CORTLAND N.Y. — While ghost stories may seem harmless, they often reflect deeper anxieties within a community. Popular ghost stories in Cortland not only keep the history alive but also provide insight into the emotional struggles of years past.
SUNY Cortland ranks among the top 20 most haunted campuses in New York, revealing lingering fears and unresolved emotions from the past.
These paranormal tales are not confined to school grounds. Spooky encounters extend throughout the town, shaping the way students experience their surroundings and interact with Cortland’s history.
Among the most infamous legends linked to the university is the story of Elizabeth, a former Cortland student whose spirit is said to linger in Cheney Hall. It has been reported that she tragically fell to her death after being pushed from the fourth floor in the 1980s.
Her presence is still felt today after all these years, as current students report eerie occurrences in Cheney Hall, where she once lived.
“I heard rumors of a ghost,” said former Cheney Hall resident Mickey Corey. “Did I really believe it? No. But there were some nights, I will not lie when my friends and I would be up at night, and I would hear some moaning and groaning.”
Corey was skeptical throughout her freshman year living in the building, feeling anxious of the unknown.
“Was it probably drunk kids downstairs, yes, but it could’ve been the ghost,” said Corey. “There’s weird energy in that building so I think it’s there, I felt it.”
Students like Corey had their assumptions, as did Associate Professor Evan Faulkenbury and a group of students in the Cortland history department.
In 2022, the group conducted academic research that delved into the possibility of paranormal activity on campus.
Aside from the story of Elizabeth in Cheney, they analyzed theories of paranormal activity in Clark Hall and Brockway Hall as well.
Clark was home to the legend of the bleeding football player in the non-existent Room 716 and Brockway was where students reported seeing the ghost of a former cook at the top of the staircase.
Concluding the evaluation of several campus buildings, the group revealed that there is a potential link between the VOICE office opening in Corey Union around the same time as all the accused hauntings.
As the group investigated these accounts, they also recognized the importance of addressing mental health concerns on campus. In response to the reported hauntings, the campus community has worked to ensure support for students struggling with mental health concerns as well as survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, reach out for help immediately by calling or texting 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Paranormal expert Stephen Rapsey echoed these ideas, explaining that many reports of paranormal activity arise from psychological responses.
“It could be some people might make those things up themselves,” said Rapsey. “Or think that these things are happening.”
Ghost stories are representative of societal fears and fears of the unknown. Rapsey said it’s not to say that these events didn’t happen, it all depends on what the reports are.
“We don’t know because we weren’t there,” said Rapsey. “That’s their experience, and every story starts somewhere.”
Rapsey said never to discount the reports of hauntings because there could be trends. Whether or not you believe them, it’s important as an expert to be impartial and neutral when analyzing such sightings.
“I think Cortland has a good history of past events,” said Rapsey. “It looks like Cortland does embrace hauntings that exist because of the stories that have been built over time.”
Several years ago, Rapsey investigated the 1890 house and said that with the use of paranormal investigator tools, he was able to pick up sounds of cats meowing and ominous sounds.
“Some places don’t even like to broadcast that they have these types of hauntings for fear that they might put people off from going,” said Rapsey. “In most communities, it’s just word rather than — this place is haunted.”
Beyond the hauntings mentioned, the campus is surrounded by the Cortland Rural Cemetery and many Cortland students have shared reports of the energy they feel.
These stories have been kept alive in the Cortland community after all these years, continuing to preserve the campus’s unique cultural heritage. It has affected the student experience at SUNY Cortland for the better and the worse.
Reported by Leah Masi and William Keane.