Every campus has a few ghost stories to tell. Whether they are of actual ghost sightings, scary stories of deaths that occurred on the campus or just local legends around campus, they are here and here to stay. So let's talk about a local university in the Cedar Valley... University of Northern Iowa. Have you met "Zelda" & "Auggie," the ghosts of UNI yet?

No? Let me introduce them to you..... According to UNI archives, "Zelda" is known as the "spirit of the theatre that is neither seen nor heard." Mostly felt or witnessed by theatre students or goers, "Zelda" is not a ghost to be feared. The earliest account of Zelda was reported in 1963 and has continued to today. "Zelda" is considered a good-natured ghost even going so far as saving theatre patrons. There is a story of "Zelda" in 1978 guiding a cable that came loose above an audience to the only open seat in the theatre in order to save the patrons. "Zelda" has also been known to yell insults, open  and close doors and even play the piano... So next time you are at the UNI theatre, make sure to say "Hi" to "Zelda."

The other ghost you need to watch out for on the UNI campus is "Augie" in Lawther Hall. Legend has it that "Augie" was a World War II soldier who actually died in Lawther Hall when it was an infirmary at the time. The earlies recorded experience with "Auggie" happened in 1977 when he changed the lettering on a bulletin board to say "Augie will return to haunt Bordeaux House." Many of the antics of "Auggie" seem to be harmless including walking up and down halls, moving posters around, turning on radios that are unplugged and even turning on water.

However the most frightening experience occurred when a resident described waking up in the middle of the night and seeing her TV screen blue and then hearing footsteps in her room. Something started pulling her sheets off her bed even as she held tightly onto them and the words "Good Night" appeared on her TV screen. As the pulling of blankets stopped the resident actually punched herself in the face due to the release of tension.

Find more Halloween stories and facts about UNI campus here.

Top 13 Fall Things To Do In The Cedar Valley/NE Iowa

 

More From Q98.5