With fall in full swing and Halloween right around the corner, haunted houses and ghost tours are in the midst of their busiest season. The Alabama Museum of Natural History located in Smith Hall will join in the Halloween festivities Oct. 29 with its third annual Haunting at the Museum walking ghost tour.
The tour begins in Smith Hall and explores five different locations around the Quad that are said to be haunted. These locations include Gorgas Library, Little Round House, Gorgas House and the roped-off bricks known to be the ruins of Madison Hall.
Madison Hall was destroyed during the Civil War by Union members. Every year on April 3, the anniversary of its incineration, people report getting a whiff of smoke coming from the phantom Madison Hall being burned down. Todd Hester, museum naturalist and this year’s Haunting at the Museum tour guide, said the story of Madison Hall is one of his favorites to tell because people can still see the remaining blocks and envision the building.
Hester said the idea for Haunting at the Museum was formed based on requests from the community to learn more about Smith Hall’s hauntings. It is speculated that former geologist Eugene Allan Smith, for whom the building is named, haunts the building. Visitors and students often attribute hearing unidentified footsteps and voices to him.
“Throughout the years we’ve always had people say that Smith Hall is haunted, and they always try to get us to tell stories to give a glimpse of what kind of haunting we actually have,” Hester said. “There was such a demand for it; people wanted to know these stories, so we decided three years ago that during the Halloween season, we would do a haunted tour of campus.”
Since its beginnings three years ago, Haunting at the Museum has expanded from just a walking ghost tour to a full Halloween experience equipped with a scavenger hunt, kids’ activities, refreshments and a scary story reading in addition to the tour. The tour itself has also been split into three time slots beginning at 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., which allows those who cannot make the initial start time of 6 p.m. to still attend the tour.
Allie Sorlie, event organizer and the museum’s education outreach coordinator, said the new structure allows for a more fluid, free-flowing event where attendees can cycle between the tour, activities and viewing the museum’s exhibit at their leisure. Sorlie said Haunting at the Museum provides the perfect balance of entertainment and education.
“The campus has such a rich and interesting history that stories and legends had been passed down over the years,” Sorlie said. “Attendees can expect a great introduction to some history of the campus that they might not have known before. It’s also a chance to come see the museum at night, which is always a lot of fun.”
The stories shared at Haunting at the Museum are more campus legend than terrifying thriller, and the event is family friendly and free for all ages. However, Hester said the stories told are especially meaningful to students who attend the University.
“Last year we had a great number of college students. We definitely want all the college students to come out,” Hester said. “For college students, this is their home. So, these are ghost stories about your home.”
