The Beckoning of Breckinridge Hall

The Beckoning of Breckinridge Hall

Centre College (Danville, Ky. : 1918- )—Anecdotes
Centre College (Danville, Ky. : 1918- )—Buildings
Centre College (Danville, Ky. : 1918- )—History
Centre College (Danville, Ky. : 1918- )—Students
Ghosts—Kentucky—Danville
Haunted places—Kentucky—Danville
Haunted universities and colleges—Kentucky—Danville

An oral history revealing and looking into the lingering spirits of Centre College's most historic dorms

Maloney, Eric

2021/01/25

Hodge, Lauren (Riley)

All Rights Reserved

MP4

English

Oral history (literary work)

Hodge, Lauren (Riley)

Maloney, Eric

Breckinridge Hall, Centre College, Danville, KY

Riley Hodge 0:02
All right.
My name is Riley Hodge. And today I'm interviewing Eric Maloney who
works at center in admissions, right.
Eric Maloney 0:14
Your admissions Yes.
Riley Hodge 0:19
Today is January 25 2021. We're recording over zoom. And today we will
be discussing Mr. Maloney's experiences with J vac and Breck.
So, um, what's like your, your whole relationship with centre?
Eric Maloney 0:44
Ah, yes.
So I remember first visiting center when I was probably well, actually
was my sister was looking. So I was, like, maybe 12 at the time. And
so, you know, I've done a few tours with her when she was looking
around. You know, I helped her move in when she was a student, she
transferred afterwards. And then it was my turn to, you know, finally
kind of take on the application process to center. And then I came in
the class of 26, class of 2020, arrived in 2016. And just recently
graduated this past year.
Riley Hodge 1:15
Wow. Um, so what do you do in admissions? Exactly?
Eric Maloney 1:20
Yes. So in admissions, I am just, I'm an admissions counselor. So
pretty much I normally during a normal year, I would be traveling to
my areas of my territory. So I have Illinois and an ENSO will
primarily be like Chicago, Springfield, Indianapolis, Evansville. And
then also some territories in Kentucky. And I would just kind of be
doing interviews with students or providing small presentations to
schools to kind of gain interest. And then also just kind of evaluate
certain students who are going to be applying and just to kind of a
general, you know, interview form that we can look back when they
apply. And then also my kind of task is, when I was a student, I, I
did some videography. I was actually a film studies minor. And so I
did some small short films with some friends and also by myself. And
so the admissions team, they kind of wanted to tap into that to create
some video content for the office. So I'm also in charge of doing some
videos, whether it's kind of covering our test optical policy or small
counselor introductions, and then we're going to start doing some more
student profile videos for yield season, which is our spring season.
Riley Hodge 2:25
Um, can you describe where you work?
Eric Maloney 2:30
where I work? So I am in boles, not the boles natatorium. But the
other boles, boles Hall. And so that's where the financial aid and
admissions offices so I'm on the second floor. Remember my office
number, exactly, I should know this, but but you know, on the second
floor, I pretty much go up the stairs, then you'll make a right turn
and then I am the third door down. Okay.
Riley Hodge 2:57
So what's a typical day like for you?
Eric Maloney 3:01
Okay, a typical day. So usually, I'll be getting into work around nine
o'clock, I'll come to my desktop, my laptop, you know, pull up my
camera gear just in case I have any kind of project to do, or
sometimes even just kind of go around campus just to get out of the
office to walk a little bit, take some photos or do some small video
stuff, or just plan for future videos. You know, I may have to do a
few emails to students at center. And if they have certain information
they need to get across to whether an admissions counselor or to
financial aid will help with that. Sometimes students even kind of
come to me if they need help with video, stuff that they're working
on, you know, sometimes do a tour, like I did today and the rain. But
yeah, sometimes we'll be doing that. You know, I forget to call a
student or a parents telling them it's like you either missing some
materials or whether it is like a phone interview or something like
that, or I might be doing a zoom interview. I'll be kind of having a
sporadic combination of those throughout the week. And then also
usually some kind of faculty meetings or all staff meetings while
every Wednesday or Friday.
Riley Hodge 4:05
Cool. Um, so what strange or unexplained experiences have you had on
Center's campus?
Eric Maloney 4:13
See, that's the it's i've i've heard noises that's that's the most
extent I can kind of like taken that. Those experiences into my own
work as well. So in Breckinridge Hall, actually, this is when I was
before I was really a student. It's there's a program called campus
program. And so they bring in a small group of first year students and
that's pretty much what they learned leadership skills, and normally
they'll put them in brick. And so you know, you have that social
space. And there's always the rumor that on the third floor, there's
possible ghost haunting it. I forget exactly how the story went. I
believe it was that like either a student just suddenly died or might
have committed suicide and it was a long time ago. This is like well
into the 1900s, if I remember right. And it's supposed to be rumored

