Randolph College; Lynchburg, VA
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Randolph College
August 8, 2008: Randolph College Investigation, Lynchburg, VA
Randolph College was founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon’s Woman’s College, a private, single-sex, liberal arts college. In 2007 the college changed its name to Randolph College and became co-educational. Stories of paranormal activity flourish within the school’s walls, from a “haunting” in the spiral staircases of Main Hall, to apparitions of a young man in Smith Auditorium and an elderly house mother in a residential hall…
This was by far one of our most enjoyable and informative investigations to date, as we were able to gather data and test hypothesis regarding EMF fluctuation and behavior. A few of our investigators had personal experiences in Smith Auditorium, and there were several documented anomalies regarding battery drain, electrical failure, and unexplained temperature fluctuation.
Our team first split up and entered the “Curlies”, two large spiral staircases on either side of the main administrative building. One story connected with the West staircase is that of a young student hanging herself over the loss of a boyfriend in WWII. Both teams in each stairwell noticed significantly higher EMF measurements- further confirming a spiral EMF theory we have been testing (which I will get to later). Ambient noise in the stairwell due to its architectural structure, external interference from dorms, water pipes and electrical wiring made audio recording implausible. Nothing of anomalous significance was experienced or captured in the Curlies.
We also visited the West Dating Parlor, where the apparition of an older woman (perhaps a Dorm Marm) has been seen sitting in the greeting room near the front door. No significant audio/video evidence was gathered here.
Randolph College; Lynchburg, VA
Smith Auditorium, however, the original theater for the school, offered some surprising experiences. Lore associated with the auditorium is that of a young male student of Washington & Lee University was en route to visit RMWC either for a dance or to act a male role in a play (the stories differ), when he was killed in a car accident (supposedly decapitated). The legend is that the man was seen that very night at the auditorium sitting in a back row before news of his death had reached the school. There is even a version of the story that the man actually performed his role on stage in front of hundreds before mysteriously disappearing backstage- those that later heard of his death were understandably astounded and few would speak of it.
The first thing we encountered upon entering the auditorium was a significant EMF spike in an open doorway stage left leading up to the stage platform. Next to this doorway there is a light rack and a speaker set up, so the spike was naturally explained by the proximity of this electrical apparatus. Stage right, there is another small doorway that leads up to the catwalk above the stage. A very intense EMF field was discovered here, likely produced by the main electrical control box for the lighting that stood only about six feet from the doorway. The stairwell inside this door was, you guess it, a spiral staircase.
Upon entering the stairwell, I was immediately struck by an intense heaviness in the chest; the well’s atmosphere was so “thick” that it felt almost as if I was pushing through syrup, or a really strong spider’s web, to ascend the stairs. At the top of the stairs on the catwalk, there was a sensation of relief and it was much easier to breathe. Everyone on our team was asked to climb these stairs to experience the sensation of this intense EMF field, so we might recognize the feeling in future encounters with such a field.
SHPS is in the process of researching and testing a theory that the EMF in spirals is by nature significantly greater than other areas. Lighthouses, spiral staircases, enclosed spaces with winding stairs, all tend to have a greater EM field than other places, by the very nature of their architecture. Coils conduct energy. Especially in metal staircases, which have a greater potential to become magnetized by current (of nearby power generators or even lightning strikes as in the case of lighthouses), the possibility of large EM fields is very high. These intense fields can produce feelings of paranoia, nausea, and even possibily influence hallucinations. OR, in the EM Paradox, do these fields more correctly ALLOW us to experience legitimate activity we might not have otherwise experienced without the increased level of potential energy?
In brief, yet another spiral staircase produced the exact results we anticipated regarding EMF readings.
There was at least one unexplainable personal experience in Smith Auditorium that may lend some credence to the story of the W&L student’s apparition. An investigator was walking down the aisle from the stage to the back of the auditorium when she noticed a dark figure sitting near the second to last row on the left near the theater doors. There were other members of the team dispursed throughout the theater in benches, but upon noting each of them, the investigator started over to see who was in the far back. Upon nearing where she had seen the figure (backlit by the exit sign), there was no one there.
The investigator sat on the very back row alone and described feeling as if someone was still in the seat a few feet away. At one point as she sat there, the theater door behind her opened and closed- she watched the light move across the chairs in front of her as the door moved- but no one entered, and there was no one in the hallway behind her.
A recent tale associated with the school concerns the gruesome slaying of a student in the 1970’s. I have not had an opportunity to research the actual details of the case, but according to an account of a current faculty member, the girl’s dismembered body was discovered stuffed into a drainage ditch in the vicinity of Norfolk Avenue which runs beside the campus grounds. Stories include hearing the sound of running footsteps along that street, a woman’s disembodied scream, etc.
Further vigils in this area and outside in the “Dell” yielded little tangible evidence of paranormal activity.
The staff of Randolph College were incredibly warm and welcoming, and we truly appreciate their time and the opportunity to investigating there. We look forward to returning.
Tags: apparition, EVP, ghost, haunted, lynchburg, paranormal, randolph college
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