Sutcliffe: What Remains?

The modern day Sutcliffe that we see in this picture has a much longer history than one would initially think, especially given the current designs and technologies included in the building. However, Sutcliffe has a tragic history including two devastating fires that gutted the initial Boyle-Humphrey gymnasiums.[iv] 

 

This is what the original Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium was supposed to look like. Edward H. Fox drew this rendition based off of the blueprints of the building.[v] Judge Alex P. Humphrey, John Boyle, and other alumni gifted Centre with the funds to create this gym.[vi] This gym was the first to burn down. 

The Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium as of December 15, 1899, just 13 years before the building would burn down.[vii]The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it was devastating for Centre, as the loss was totaled at $23,000.[viii]The fire was reported nationally; one report in Connecticut recorded the estimated loss at $50,000.[ix]Luckily, through insurance and charitable donations, the school was able to construct a newer Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium.[x]Unfortunately, that building would burn down too on November 13, 1914.[xi] 

A photo of Sutcliffe Hall: the new renovated building that followed the Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasiums. As of 1962, this is the structure that stood where the traumatic and devastating fires burned two gymnasiums. The building was constructed following a $300,000 donation from Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Gary Sutcliffe.[xii]The building was opened December 15, 1961, and included many amenities that are still kept in the building today, though it underwent renovations in 2005.[xiii]

Picture this: You are sitting in the living room of your dorm in Stuart; out of habit, you chock a rock in the door - a sizable one enough to prohibit a large, heavy door from moving. Out of nowhere, the entire rock shifts and the door closes. An impossible action has just occurred. What force acted upon the rock to move it? It could not have been the wind and nobody else was around. For Lucas Mozingo and his roommates, who lived in Stuart during their senior year, these experiences became commonplace. Stuart has a history conducive of supernatural occurrences; the building itself was once a funeral home. Once while standing in his room, Lucas witnessed a water bottle fly across the room. Again, an object moved with noticeable force without any logical explanations. As Lucas states, “An object in motion stays in motion. An object at rest… is supposed to stay rest.”[i]When logic cannot be upheld in situations, where do you turn? Though Lucas thought run-ins with the paranormal were all in good fun, experiences like these trigger an all too common response to fear: the fight or flight response. For many of us who have had unexplainable encounters, flight seems like the only option. 

I, too, have experienced this flight response in Sutcliffe Hall. I vividly remember being on a tour at Centre when I was a senior in high school, before I knew anything about the ghosts on campus. As the tour went through Sutcliffe, I quickly stopped in the upstairs women’s bathroom. While there, I felt that unmistakable feeling of being watched; of feeling unwelcome. I left the bathroom quickly, and as soon as I passed through the door, I immediately felt relief. I did not think too much about it and went on my way, only to find out later that Sutcliffe is rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings on campus - and not by a friendly presence. 

Sandella’s is one of my favorite places to study on campus; but, every time I step into the women’s bathroom, I feel it. The unnatural creeping chill that goes up your back accompanied by the weight of knowing that you are not alone in a place you should be. The upstairs women’s bathroom is in what I believe to be part of the renovated Sutcliffe, however, these newer technologies produce strange occurrences. Whenever I visit this bathroom, without fail, three or four toilets will flush. These toilets are automatic, so maybe they do just happen to go off now and then. However, when I am in this huge bathroom and I feel like I need to leave, and toilets start flushing rapidly and randomly, it is hard not to think that something else is at play. 

Though I now know that the building has its fair share of ghost stories attached to it, I do my best to pay no mind to anything that may feel off while there. However, as I read President Roush’s account of the Sutcliffe ghost, I realized that what he and I experienced are eerily similar. We shared the overwhelming feeling of sensing another presence; something invisible. In his interview, President Roush stated, “I concluded that I wasn’t the only one here, not upset by that, just wasn’t sticking around.”[ii]Similarly, an employee painting Sutcliffe one summer left and never returned after witnessing a handball roll across the floor. Wayne King revealed, “One of the guys that was with me painting for me that summer, he went up the stairs, and I have never seen him since. He left, never came back from lunch.”[iii]What was the force that caused the handball to move? The sense of fear culminated from this experience drove a man to leave Sutcliffe Hall and neverreturn. We rely on our senses to tell us where our threats are, but what happens when it is invisible? Is it the brain playing tricks on one’s mind, or could it be something else? Regardless of the answer, there are many people who have felt a dire urge to leave the space, to immediately vacate the premises because an almost primitive sense warned danger could be imminent. 

