Sarah Louisa "Sis" Linn

It is common knowledge in the community of Glenville that there is a ghost on the campus of Glenville State College. As far as known, it has never been seen but has been heard on numerous occasions by certain students, faculty members, and building caretakers. The ghost used to travel from an old dormitory known as Verona Maple Hall and through Clark Hall presumably on the way to the cemetery adjoining the campus. Verona Maple Hall was demolished in January 1979. I know our resident ghost misses the ambience of Verona Maple but seems to be satisfied in making Clark Hall as her resident preference. So far, it appears to be a kind of pleasant ghost, and the only criticism heard about it is that is seems to be unusually awkward and clumsy as it moves about.

That the ghost is there has been the subject of some speculation. Some believe there may be some connection between the ghost's appearance and the unresolved murder of a local resident many years ago. In the fall of 1918, a lady by the name of Sarah Louisa "Sis" Linn lived in a house where Verona Maple Hall once stood. The location is now a parking lot beside Clark Hall and the Physical Education Building. “Sis” Linn in that year was bludgeoned to death and her assailant was never apprehended. The local lore is that the murderer was the son of a prominent Gilmer county family and was never apprehended due to political pressure in the county. Therefore, some believe this is Miss Linn's ghost searching for the murderer in the corridors of the buildings on the upper campus.

Through the years, her gravesite has been the site of a multitude of séances and paranormal events. It seems many want to communicate with this spirit- especially during the Halloween holiday. I remember that “Sis” Linn had a direct impact on our youngest daughter, Sarah. During the late 1980’s, a group of my daughter’s friends were planning on Halloween a candlelight vigil at the grave of “Sis” Lynn. She and her boyfriend thought it would be great fun to dress up as a ghost and arrive at the grave unannounced. Our gal dressed in white and covered her face with ghoulish makeup. She climbed through the woods and into the cemetery toward her friends who were busy trying to communicate with the dead. Sarah slipped and fell upon a broken glass!

The wife and I returned home from a college event and were met at the door by the boyfriend who said, “Don’t worry, Sarah is OK!” What a greeting for the parents! We went into her bedroom to find Sarah with a huge gash in her gluteus maximus (butt for you non technical types!). She was trying to stop the bleeding. As we arrived at the emergency room, the doctor quickly assessed the situation and immediately began to clean the wound and start the stitches. Sarah never did confide to the doctor that this wound was the result of being near the spirit of Sarah Louisa "Sis" Linn.