that the Ghost lurks on the third floor. And so some of us did go up
to the third floor we were told not to. But of course, you know, young
rebellious first years of we did. And, you know, some of us would pull
pranks on one another. But you do get that weird, cold feeling like on
the back of your neck and you feel like something's watching you. And
I don't know if it's paranoia. I don't know if it is something there.
So they would like in terms of supernatural action, like I sometimes
lean into the skeptical or at least try to consider both sides. I
think it doesn't help that like with my family, of course, they tell
me the story that when they were kind of young honeymooners, they saw
the words and if you ever seen The Conjuring movies, and so yeah, so
that's pretty much based off of them. So they actually met them in
real life. And they were supposedly given some kind of haunted house
tour. Which a normal haunted house tour. I'm like, okay, it's
probably, you know, just the whole thing. But what's the Warrens,
you're like, Okay, then there's something going. And so then telling
me that I always kind of have the idea. I'm like, maybe I'm haunted,
or, you know, maybe I can have it is always the idea. It's like, maybe
there is something there. It was kind of instilled in me in a way,
because they said that they've experienced things which they can fully
explain. And so yeah, when I was on there, I definitely kind of felt
something but I can't tell if it was actually something paranormal or
just my, my mind playing tricks on me in a way. So that wasn't brick.
by brick you were talking about you also want to go into Jvac from
here.
Riley Hodge 6:39
so in Breck, you said your friends would like play pranks on you and
stuff. Were you inclined to believe that it was something paranormal
or that it was just your friends?
Eric Maloney 6:49
Ah, again, I
do kind of lean towards skeptic at times, I want to say it was just
friends. But then also when it's just you alone, because there have
been times when I've just been alone in brick. And you hear something
and this is even like, during like when the school isn't really
active. This is like, you know, summer is when you know, it's just a
few people. Normally they're in parallel and you hear something and
you know, it's not like a moaning or anything like that. It's more
like, like a weird thing of footsteps or a breath or something like
that. You feel like some kind of presence there. And I guess it could
just chalk it up to imagination. But, I mean, there's always like
that, like 10% 20% of things. Like what if there is something there? I
can't see. So I want to say I'm leaning more towards the skeptic. It's
my mind, but I'm not going to doubt that there could be something
there.
Riley Hodge 7:41

Yeah, so yeah, the footsteps was there like a specific part in Breck
where you heard them.
Eric Maloney 7:47
It would be upper part of the stairwell, I would say.
Riley Hodge 7:54
I think I heard about a window or something near the stairwell just
spontaneously shattering in breck, which is That's crazy.
Eric Maloney 8:05
That is crazy. I never heard of that.
Riley Hodge 8:12
Um, and then the cold. You said you felt like something cold on the
back of your neck?
Eric Maloney 8:18
Yeah, like sometimes I'll go like, you know, think it's like there's
like a cold presence or just like a cold feeling like, you know, I'll
get like the the hairs go up in the back of your neck. You kind of get
those goosebumps. And so you know, normally when you're on the top
floor, of course, the warm air rises. So it's like, what are you
feeling this cool feeling, especially in the summer. And I don't
remember seeing like any, like air vent, on the third floor that like
where I was standing. And so it was just kind of like that moment, you
get that hairs in the back of your neck and I get I keep going back.
There's I could just chalk it up to my imagination. My body is
tricking myself into thinking there's something there. But the fact
that you do feel that feeling and there's really no explanation for
that to happen. You're kind of like my whole lot of second. You kind
of double thinking like, is there actually something behind me? And I
mean, there were people on the floor during that time, but like, I
don't remember anyone being behind like that close behind me too. It's
like they can like, breathe. That you know, you didn't even really
feel like someone like breathing down your neck. It just kind of felt
like a whisper of like something right there. And then it was gone.
Riley Hodge 9:21
Yeah. Was that near any specific room or anything? Or was it just kind
of all around the third floor
Eric Maloney 9:27
near the entrance to the stairwell?
Riley Hodge 9:28
Okay. All near the stairs. Um, so what was your experience in j back?
Right?
Eric Maloney 9:35

