The Haunting of Breckinridge Hall

Margueritte sits alone in her small, second-floor dorm room in Breckenridge Hall (Breck). She is alone; relaxing and watching Netflix as the evening passes. As she watches Netflix, her closet door slowly creaks open. Unusual, she thinks to herself. Her closet door has never opened on its own and isn’t loose. She gets up, shuts the door, and hops back in bed, and continues to watch her show. If it had been a one-time incident, then it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But, her door keeps opening again and again. Every time she gets out of bed, closes the door and ensures that it is closed, then gets back in bed. The growing paranoia begins to creep into as she finally calls it a night and turns off the light. She hears another creak, and out the corner of her eye, she sees the door open again, for the eighth time that night. At this point, she has given up on closing that door, flips to where she can’t see the closet and tries to sleep.

But this keeps happening to Margueritte. The incidents come in waves; every couple of weeks starting in January, her closet door would slowly open. This wasn’t it, however. There was another night when she was alone and trying to sleep when her roommate came back. As her roommate walked in and sat on her bed, Margueritte turned to see her roommate. The problem? Her roommate wasn’t there. Yet she heard the footsteps and heard pressure on the bed beside her. Margueritte’s experience certainly isn’t in a vacuum either; others who have lived in Breck have had similar experiences. For example, in an interview with Amanda Gosper, Valerie Mims tells of her own paranormal experience living on the second floor of Breck.[i] Late at night, she heard her roommate rummaging through her snack crate.[ii] When she looked down, her roommate wasn’t there, and the snack crate was closed. So, the question remains, what or who caused both of these experiences?

It is impossible to discuss anything supernatural in Breck without discussing Peter, so that is where I’ll turn first. Could Peter have pulled a prank on Margueritte and opened her closet door? To answer this question, we need to dive a bit deeper into Peter. First, there are conflicting reports about Peter, who he is, and how he “haunts” people or makes his presence known. The most notably Peter story is one told by Ann Young in an interview with Madison Malloy. In her retelling of the incident, an extremely detailed face appeared in a Breck dorm room, one that Young described as having “eyebrows and eyelashes. The whole bit.”[iii] She then says that this painting would not come off the wall, and they had to repaint over it time and time again. Finally, a psychic was called in to find out what was going on, and she determined that Peter had died young and had worked on the grounds.[iv] According to this psychic, Peter lives in the attic and likes to watch the happenings of campus from its window.

Davis Downs, however, was told a completely different story about Peter when he was at GSP. In an interview with Buckley Sparks, he retells the story of Peter, recalling that the RAs told him that Peter was a student who committed suicide by jumping out of the window of Breck 317 and made his presence known by shattering windows, which Downs experienced.[v] This story is completely different than the one told by Ann Young, so which one is right? Could both have elements of truth? Further, neither of these events lines up with Margueritte’s experience. So, could there be a ghost other than Peter that lives in Breck?

First, we must address who Peter is, because stories of his origin are contested. According to the psychic, Peter was a groundskeeper, yet according to Ann Young, there was no Peter on the payroll.[vi] Davis Downs was told Peter was a student who committed suicide, however, there is no record of a student suicide in Breck. However, in looking at the details of both stories, Peter Gentry Caldwell could fill in the gaps. Peter, who died in 1931, was a former Centre student and prominent farmer in the Danville area.[vii] Therefore, if this Peter is the Peter, it would fit in with the story that Downs was told. Further, because he was a farmer, his connection with the land of Boyle County might have been misinterpreted by the psychic, which would explain why he is connected to land but there is no evidence of there being a groundskeeper by the name of Peter. Lastly, Peter died was born in 1889 and died in 1931 making him relatively young (as the psychic mentioned) and opening the possibility that he lived in Breckenridge Hall, which was erected in the late 1890s.[viii] Of course, if Peter was indeed a student, we would expect him to “haunt” by doing that a college student would do, such as opening a closet door, sitting on a bed, or looking for some late-night munchies.

However, regardless of whether Peter was a student or a groundskeeper, died of illness or suicide, we must ask ourselves why these stories continues to be told and passed down across generations of students. Interestingly, the meanings behind the story of Peter differ depending on how which story we hear. How do we analyze the story of Peter if he was a groundskeeper or a student who returned to campus to watch its development? But, if we look at Peter as a student who committed suicide, that completely changes the narrative, and the story begins to take on a different light. Finally, how does Breck as a structure influence, or even hinder, the story of Peter?

Let’s start with the first of these questions, assuming that Peter was a groundskeeper (or Peter Caldwell, the student, and farmer who was very connected to Boyle county). If this is the Peter that we hear about, then his story rings of tradition and respect for the campus. In this scenario, Peter represents the rich history of Centre College. He ties us to a past time and allows us to become a part of a much bigger whole. Through this story of Peter, students become aware of just how much of an impact Centre has on the life of its students and all the residents in Boyle County. In its essence, this story of Peter is one that emphasizes the positives of Centre College.

However, if we learn of Peter as the student who committed suicide, the narrative begins to take on a much darker tone and, unfortunately, becomes a narrative that many students are familiar with. His story becomes one of mental stress, pressure, and an inability to cope with the intense life provided by Centre’s rigors. Speaking as an athlete, the Centre experience is anything but peaceful. I am practicing twice a day, fulfilling my evenings with copious amounts of homework, and constantly planning for the future. Very rarely do I have time to stop and sniff the roses. If we look at Peter through this lens, one that is filled with stress, his story begins to transform into a warning. He is no longer reminding students of the tradition and honor that follows Centre’s name nationally, but instead the stress and anxiety that comes with expectations of Centre College. Even in 2021 when mental health is far less stigmatized than it has ever been (and rightfully so), Peter continues to serve as a reminder to students that it is okay not only to feel overwhelmed and overstressed at times, but it is also okay to seek help when these feelings arise.

Lastly, we must ask ourselves what role Breck plays in these stories, and ask ourselves if it could even be a distraction. Built in 1892, Breck is certainly one of the oldest buildings on campus. Further, its small rooms and spacious hallways create echoes that only add to the eeriness of the building. Multiple of the interviewees were also quick to point out that something felt out-of-place in certain locations, like the staircases or the bathroom. Breck certainly looks like a place that we would think of as haunted. But, is that an issue? Does the fact that Breck, as a structure, looks like a place that would be haunted render the stories of Peter meaningless to some? Are students able to brush off some encounters with Peter or other experiences simply because they live in Breck and these things are expected? To these questions, I answer with a resounding “no,” because if Breck really did detract from the stories of Peter, then I believe we wouldn’t be telling them today.

-Andrew Edwards

[i] Valerie Mims interview with Amanda Gosper, January 2021, Centre College Archives

[ii]Ibid.

[iii] Ann Young interview with Madison Malloy, January 2021, Centre College

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Davis Downs interview with Buckley Sparks, January 2021, Centre College

[vi] Ann Young interview with Madison Malloy, January 2021, Centre College

[vii] Obituaries, 1931. Kentucky Advocate

[viii] Ibid.