A Mint for a Ride: Gus the Ghost
Taking the elevator in Grant Hall on his way to a meeting, Graham Posner noticed several mints from the Cowan dining facility lying in the elevator’s call box: “When I entered the elevator, I got one of the mints from the defunct elevator call box for my breath. When I did, the elevator unexpectedly stopped for around two to three minutes.”[i] Uncertain of how long he would be stuck, Graham informed a colleague working within the building of his situation as the elevator resumed its ascent. Although Graham has comedically described himself as a paranormal skeptic, his experience has shaped the mythology surrounding the alleged ghost that inhabits the elevator. As Graham stated, “I had heard about Gus through students when I first arrived at Centre, but my elevator story has only stoked my students’ enthusiasm.”[ii] The contrast between Graham’s detached, comedic perspective and the enthusiastic adoption of his story into the established narrative of Gus highlights the way oral storytelling has continually shifted the Centre community’s perception of the ghost, with greater dissemination of Graham’s story leading to macabre embellishments and personality traits afforded to Gus by students.
The ghost of Gus, as recounted by Scene Shop Supervisor Graham Posner, has become a common ghost story recounted among faculty and students who frequent Grant Hall. While it lacks the ubiquity of Breckenridge Hall’s Peter, the Grant Hall elevator has historically been well stocked on mints and small candies donated by elevator patrons. The story of Gus has proven impactful to generations of Centre students, faculty, and staff, with the story having been established by Matthew Hallock’s arrival to campus in 1997.[iii] Despite the longevity of this tradition, no current professor or student has been able to articulate the story behind Gus or when his legend first rose to prominence on campus.[iv] The Norton Center, originally called the Regional Arts Center, had its dedication on November 2nd, 1973, with the college and local community being invited to the convocation and gala.[v] The building had been designed by William Wesley Peters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and the project proved to be the most ambitious and extensive in the college’s history, with A. Chauncey Newlin conflating the building to a baby, “easy to conceive but hard to deliver,” in his speech during the building’s dedication.[vi] The unique character of the Norton Center, with it’s tricky winding corridors and lack of right angles, have continually made it an often confounding and disorienting location for new students, and the building’s character has further impacted the reputation of Gus. Gus, inherently tied to the building in which he resides, has often been considered a mischievous, unpredictable ghost much like the character of the Norton Center.
Despite relatively little historical background to the story of Gus, his development as a commonly acknowledged paranormal presence in Grant Hall highlights the community’s relationship with the Norton Center. Ghost stories prove representative of oral storytelling, with these stories often serving to teach, entertain, or warn younger generations of the world around them. The development of Gus comes from this same tradition, with the dissemination of the story both intriguing new residents of Centre College while strengthening the collective bonds of the community. As Grant Lyon reveals in his interview, “[Gus was] mentioned to me at least by sophomore year someone had talked about it, probably even freshman year. But just kind of casually.” Grant’s statement reveals the underlying power of oral storytelling: the ability to share unique lessons within simple and easily relayed narratives. Hidden within the framework of Graham Posner’s story lies an important lesson to convey to any new visitor to Grant Hall: beware of the Grant elevator. Whether due to the ghost of Gus being angered or the mechanical failings of the aging elevator, anyone who is told this story immediately learns that the elevator proves temperamental and the stairs might be more reliable. As Aidan Blewett described in his interview on Gus, “[Centre students have] stopped using the elevator as much and started using the stairs more. And, I feel like it’s a little more respectful of Gus like we’re going to use the stairs rather than the elevator because that’s his place. And if we don’t have anything to offer him, why should he offer us a ride?”[vii] Aidan demonstrates how the threat of upsetting Gus has left numerous Centre students reticent to use the elevator and reliant upon the stairs, something any visitor to Grant Hall quickly notices. The variety of interpretations expressed here by Graham, Grant, and Aidan showcases how the communal element of storytelling impacts individuals in distinctive ways. To some Centre residents, Gus represents a comedic or relatable force while others see the ghost as a frightening force that could stall their elevator ride. In either sense, Gus has garnered a distinctive personality among the wide assortment of Centre residents who have heard his story and further reflects each individual's relationship to Grant.
Within the context of numerous ghost stories existing prior to the construction of Grant Hall, it proves likely that the strange happenings within Grant inspired students and faculty to equate these unusual occurrences to a newly entrenched specter. As Matthew Hallock stated during his interview, “it's just a sense in the building that if something unexplained goes screwy, we know who to blame it on.”[viii] The paranormal represents a powerful force in explaining unusual circumstances that evade clear explanation, and the rickety elevator and persistent breeze in the basement of the building likely inspire the imagination of any visitor. The Norton Center has developed a unique personality among the buildings on campus; a challenging architectural feat of the 1970s has become a labyrinthine building that continually surprises members of the campus community. Despite an absence of defined background, the story of Gus in Grant Hall proves emblematic of the much larger history of Centre College and its relationship with the paranormal. Comprised of highly educated early adopters, Centre provides a fertile breeding ground for the paranormal, and Grant Hall stands as a mysterious setting for the paranormal that has developed its own character. The longevity of these paranormal tales attests to a community linked through generations of imaginative and perceptive storytellers seeking to entertain, frighten, and protect one another. The paranormal character of Centre remains hidden to outside visitors, but it inspires the imagination of the larger community.
-Kyle Capps
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Aidan Blewett, interview by Kyle Capps, January 18, 2021, transcript and recording, Centre College Haunted American History collection, Centre College Digital Archives.
Graham Posner in discussion with the author, January 29, 2021.
Mathew Hallock, interview by Naomi Ferrell, January 19, 2021, transcript and recording, Centre College Haunted American History collection, Centre College Digital Archives.
“Olde Centre 1974,” Centre College Digital Archives, accessed January 20, 2021, https://centre.omeka.net/items/show/1202.
Secondary Sources
“About the Norton Center.” Norton Center. Accessed on January 16, 2021. http://nortoncenter.com/about/.
Bader, Christopher, F. Carson Mencken, and Joseph O. Baker. Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture. New York: New York University, 2010.
Bell, Michael Mayfield. “The Ghosts of Place.” Theory and Society 26, no. 6 (1997): 813-836
Bourke, Joanna. “Fear and Anxiety: Writing about Emotion in Modern History.” History Workshop Journal, no. 55 (2003): 111-133.
Tucker, Elizabeth. Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
[i] Graham Posner in discussion with the author, January 29, 2021.
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Mathew Hallock, interview by Naomi Ferrell, January 19, 2021, transcript and recording, Centre College Haunted American History collection, Centre College Digital Archives.
[iv] Several students and alumni claim that Gus’ origins date back to a construction worker, who allegedly died during the construction of the Norton Center. However, several sources disagree on his death, and no factual evidence supports the death of anyone during the construction project.
[v] “Olde Centre 1974,” Centre College Digital Archives, accessed January 20, 2021, https://centre.omeka.net/items/show/1202.
[vi] Ibid
[vii] Aidan Blewett, interview by Kyle Capps, January 18, 2021, transcript and recording, Centre College Haunted American History collection, Centre College Digital Archives.
[viii] Mathew Hallock, interview by Naomi Ferrell, January 19, 2021, transcript and recording, Centre College Haunted American History collection, Centre College Digital Archives.