As the leaves turn and October’s chill sets in, Central Michigan University students once again trade ghost stories that have haunted the campus for generations.

The tales, rooted in tragedy, rumor and timeworn memory, continue to echo through the university’s oldest buildings from Warriner Hall’s shadowed tunnels to the paranormal activity said to linger from south campus to north.

Though CMU officials have never confirmed paranormal activity, Central Michigan Life archives show that haunted lore has been a part of the university’s identity for decades.

Here are the most talked-about haunted halls, their histories and the spectral legends said to inhabit them.

Many of these stories are speculations or "urban legends" on campus, not facts. This article can contain sensitive information about death and suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Warriner Hall

Built in 1928, Warriner Hall is one of CMU’s oldest and most recognizable buildings, and one of its most haunted. According to Central Michigan Life’s coverage of the “Legends of the Dark” walking tour, students and staff claim the building is home to the spirit of an actress who passed away. When she stuck her head inside the dumbwaiter shaft, the dumbwaiter came crashing down, and she was beheaded.

Ever since the incident of the actress who died, people claim they have seen strange blue lighting and noises.

Theresa Elizabeth Schumacher, a 19-year-old cafeteria employee from Nottawa township, died in an accident with the central elevator in Warriner Hall in the 1930s.

Her head was pinned between the elevator car and a bar near the top of the shaft while she was sticking her head out of the window on the elevator door, causing her to suffocate.

The legend goes that her ghost still haunts the elevator and the building.

Late nights. Locked doors. Strange sounds. We went ghost hunting in one of CMU’s most haunted buildings…

Powers Hall

Another young student, named Emily, also died on the campus around Powers Hall in the 1930s. It's said that her body currently lies buried beneath a piano-shaped hedge in the foyer of Powers Hall. Some say they have heard ghostly piano music echoing throughout the hall.

Barnard Hall

Barnard Hall, a demolished building that is now the graduate housing apartments, is believed to be haunted by a young woman who died by suicide decades ago after suffering a heartbreak.

Carolyn Corey, an Owosso freshman, was found dead in her bed on Sunday morning. According to the Central Michigan Life archives, Corey went to bed with stomach cramps. She passed in her sleep on May 6, 1951.

Residents claim to hear faint crying in the upper floors late at night or find windows open that had been locked earlier in the evening. Some stories say that during quiet hours, the elevator stops on the third floor without anyone pressing the button, a supposed nod to the spirit that never left.

The stories of Barnard Hall remain one of the most told on campus.

Merrill Hall

Reports from CM Life archives mention flickering lights, sudden cold spots, objects flying in the middle of the room and radios turning on without explanation. Former residents have described hearing knocks on their doors late at night with no one outside.

Moore Hall

Deep in the CM Life archives from Oct. 30, 2017, Ruth Barrett, a janitor at CMU who worked for 35 years, would clean the north campus.

"Barrett said she has experienced decades worth of ghostly encounters at CMU," CM Life staff reporter Samantha Shriber wrote.

It is said that Moore Hall is haunted by the ghost of Ernie, a custodian from Clare who would work the overnight shifts at Moore.

"He died in the back of room 101 after suffering from indigestion at the beginning of his work shift," the article reads.

The elevators in Moore Hall would operate on their own, and doors would lock and unlock randomly with no explanation.

In the summer of 1993, a husband and wife were doing labor work for the second elevator in Moore Hall. A custodian was seen walking near room 101.

"Barrett said she believes Ernie's spirit still lurks in Moore Hall, roaming the main hallway and riding the newest elevator closest to the Townsend Kiva," Shriber wrote.

From my own experience, the elevators at Moore Hall are sketchy, and the vibe of the hall at night is a different level of spooky.

CMU's Campus Bound by Legends

Despite the lack of official documentation for many of these deaths or hauntings, the stories carry on through word of mouth, theatrical retellings and campus tradition.

Each October, the “Legends of the Dark” tour brings these tales back to life, reminding students that even on a modern campus, the past still whispers.

Whether fact or fiction, the haunted halls of Central Michigan University endure as part of its identity, and every generation of Chippewas adds a new story to the list.

Makayla Herrick is Central Michigan Life's reporter and host of the "Crime Time" podcast. She is a sophomore majoring in Journalism.

You can watch the first episode of the podcast on Central Michigan Life's Youtube.