One interesting encounter I have heard of is a student being awoken by a book being thrown at her head," Boyd said. "Students have experienced other encounters with this figure, and I have studied their experiences. No one knows the real story behind the ghost, but there has been consistency with the tale shared amongst the campus."

Despite William's tendency to throw things, Fivecoate said he believes Elliott is safe for students to live in.

"I have not come across any story of the ghost that puts the person in any danger, other than the occasional book or small object thrown at them," he said.

Though Deane lives in a building with paranormal activity, she said living at Elliott is like living anywhere else on campus.

"I am not really bothered by the ghost in Elliott," sophomore journalism education major Samantha Deane said. "I'm more cautious about things and more paranoid about little noises, though. There's a different atmosphere in Elliott as opposed to the other dorms and it's not because the building is haunted."

Jessie Cortesi, sophomore history major, chose to live in Elliott in search of a more active living community. She said she isn't freaked out by the paranormal activity in her campus home.

"The ghosts don't bother me but when I go home, my roommate won't sleep in the room alone," she said. "Elliott is a beautiful building, and I love living here, even with the ghost."

Elliott Hall was built to replicate a housing facility at Princeton University. Students believe it brings a Hogwarts aspect to Ball State. Whatever way it's looked at, Elliott Hall contributes to the classic character of the campus.

The smallest residence hall on campus was originally opened as a men's hall in 1938. It now serves as a coed abode to about 120 residents. The building has three floors for residents: the first designated for students who are at least 21 years old and the second and third floors for any students.

The residence hall was named for Frank Elliott Ball, the son of Frank C. Ball, who was one of the five founders of the Ball Corporation and involved in the creation of Ball State. - bsudailynews

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Elliott Hall haunts Ball State with true ghost story

(10/29/2001) - Although the "Haunting of Will's House" is over and done with, its images are nightmares waiting in dark corners.

With Thursday night quoted among college students as the beginning of the weekend, the turnout for the opening of the annual haunted house seemed tepid compared to other haunted houses.

It begins in the rustic gathering room, and a man, senior Jason Hawley, hovered over in a long navy coat and began the storytelling, which mixed a little bit of fact with lots of fiction.

The original story about the haunted floor of Elliott Hall?

According to Hawley, the haunting begins when a man by the name of William Schaumburg, who was a World War II veteran, returned to Muncie after an injury due to the war. He lived on the fourth floor of Elliot hall, while his girlfriend resided in Lucinda. After his girlfriend broke his heart, he returned to his residence and hung himself.

What was the story Hawley told to scare the house goers?

William Davidson just returned from WWI because of nerve gas exposure, and because of that exposure, went to a mental ward. That mental ward, Hawley said, was the fourth floor of Elliot Hall and was once part of Ball Memorial Hospital. William was about to receive a lobotomy, but after killing three nurses, he hung himself.

And so the tour of the haunted fourth floor began. Hawley stood right under the noose where William ended his life. He asked the tour group if there were any mental receptors in the group.

Before the journey began, a woman strapped to an electric chair met her death, when the masked character hit the switch. She screamed, she writhed in pain, but she just didn't convince.

Then Hawley, the leader, was gone.

Draped over every corner, along with distant screams, always appropriate for someplace haunted, the path lead towards a maze of three different rooms.

The first room was that of a ghoulish bar. The drunken dead were passed out, swerving, gurgling and trying to talk, but all that came out were grunted moans. Surprisingly, a non-ghoul creeped in and sat down at the bar, dressed nicely in a ribbed sweater and trendy jeans.

After the bar, the next room's strobe lights blinked and danced. In the confusion of the flashing lights, two black mattresses fell down, and zombies slowly and clumsily began to chase in search of human flesh. The only human flesh that was available rolled their eyes and turned out, walking toward the exit sign.

There was no surprise when they walked into a lighted room featuring a coffin with a vampire trying to climb out. No one's heart raced, only laughter possessed the vampiric surroundings.

The light at the end of the tunnel, after Hawley showed himself again, was a room with artifacts from WWI placed about, along with an Egyptian statue of a god. The group stood there, confused and bored, not sure where to go next. But then a soldier came in, shot Hawley, and by true surprise, the Egyptian god walked after one of the group members as she shrieked.

But remember the cardinal rule of haunted housing: no touching. Sadly, that's exactly where the fears and anxiety stayed: untouched. - bsudailynews

NOTE: here is the official history of Elliott Hall. There has actually been a lot written about this location. It seems each Halloween the college newspaper comes up with a slightly different version of the story...Lon

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