Diane Park | The Observer
From the front page of The Observer’s Oct. 31, 1975 issue | Observer archives, Oct. 31, 1975
Encounters with the “Other Side” in Washington Hall
March 17, 1970 | T. C. Treanor | Researched by Sarah Kikel
In an Observer column published March 17, 1970, T. C. Treanor (’73) recounted mysterious phenomena in Washington Hall — “pianos playing, curtains rustling, people fainting, shoulders being tapped [and] people being knocked out,” to name a few. The plausible cause? The Gipper, Treanor wrote.
Photo of George Gipp provided by Fighting Irish Media | UHND.com
Students stake out Washington Hall in search of ghost
May 7, 1971 | Bill Eiler | Researched by Evan McKenna
Determined to discover what sort of presence lurks within the dark corridors of Washington Hall, two friends — then-junior Bill Eiler and Jim E. Brogan (’70) — paid four late-night visits to the building. The two also brought along sophomore Don Morrison, who lived in the hall.The first night of the stakeout, April 30, 1971, was a short one. Morrison gave a tour to the two friends, highlighting corners of the building that were said to be ghost hotspots, including the infamous “green room,” known for its history of “moving furniture and flashing lights.” For night two, the trio enlisted the help of sophomore Observer and Dome photographer Jim Hunt (’73) in hopes of snapping a photo of the ghost. For two hours, the team sat on the theater balcony and waited. Nights two and three were largely uneventful; the group was “rewarded only with several squeaking sounds from the rafters,” Eiler said.The real action, however, began Monday night. Low on morale, the group decided it would be their last stakeout (“THE final attempt,” Eiler wrote.) While sitting in the theater, an unnamed Saint Mary’s student “came into the hall and struck up a conversation,” revealing she had been part of a group of nine students that held a seance in Washington Hall just a few weeks before. The group found out via ouija board the building was “inhabited by 10 ghosts.” “She said that because of what happened to some of the people in the seance they vowed never again to try to contact any of the ghosts,” Eiler wrote. “She warned us that some very dangerous things could happen if we weren’t sure of contacting the supernatural level.”About a half hour after the girl’s departure, the group saw its first sign of supernatural activity — “[a] waving light-greenish figure” above the balcony. Brogan and Eiler both fled the building immediate, but Hunt captured a photo of the spirit before exiting via the side door:
Photo taken in Washington Hall by Jim Hunt | Observer archives, May 7, 1971
Team of supernatural gurus ventures into Washington Hall
July 17, 1975 | Andy Praschak | Researched by Erin Fennessy
On a July night in 1975, Associate Observer Editor Andy Praschak (’77) accompanied a team of “experts in religion metaphysics and witchcraft” into the belly of Washington Hall. Their goal? To find evidence of the ghost of the Gipper among the cushioned seats. Although the team walked away from the night empty-handed, Praschak shared a host of interesting anecdotes from his evening.Praschak’s team included three ordained ministers of pagan faiths, a psychic investigator and a reporter for WSND radio, plus Praschak himself.
Illustration of Washington Hall accompanying article | Observer archives, July 17, 1975
