Is Cortland Haunted?
Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean that the scary ghost stories have to stop. Many students in Cortland have their own stories to tell whether it’s from living in the dorms or living in an old house. I decided to do some research and ask some students about their experiences in Cortland.
If you go on the SUNY Cortland website, there is already a section that talks about the ghosts that inhabits the building on campus. Did you know that Cortland is on the list of the 13 most haunted college campuses in New York State?
Let’s start with Clark Hall, I lived here and can confirm that fellow students and I would hear strange noises and it had an eerie feeling. Some students have reported a shadowy figure that resembled a football player in room 716 of Clark Hall. It is said that a former SUNY Cortland football player lived there and committed suicide. One article said that the football player has been seen with a gash above his eye that constantly bleeds.
Brockway Hall is supposedly haunted by a girl named “Elizabeth”. She was killed by her boyfriend in the 80s and has been seen to appear and then vanish in Brockway Hall.
Many students have also had their own experiences in their off-campus houses. Junior Alissa Buzetti is currently living in one of the larger, older homes on campus and her roommates all agree that there is a strange presence on their own.
“Multiple people have seen a small black shadow run across their feet,” said Buzetti. “We call it our ghost rat.”
A senior who previously lived on Reynolds St. said that she once thought she saw a young girl walk across her room. She and her roommates said they would always hear noises and said they just felt like someone was always watching them.
The most haunted place in Cortland is definitely the 1980 House Museum which was actually featured on SyFy’s Ghosthunters. The museum has a long record of people sighting human silhouettes, hearing voices, and doors opening and closing. Several historical figures have lived and died in the house.
The Cortland Rural Cemetery has also made it on the Travel Channels list of 11 Spooky Cemeteries You Can Visit. Just the fact that this cemetery is the resting place for over 18,000 people is enough to know that it is definitely haunted.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it is definitely interesting to hear the stories that students have about their experiences. Just think about the thousands of students that have lived and walked in the same places that you do today. You never know when you could be in the presence of a ghost.