Ghosts of campus past: Alumni share their UD ghost stories
A collage of pictures of Flyers Frank Filipiak, Stephanie Sehlhorst Kassman and friends from UD class of 1991. Pictured in the top left is Filipiak and fellow students on Halloween. Photos courtesy of Filipiak and Kassman.
Lucinda Judd | Staff Writer
UD has a rich history full of growth, from the early beginnings as farm land, to an all boys school, to becoming the University of Dayton in 1920.
UD has gone through even more changes since then, with the expansion of the student neighborhood, apartments and the addition of newer academic buildings. And with such a long history, it’s accumulated some ghosts and ghouls along the way.
Before the campus had expanded to what it is today, there used to be three houses next to the Gardens Apartments on East Stewart Street, directly across from Woodland Cemetery. Tom Assenmacher, ‘90, used to live in the house on the corner.
“I vaguely recall stories of a ghost who wandered the cemetery across from our house senior year,” Assemacher said. “The ghost was allegedly a student who died along the road a few years before our time there.”
The student that died was assumed to have been killed in a traffic or drunk driving incident, according to the story. Although the houses are no longer there, the ghost may still be close by.
Close to campus in Woodland Cemetery, Stephanie Sehlhorst Kassman, ‘91, knows of a girl that glows and can be seen through the cemetery.
Frank Filipiak, ‘91, added on to Kassman’s story saying, “I recall never wanting to walk through the cemetery at night!” and they never did much in the north student neighborhood “since the cemetery was so close.”
Buildings on UD’s campus are no exceptions to the hauntings of the past either. St. Joseph Hall was originally built in 1884 and housed a boys’ school. Sandra Rivkin Fugate, ‘90, remembers hearing classmates talk about how the top floor of the building was haunted.
“Supposedly a young boy haunts the top floor, and he can be seen looking out the window,” Fugate said.
Sehlhorst Kassman and her husband Mark Kassman, ‘91, also say they heard the tale of the haunting of St. Joseph while on campus. Mark also recalls hearing that the fourth floor of Marycrest is haunted.
UD’s campus has continued to grow, as have the number of campus ghost stories. With Halloween just days away, more creepy happenings may be afoot.
Have you heard of any ghost stories at UD? Share them with us this Halloween by emailing us at flyernews@udayton.edu or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @flyernews!
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