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October 25, 2005
Bridgman Hall rich in historic and eerie traditions
Crossing the balcony of Bridgman Hall, old floorboards squeak loudly beneath one’s feet, adding to the undeniably historical, and some would say creepy, ambiance. Several windows rattle at the faintest blow of wind. Rows of rustic wooden chairs with metal legs bolted to the floorboards occupy the room in rows. A balcony supported with tall black pillars offers space for additional seats. Higher yet, an antique chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
Located on the second and third floor of Old Main and named after the university’s first president, George Bridgman, the Hall was originally built to be the campus chapel. On Sept. 12, 1880, it served as the site of the first meeting of the Episcopal Church. Over the years, it has served numerous functions, including auditorium, lecture hall, and concert hall. Famous figures such as William McKinley, Archbishop John Ireland and Harvard University President Charles Elliot have spoken in the hall.
What sets Bridgman Hall apart from many other locations on campus is its “night life”čif you can call it that.
Juiceenewsdaily.com lists Old Main’s second floor music hall as one of the most haunted places in
Minnesota. The webpage claims that the man in the portrait (Bridgman) on the hall’s wall comes out of the painting at night to wander the room or play the piano. Security guard Julia Howard can attest to this.
A few years ago as Howard was working, she passed Old Main and heard piano music, so she entered Old Main to investigate further. She got to Bridgman Hall, and realized the source of the music was inside. However, as soon as she opened the door to look inside, the music stopped, and the room was empty.
According to Howard, no one else should have been in the building, as it was between the hours of three and five in the morning. Howard’s explanation for what happened at Bridgman Hall is simple: “The building’s creeptastic. That’s my explanation.”
Howard has had other paranormal encounters with Old Main. One night last fall, she noticed that all of Old
Main’s lights were on. There was no one in the building, and the cleaning crew was not scheduled to be there for another half hour. She went into the building and turned off the lights. Once she was back outside, the lights were on. Howard re-entered, and turned them off. As soon as she had left the building, it had lit up again. She has also heard of several student reports of seeing a figure up in the tower, at all hours of the day.
Today, Bridgman Hall is used mainly by the music department. Choir Professor George Chu holds rehearsals in the hall occasionally. According to Chu, Bridgman Hall is one of the few places on campus that has both a piano, and sufficient space to fit people. Despite the fact Bridgman Hall has the capacity to seat over 200 people, its old ventilation system prevents that from happening. The largeness of the room makes for great acoustics. Voice recitals from Hamline and other off campus groups and miscellaneous lectures are also held in the hall.
Posted by msveum at October 25, 2005 12:47 AM
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