Ghosts at the Rossborough Inn in the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College. Built between 1804 and 1812, The Rossborough Inn is the oldest building on campus today (Ghost Tour, 2). With its history, it is no surprise that the Inn has been a hotspot for ghost activity. Knowing that there have been numerous reports of ghosts at Rossborough, I visited the Inn to ask current employees at the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, located in Rossborough Inn, if they themselves had experienced anything bizarre or if they had known others who had. I entered the small office where three women were talking and with their permission asked about their experiences with ghosts at Rossborough. Upon asking my question, all three smiled, although shaking their head, they indicated they had not. However, they all had heard of the stories, and one of the women replied and told me to speak with the University Archivist. She told me that she has spoken with the archivist, and upon learning the stories, she said that she “got freaked out and really wanted to go home.”
The next day, I contacted the University Archivist by phone to inquire about the happenings at the Rossborough Inn. She was happy speak with me, and indicated that the Rossborough Inn has been a hotspot for legends of paranormal activity, having more “sightings” than most any other building on campus. In addition to sharing with me one story of the Inn, she also sent me a script of a ghost tour that she has given on campus that includes other reported happenings at the Inn as well as the history of Rossborough. The story she shared with me tells of a dining services ...
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... of the Rossborough Inn use hospitality and kindness to help us understand. In doing so, even though operating in a time of violence and warfare, the Rossborough Inn can reflect the love and care that represent the core values of the Inn and the University.
Works Cited:
Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981.
“Haunted Maryland”. September 12, 2006. UM Newsdesk. Retrieved March 30, 2006 from http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/2006/Halloween/Rossborough.cfm.
McCombs, Alan J. “Ghostly Tales Offered of University Tours.” October 27, 2006 Maryland Newsline. Retrieved March 31, 2006 from http://www.newsline.umd.edu/etcetera/specialreports/campusconnections/ghoststory102706.htm.
Turkos, Anne and McAllister, Liz. Ghost Tour. University of Maryland. October 16, 2006.
When one usually thinks of a hearing a ghost story, the setting is dark with flickering light (such as around a campfire or in a basement with bad lighting) and, of course, it is nighttime. Needless to say, when I heard this story during the middle of the day on a Friday, I was a little taken aback. When prompted for any urban legends or ghost stories a white, female friend of mine immediately responded with, “Have you ever heard of de Sales Academy?” With my negative response, the nineteen year old student jumped into her story:
Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981.
Since I come from the Eastern Shore of this state, I was surprised to hear a ghost story I was previously unaware of. The story takes place in a park in Salisbury. The person who told me the story is a 19-year-old sophomore at the University, and we spoke about it one evening after dinner. He believes it to be true, because one of his friend’s siblings has apparently experienced the ghost firsthand. I tape-recorded his narrative:
Lewiston, Idaho, once an important port for miners traveling in search of gold, is now a town of about 30,000 people. Few of the people who live in the Lewis-Clark Valley speak of its over one hundred year history. However, there are still parts of the community where one can explore and see the age of the town. Downtown Lewiston is one of a few areas where people can go exploring. They wander the streets, admiring the buildings that stand proudly above them. One building in particular ties a unique history into the downtown area. Morgan’s Alley stands at the corner of Main Street and D Street, overlooking the cars and people passing by. On the outside, it looks like an ordinary, older building. On the inside, it holds secrets of the past and possibly a ghost.
friend that his ghost usually appeared when there were tourists in the building. She wasn’t sure
She is seen almost everywhere on the grounds. In what is now part of La Trobe University’s computer rooms, you can see her apparition walking around. Along with on the granite staircase, and former dormitory area. Matron Sharpe was very understanding, and caring, towards her patients. This was quite uncommon in this time. Another ghost people have claimed to see is the ghost of a patient. His name is Tommy Kennedy. Kennedy was quite popular at the hospital, and he was liked by many. He was even given a job to work in the kitchen. Unfortunately, Tommy died in the kitchen as well. Today, where thee kitchen used to be, it is now apart of the Bijou Theatre. Here, people say that they have felt their clothes being pulled at, and someone poking their ribs. In the recreation Hall, which is now part of the Bell Tower, the ghostly figure of an elderly man can be seen. He is usually facing away from the window (Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, Victoria,
Ghosts and goblins are lurking around every corner. Mysterious creatures are waiting to jump out of every shadow. The boogieman and his accomplices are posted under the bed and in the closet, counting the minutes until children go to sleep so that that can attack and scare the life out of them. We all grew up with these fears in the back of out heads. There is always at least one person and one building in every town, whether it be small or large, with a story... a history of mysterious, paranormal behavior. The little town of Canton, Missouri is no different.
