The Dark Side of Centre: A Look at the Ghosts and Culture Haunting an Elite Academic Institution
When we think of a place as haunted, certain emotions, images and beings come to mind; graveyards, abandoned houses, ghosts, and spirits. One of the last things to be attributed as haunted would be the beautiful campus of Centre College. But it is exactly that, haunted, and in more ways than one. Having existed as an institution for over two centuries, Centre and its campus are haunted by literal ghosts, such as the ghost of Peter in Breckenridge Hall, or Ruby in Ruby Cheek. But Centre is also haunted by the dark side of being an elite academic institution. What happens behind the unrelenting pressure to succeed, the competitive environment that can sometimes push students a little too far? Looking at the ghosts of Centre, we can get an idea of what literally and figuratively haunts the students at Centre College, and how this reflects on the institution as a whole.
Over the years, Centre’s campus has been largely unwavering. Building’s roles change over time and adapt with evolving technology, but the locations and memories carried with it do not. Image 1 shows a Fire Insurance Map of Centre College (Central University) from May 1908. Much like today, we see the gymnasium, Young Hall (Science Hall), and Breckenridge Hall (dormitory). The map notes Breckenridge was gutted by fire, referring to the fire on March 2nd, 1908 that destroyed most of the building[1]. Considering the map against campus today, little has changed. These buildings still stand in relatively the same locations, having been updated due to fire, renovations, and changing technology. Furthermore, Centre’s role as an institution has changed minimally. Over the years it has continued to be an elite liberal arts college, offering a rigorous education preparing students for the world beyond Danville. As a result, the buildings hold the same roles, and maintain the weight of the students, faculty, and staff that have passed through and their stories.
As much as college offers education, it is also the opportunity to live on your own and grow into an adult for the first time. This makes dormitories a critical part of the experience; your first home away from home. At Centre, this part of the experience is even further amplified as a fully residential college. Nearly all students eat, study, and live together full time. On top of this, Centre is an extremely small institution, with classes of around ten to twenty students. With small class sizes and the residential aspect, there is a strong feeling of family that is drawn from being such a tight knit community. Existing in such a loving and protected community though, can make things that much scarier when they go wrong.
Sometime in the early seventies, two boys were settling in for the night in their dorm. Life could not be better; they were young men in college. Looking forward to another day of school, friends, laughter, and memories, they turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep. Jolted awake at two in the morning, something felt wrong. A quick glance around the room explained the adrenaline rushing through them; their door and window were wide open. And they knew they had shut them before going to sleep. Brushing it off as a prank, they went back to sleep. The next morning, they called up facilities just to make sure they were safe. Wayne King came to change the locks, that way whoever had the key could not get in and play any more pranks. Reassured, they went to bed laughing at yesterday’s incident...only for music to blare through the room. Both men opened their eyes to find the lights on, radio blaring, door and window open again. And neither had left their bed. Now shaken, the men again reported to facilities the next morning. This could only be a prank.... right? Wayne returned to again change the lock, adding a side bolt on the inside. Now even if someone had a key, they would not be able to open the door. Sure enough, music blaring, the boys woke up at 2am again. The lights were on. Radio blasting. Window open and door wide open, even with the side bolt in place. Scared to death, the boys switched rooms and it was closed for the rest of the year.
The story above comes firsthand from Mr. Wayne King, retired director of facilities at Centre College. Having worked at Centre for over four decades, Mr. King has a deep sense for the campus and the ghosts it carries with it. This account lines up with many of the ghost stories of Breckenridge Hall, but not with the loving, protected community Centre is known for. Probably the most notorious building on campus for being haunted, Breckenridge is said to be haunted by the ghost of Peter. Depending on who you ask, different accounts are given on who Peter is and how he came about as a ghost. All stories portray him as a light-hearted ghost, who seems to just want attention and to have his existence acknowledged and respected.