In a place like Sutcliffe, there are reminders everywhere of people who truly made a mark on Centre. For most colleges, athletic accomplishments are historic moments; and in a place like Centre, where half of the students participate in athletics, students strive to make their place amongst the legends that line the walls of Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe is a space of constant movement; employees of the college, students, and spectators frequent it daily. Students from a century ago are memorialized by what they physically achieved in the time they spent at this place. Although it is not in Sutcliffe, one of the most memorable athletic achievements ever is the iconic C6H0; the defining moment in our athletic history: when Centre famously beat Harvard’s football team. That team is forever immortalized by that event; the accomplishment of defying all of the odds stacked against them. 

During their four years at Centre, student athletes strive to be the best, to do their best, to leave no regrets. What is left behind in these memories in Sutcliffe? These people have dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears into athletics at Centre, and then they are expected to leave. After only four years, their welcome is terminated and they leave. The triumphs, the defeats, the hours spent in practice are all in hopes of making a mark in the building full of the highest standards of achievement. The emotional charges left linger; and the respect for these athletes is upheld by others who recognize the sacrifice and dedication required for such feats.

 Yet, still, they left; and we will leave, too. But what is left behind? Most athletes that pass through Sutcliffe’s halls have committed to their sport for their entire lives; it becomes part of their identity. College is the last time many of these athletes will compete, and alongside the joy of competing, there is a sense of finality. Many walk away from college feeling content with their last years playing their sports, but some leave feeling lost. A key piece of their identity is over; the last buzzer is heard, the last goal is made, and the lights go out. To picture a life without their sport is strange and foreign, leaving some with unfinished business that will never be resolved. They do not go gently into a new chapter in their lives; they are pushed out against their will. Instead of reliving the glory days of their college careers, they are haunted by the thoughts of what could have been different. 

Centre’s ghost stories are upheld through generations, and tend to stick around for decades. These stories are passed down and kept alive by new, curious students and passed down by those who have come before. These stories are ingrained in Centre’s culture, perpetuating the macabre interest in the ghoulish history of the school. In fact, Centre’s ghosts seem to be an almost lesser version of the same spirit that keeps the C6H0 writing so crucial to Centre. C6H0 is something the school prides itself on; we bring it up every year, we pass by the writing on campus, and we even have it plastered on our clothing. We all take joy in the C6H0 story, because it is fun, interesting, and something unique to Centre.

In the same vein, the ghosts at Centre are almost exclusively told by those connected to Centre. These stories are not told through media, but by word of mouth. People genuinely enjoy ghost stories; especially when the thrill of an encounter is so near. These hauntings at Centre, especially the ghost in Sutcliffe, create a community that transcends time. For instance, the Sutcliffe ghost is perpetually evoked by the tale of an athletic trainer that took their own life in the building. As I looked into the story further, I could not find definitive evidence that confirmed that story. However, if one thing is clear about the Sutcliffe ghost, it is that it does not need a backstory. The emotions felt from its presence delivers an unspoken, but nonetheless clear message: leave. The ghost does not need an identity, for it creates its own - one that makes the President of the college leave, faculty leave, and students leave. Who is to say what is happening in Sutcliffe, but one thing is certain: the impacts of this ghost story are very real for those who experience them. 

-Alana Pugh

ENDNOTES:

[i]Lucas Mozingo, Interview by Alana Pugh, January 19, 2021.

[ii]John Roush, Interview by Mark Kaczocha, January 17, 2021.

[iii] Wayne King, Interview by Mackenzie Conkling, January 15, 2021.

[iv]“New Gymnasium Burns.” Kentucky Advocate, November 23, 1914.

[v]“Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium.” Kentucky Advocate, May 30, 1890.

[vi]“Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium.” Kentucky Advocate, May 30, 1890.

[vii]“Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium.” Kentucky Advocate. December 15, 1899.

[viii]“Gymnasium Burns.” Kentucky Advocate. April 1, 1912.

[ix]“Gymnasium Burns.” Record Journal. April 2, 1912.

[x]“Total Loss.” Kentucky Advocate. April 2, 1912.

[xi]“New Gymnasium Burns.” Kentucky Advocate. November 23, 1914.

[xii]“The Sutcliffes Open Sutcliffe Hall at Centre College.” The Advocate-Messenger, December 17, 1961.

[xiii]“The Sutcliffes Open Sutcliffe Hall at Centre College.” The Advocate-Messenger, December 17, 1961.