so back jvac an interesting one because I mean, it's just there's so
many noises that go on it go on in there in general, because this was
during the semester and so you know, you have people doing the the
glassblowing you know, people sculpting people in the photography lab
mean, it's a place where it's like things always are happening at
night. And on the basement, I mean, there's really no access to air.
like airflow really going through, you know, you think that's like the
front door. I mean, there could be weird air currents that go through
that building. But like when you're in a photography lab and I thought
I closed the door. And so maybe something did slightly push it open at
the door, like slowly kind of opened a little bit. And so it could be
that, you know, someone opened the front door, and somehow the air was
able to swoop down, push it open, but that's still such a like a weird
pattern for it to kind of go. But no, I was there for like a good hour
and the door just kind of slightly just creaked open. Okay. And again,
I could you can even chalk it up to it's like, someone just decided
I'm gonna pull a prank and just go like this and run and you don't
hear him. But it's still strange, because you're just like, I'm alone
in here. And I don't like
something happened
Riley Hodge 10:53
So,
did you hear the noises? Like from the basement? Above?
Eric Maloney 10:59
Ah, no, no, you
hear any noises from like anything above? No, it's just like the door
kind of slowly opened. And I didn't hear anyone moving or anything
like that's I don't hear any footsteps. But also, it's like, the thing
like the rattle thing rotating in the glassblowing building. So I
don't know if that would have muffled out any kind of footsteps,
especially maybe they're walking quietly. I didn't really get up to go
check it out, though. I just saw the door open. And I was just like,
that's peculiar and got back to editing my photos. I didn't really
think anything of it, but it was still just kind of like That's odd.
So you just kind of go back to what you're doing. So yeah, I really
just don't know what happened there. So it could
just be you know, a whole bunch of pranksters in there, which I know
some of the art students are, but it could very well be something I
don't know. But yeah, as I said, like, I kind of take some of these
moments. And I pull them into inspiration. For some of them. I
actually have like photos that I did back. Back then in which I like I
have a friend of mine who's like in the hallway of Breck. And there's
like I put another friend at the end of the hallway. It's like a black

figure. So kind of so I really kind of harness those moments, and I
put them into some of my work that I did for classes.
Riley Hodge 12:14
It's really cool.
Eric Maloney 12:15
Yeah, it's I have like a long exposure photo of my friend in j vac.
And because as long exposure if he's walking around, of course, he's
going to be kind of all like, wispy. And so it kind of looks like a
ghost reaching out of the camera.
Riley Hodge 12:30
That's really cool. Didn't get sorry. Which, which door was it? And
jvac? Was it to the base Manor?
Eric Maloney 12:37
Well, J backs the the art building. So that's the Yeah, so it was the
basement with the photography lab is okay. Cool. Cool. Cool.
Riley Hodge 12:45
Um,
was there?
Um,
so immediately after those experiences, you wanted to chalk it up to
skip skepticism. And just yeah,
Eric Maloney 13:02
I want to say like, yeah, it's like, my mind automatically goes to
it's like, That's strange, but I'm sure it was. So instead of so and
so. But like, also in the back of your mind, you do have like, those
subconscious fears. Like, what if it's not? And so you're like, then
Okay, if it wasn't then who was? And so it's like, you know, I think,
you know, I'll have that moment. I'm like, in the moment, I'll be
like, Oh, it's probably something and then like, over time when you're
processing you're like, what's it though? Because I don't remember
seeing anyone down at the time I heard noises, but like, what they
really if they're doing like, glassblowing they want to take that time
away. to just go prank a dude. Like, I don't like unless it was
someone I knew. But I don't remember anyone I knew who was in the
glassblowing class at that time.
Riley Hodge 13:43
So
um, was there anything you had heard previously about those buildings
that might have influenced your initial reaction?