Ann Young, current Director of Residence Life at Centre College, has firsthand experience of many smaller pranks Peter has played. She recalls a large, detailed face appearing on the wall, covering it nearly in its entirety, only to disappear the next day. Quoting the psychic who came to investigate Peter, Ann says, “Peter is a ghost who lives in this building and he's a good one. He was very young and worked on the grounds and passed away and lives in the attic because he can look out over the campus and see everything.”[2]
Wayne King expressed similar positive sentiments about the ghosts on Centre’s campus, “I'm not afraid to go into any of the buildings and so, no, that hasn't really affected me. I would go back in there today...they've [the ghosts] never attempted to hurt anybody they just...A lot of different things have happened with Centre and its history so I'm sure there's more than a few spirits still wandering around.” [3]
Wayne and Ann’s positive experiences with Peter, and minimal fear surrounding campus exemplify his role as a fun way to unite the greater Centre community over the years. Within Centre’s tight-knit community, he can connect across generations and help form new friendships from shared paranormal experiences. But, in taking a closer look at the circumstances surrounding Peter’s death, there is more to his role on campus than just fun pranks.
Wayne has the most experience with Peter, and he attributes the boy’s disturbance in the seventies that was narrated above to the following.
“...the young lady that was at student life at that point in time did some research, and we found that a student had committed suicide in that room almost 50 years to the day that we started having these problems." [3]
Recalling the visit from the psychic to investigate Breckenridge Hall, Wayne says
“...the psychic went through the building and identified a spirit. A young man he called Peter...What they didn’t know is that the student that, and I'm the only one left on campus that knows what happened in the seventies when we found out that the student had committed suicide in there, that first instance, but the student's name was Peter. And so, this psychic, and I didn't tell her the name and I hadn’t told anybody the name...but that was, that was strange that she came up with the name of that young man.” [3]
Wayne has an authentic and persuasive account of Peter’s backstory. However, this directly contrasts with the account of Ann Young, who shared these experiences with Wayne and was present for the psychic. Whether or not Peter’s death was by suicide is somewhat trivial, and is something that would be difficult, if not near impossible, to prove. This conflict in the origins of Peter can be attributed to what haunts Centre and many other college campuses across the country. Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst college students, and more than half of college students have had suicidal thoughts[4]. This presents a dark counter-narrative to the happy young scholars that colleges portray walking through their campuses. Centre is no different, and Peter’s suicide serves a deeper purpose beyond his behavior within Breckenridge. His recurring ghost stories are a lesson to not fall into the various mental health traps college students are surrounded by. Centre is a top tier institution because of the rigor of its academics and its close-knit community, but both of those come with a dark side. The pressure to succeed amongst high expectations and workloads can quickly become overwhelming. Furthermore, being in such a tight-knit community, where everyone is proud of our status and success, it can be difficult to address the negative aspects when everyone else seems so happy. Peter and his stories serve as a lighthearted unifier with a deeper underlying lesson: do not harm yourself and ask for help when the pressure gets to be too much.
Although Peter’s suicide may not consistently be acknowledged, this is the story most students come to know and is something to be considered in the future of Centre. There is a common refusal to acknowledge negative aspects when discussing Centre as an institution. Centre’s rigorous academics and united community should be celebrated, but we must also acknowledge that both of those come with a dark side. Students and faculty refuse to admit openly that maybe we sometimes are being overworked, that the tight-knit Centre bubble can be too much. We can and should accept as an institution that these ghosts are scary, and that imperfection is okay and normal. Some of the things that make us great are at their core a negative. But rather than pretend they do not exist, rather than ignore the fear of failure and slap a smile on our faces, we can discuss our failures and continue to grow as an institution. The reason ghost stories like Peter are so popular is that they offer an easy way to discuss more difficult topics such as suicide and the demands of being a college student. And maybe that is what Peter is hoping for at the heart of all his actions. He does not cause anyone harm, but rather a bit of a wakeup call that we can all laugh at while remembering an important lesson. Some things are bigger than academics, and it can never hurt to seek out support and ask for help.
-Mackenzie Conkling
Endnotes
[1] “CentreCyclopedia - Breckinridge Hall.” Accessed January 24, 2021. https://sc.centre.edu/ency/b/breckinridge_hall.html.
[2] Young, Ann. Centre Ghost Stories: Oral History. Interview by Madison Malloy, January 13, 2021.
[3] King, Wayne. Ghosts at Centre: Oral History Project. Interview by Mackenzie Conkling, January 15, 2021.
[4] Brodbeck, Ben. “Suicide Second Highest Cause of College Deaths | SafeColleges.” https://www.safecolleges.com/. Accessed January 27, 2021. https://www.safecolleges.com/suicide-second-highest-cause-of-death-among-college-students/.