Schlossman, David, ed. "Metaphorically Haunted Elevators." University of Maryland Legends Collection. 2004. Accessed at http://www.wam.umd.edu/~dschloss/Legends/elevator.htm.
“The Hitchhiker,” by Lucille Fletcher, narrates the unusual happenings Ronald Adams, the protagonist, experiences, while driving along the deserted and densely populated roads of the United States. Adams continually observes a hitchhiker, whom he first saw, having almost hit him, on the Brooklyn Bridge, and apprehends traveling on the highways, for fear this phantasmal man shall reappear. Struggling to grasp reality once receiving news of his mother’s breakdown after the death of her son, Ronald Adams, he reverts his attention to the hitchhiker, the realization of never having been who he thought he was, and being alone without protection from the traveler, both wrench his mind in two. Lucille Fletcher uses suspense to build the plot of, “The
A 19-year old female from Harford County, Maryland, narrated the story of Black Aggie, the urban legend of an overnight stay in a cemetery. She grew up Christian, and still lives in one of the more rural areas of Maryland with her younger sister and parents, who own and work at an electrical contracting business. Accustomed to hearing many ghost stories and urban legends, she first heard the story of Black Aggie during a middle school slumber party. Late one Saturday night over pizza in our Hagerstown dorm, she was more than willing to share her favorite urban legend with me.
The most famous address in America, is also the country’s most famous haunted house. Presidents, first ladies, staff members, and guests have reported ghost presence, hearing unexplained noises, and running into actual apparitions. The White House is not only home to President Obama, and his family. It is also home to many ghosts. The ghosts that have been reported, are former presidents and other people who have died on White House grounds. There have been many ghost sightings. Some weren’t even President’s. It was just people who have died in the White House or on White House grounds. Most people were President’s though. There are some creepy stories to go along with it. People have said that they have seen President’s sitting in their favorite chairs or favorite rooms.There are 18 ghosts living in the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt has been found wandering on the second floor. Abraham Lincoln has been found in the hallways and in his bedroom. Martin Van Buren, has been found in the kitchen. Nancy Reagan, has been spotted. Andrew Jackson, has been heard cursing out loud. David Burn, is the oldest ghost that is living in the White House, he has also been heard. Harry S. Truman, has been seen relaxing in his living room. Anna Surratt, has been seen beating on the doors of the White House on May 7th. Thomas Jefferson, has been spotted in the yellow oval room, practicing his violin. President Carter’s daughter, has been seen playing a prank on the White House on Halloween. Abigail Adams, has been seen in the laundry room and carrying things. A British Soldier, has been seen with a torch in his hand. Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, Ronald Reagan, William Henry Harrison, Dolley Madison. President’s that are still living h...
Cheung, Theresa. The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts & Hauntings. Element Encyclopedia Series. Unknown: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 2008.
“We have travelled from Florida to Radford, Virginia on four different occasions to investigate St. Albans,” said Terri. During that time they have experienced a plethora of paranormal activity, including the sounds of disembodied voices, the vision of a full-body apparition, having an investigator slapped by an unseen hand, disembodied growling, and a disappearing door, among others.
Savannah is supposedly one of the most haunted cities in America, and later in the week on the same trip, we decided to go on one of Savannah's biggest tourist traps. A ghost tour. We walked around the city on a Wednesday night at ten PM for about two hours. We walked outside of buildings that may have had many deaths in and was supposed to be filled with paranormal activity, but we never went inside. We just got stories of people allegedly seeing ghosts through the window. It was terribly at the time but it was worth it to be
a dull grey colour as if it had lost the will to live and stopped