Urban Legends at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, (UIUC) founded in 1867, has a rich history of story. There are some very recognized and known tales of the campus, and others that are lesser known. Each contribute to the tapestry of the University. I have attempted to collect the Urban Legends that exist among the University of Illinois Undergraduate student population specifically, as Undergrads are the lifeblood of this University, and contribute greatly to the stories of the campus. Many of the Urban Legends addressed on this page are associated with a physical structure located on the University of Illinois campus, whether it be a building or monument. Urban Legends and stories give character and life to buildings. These structures have seen generations of students pass through their doors, history lives and breathes in these places, and comes alive through stories and Urban Legends. The Urban Legends discussed below are part of our University of Illinois family story. Each unveils a different aspect of our history, of what contributions this place has made to the rest of the world, of what we hold dear, and what frightens us. Through my conversations with Undergraduate students I have identified some well-known legends that exist on campus, and have also come across some lesser known but equally interesting stories. Listed below are a collection of Urban Legends I have come across through my conversations and e-mails with Undergraduate students.
The Ghost in the English Building: Many students have heard the story of a drowning of a young woman in the now English Building when it was previously the Women's Building, built in 1905. The Building was also a dormitory, had a gymnasium, as well as a swimming pool where the young woman met her fate. There are several variations on this story--some students I spoke with believe the drowning was an accident, while others thought the girl took her own life because she had recently discovered she was pregnant. Some students thought the building was solely a dormitory, while another thought it was a sorority house. The ghost of the woman haunts the English Building, but one student I spoke with did not believe the woman's ghost had only malicious intent. "She haunts the building, OR, she'll help you study."
It is believed that the Alma Mater, unveiled in 1929 and created by University alumnus Lorado Taft the sculpture will finally take her seat when a virgin graduates from the University of Illinois. Many other universities have a similar tale with their version of the Alma Mater, and Illinois has a lesser known one as well. "At the universities of Missouri, Michigan, and Cincinnati stone lions roar. The statue of the seated Pioneer Mother at the University of Oregon and of the seated Lincoln at the University of Illinois stand, while at Michigan State the statue of the standing Spartan sits. At Upper Iowa, the statue of the Green Goddess bows; at Duke, the statue of James Duke tips his hat. At Cornell, the statues of Andrew D. White and Ezra Cornell leave their pedestals and shake hands. At the University of North Carolina, a statue of a Minuteman fires his musket; the statue of Italian patriot Garibaldi at New York University draws his sword. At the University of Nebraska, classical columns crumble and at Penn State a proud obelisk falls. At the University of Arkansas, Old Main collapses. At Bucknell and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a venerated cannon fires. At Indiana University and Bucknell University tower bells ring for all to hear." (Bronner, 179) The Alma Mater, for many students I spoke with, is a source of major pride of the campus, and is often considered a favorite landmark. It is with affection of the monument that this Urban Legend exists.
The Eternal Flame, or, officially "The Class of 1912 Memorial". Legend has it that if you kiss your sweetheart while seated here, you will stay together forever, or marry. This legend is widely known on campus, and inscriptions of sweethearts initials can be found on the bench. The legend is even mentioned on a New Student Tour, ingraining the legend into incoming freshman as the initially visit the campus. The "Eternal Flame" is a sort of misnomer for the monument as there was never a flame in the pillar, but a black socket and missing lightbulb.
On the University's Main Quad is Lincoln Hall, which was built to honor the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. In the foyer of the building is a bust of Honest Abe, which and past the foyer holds a large auditorium, used for large classes. Legend has it that if a student rubs Abe's nose on the way into their exam, they will receive good luck and do well on their test. Some students also believe a ghost haunts Lincoln Hall, but no further or more specific details were found on this legend at the time of publication.
The Foreign Language Building is the newest building located on the Quad, built in 1971. Several students who participated in the research for this project mentioned that the Foreign Language Building held a supercomputer at an indeterminant point in time, and the building was structured so that if attacked, it would not collapse inward, onto the supercomputer, but outward. A few of the participants thought this legend to be only heresy, however, there are truths in the story. A mainframe system named "PLATO" did exist and was held in the basement of the Foreign Language Building during the Cold War era. The room it was in was reinforced to hold up to an Atomic bomb attack, and would protect the computing network even if the rest of the building was obliterated. PLATO was a revolutionary system and spawned the development of online communication--one might say PLATO was the first type of Instant Messaging.
The University Library, founded in 1867, and opened in 1868, moved into its current building in 1928. The Main Library building is quite majestic with marble staircases, murals, and art glass windows, giving the structure a great sense of history. Several Urban Legends exist about the Main Library, including unexplained hauntings but students who got lost and perished in the Main Stacks, as well as overexhausted Graduate Students sleeping in the Main Stacks. A ghost is also supposed to show up at a certain level of the Main Stacks at a certain time, but details vary upon the source. There is also a rarely heard but funny and unoriginal Urban Legend that the Main Stacks are sinking because the architect forgot to factor in the weight of the books post construction. At the University of Illinois, that'd be a lot of extra weight, since the Main Stacks hold roughly 6 million volumes! They are, however, perfectly stable. Though the "Stacks" are often considered a maze and a little dark and dingy, they are certainly navigable and have a certain charm to them, and most visitors make it out alive. The University Library is a priceless attribute to the University of Illinois.
In the fall of 1998, an Urban Legend exploded onto the UIUC campus and created a nervousness that permeated the University. It is reported that a psychic appeared on the Oprah show, and made a prediction that a mass murder would occur on a college campus. The story took shape and traveled, and details emerged. The massacre would take place on a Big Ten University campus, would occur on Halloween night and would happen at an H-shaped dormitory near a cemetery. These details fit with the Pennsylvania Area Residence Hall (PAR), and many students became worried. A lead article in the student newspaper, The Daily Illini, was even run to set the record straight on the legend. Precautions were taken in order to protect students from any sort of danger that might come from the dissemination of the legend (possible copycat offenders) but alas, nothing happened that fateful Halloween night. This legend was not solely unique to the UIUC campus. That same year, the same frightening story circulated amongst thirty college campuses across the United States, with several in the Midwest. (Campus Halloween Murders, Snopes.com) This story is not true, and was thought to have originated with the Richard Speck murdering nine nurses in 1968 in a Chicago boarding house. The story has not yet resurfaced at the University since 1998, but probably has not yet seen its last days.
UIUC's Underground Tunnels: Several students mentioned the existence of an underground network of tunnels running between buildings on the Quad. Some claim to have known people to visit the tunnels, but all acknowledge the mystery of the tunnels. It is thought that many years ago students were able to use the tunnels to go between Quad buildings during the blistering Central Illinois winter. Now these tunnels are used for maintenance access, but many students still wonder about their purpose and origin.
These Urban Legends, and other campus stories, reveal a greatness, excitement, and vitality to the University that we often forget. Though many students only spend a short time here, it is them who are charged with the duty of passing along this greatness. The history of the University of Illinois is in its stories. Keep on telling them.
What Students Have to Say about Urban Legends
What's the Meaning of All of This?
©2005 Annette Lesak
Page Created April 28th, 2005
Images Courtesy of the University of
Illinois and University Archives