Eric Maloney 13:51
I mean, you always hear like, they it's like, oh, it's like this
building. So it's so at night is so terrifying. Like people always
talk about the basement of grant Hall. Like if they're playing you
know, their guitar at 11 o'clock at night. No one's there. You're like
the halls are just so creepy. And so automatically, your mind might
start playing tricks on you. I've heard that and I heard that same
thing for j Mac as well. It's like at night, you know, there will be
people there. But like still thinks the atmosphere sometimes the
darkness it really does kind of seem like it's some kind of weird
dimensional space where it's like things could happen. And then Breck
there's all I've always heard the stories of you know, that there are
ghosts and brick. I know one friend of mine actually made like a whole
Scooby Doo episode about the ghost of Breck. It's on YouTube, if you
ever want to watch it, it's hilarious. Um, but yeah, so I mean, like,
I've always heard the stories about like, you know, some kind of
creepy thing or on campus. I mean, you also hear about it and hold
center as well as when it was like the world Civil War hospital. We
even say it on the tours that it's like, you know, it's like it will
act as a civil war hospital. And there's always stories about it's
like, you might see the ghost of fallen soldiers then. And so I mean,
I can't say really expense anything and old center. But granted, I
haven't ever been in old Center at night, I don't know if anyone
really has. But that would be an interesting kind of thing is just
like spend the night in old center and try and see if you hear
anything or see anything.
Riley Hodge 15:15
So have these experiences like shaped the way you view centre now? Or
has it changed anything?
Eric Maloney 15:23
I don't want to say I get like, you know, when you're in the moment,
as I said, like you kind of chalk it up to like something explainable.
And so you're like, Okay, it's my friends playing pranks. And so
automatically, it's like, you kind of just refocus on like, the
community at center. And so you really, again, I want to take those
in, like, Oh, it's just, you know, we all have fun with one another,
in certain ways. And so it's like, it's a little like, you know,
playing a prank or spooking someone just for fun and like, okay, so
don't want to say left, you know, in impact, but like, there are
memories there. I'm like, it could have just been just messing with
me. Because that's just what some people do.
Riley Hodge 16:02
Yeah. Um, has it made you believe more in the paranormal? Or?
Eric Maloney 16:10
I'm

not, don't know. It's hard because like, I do have like this, like,
kind of, like, I want to say like, 8020 split of like, I'm skeptical
and a lot of things paranormal, but then like, I do want to believe
myself and someone that there is something else there. And so like,
having these experiences, like I think if there was something more
there like if, you know, I had that strange feeling, but I'm like, it
could just there might be something explainable for it. I don't know.
I'm
kind of like,
I want to say somewhat like, you know, having those initial
experiences. It kind of did push me a little bit more like maybe more
towards like a 70-30 in a way but like, not to the point where I'm
like, Okay, now there's ghosts. Like, it's not like anything was like
thrown my way or I heard a voice whisper in my ear of someone who
wasn't there. I feel like it was something like that. And I'd be like,
Okay, I know you sold me this ghosts. But what just like, you know,
something moving, or just a strange, you know, has an axe something
that I feel like my mind could trick me into, you know, thinking is
happening. Then I still kind of lean a little bit more on the
skeptical but like, there's still that open door. It's like maybe
there is something else there that I'm just not seeing or I don't
understand.
Riley Hodge 17:26
Yeah, yeah.
All right. I think that's all of my questions.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai

MP4

17:33