By Saige Mattson
MOORHEAD – Concordia was founded on Halloween in 1891, and since its erection there have been rumors surrounding potential ghouls roaming campus. In the college’s long and storied past, certain events have led both students and faculty to believe that this paranormal activity is plausible.
In honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday and Concordia’s 134th anniversary, here is a rundown of the suspected ghosts that reportedly reside on campus.
According to the Concordia Memory Project (CMP), Dolorita “Dolly” Larson was a junior Concordia student in 1953. Larson is the only rumored spirit whose existence prior to her passing has been proven by historical artifacts.
Though the details of her story are largely based on assumptions, it is proven that Larson took her own life in Fjelstad Hall in 1953. Some believe her motivation was due to academic pressures during finals week. It is not known exactly where her tragic death took place, but due to renovations to the building in the 1980s, it is plausible that the space does not exist anymore.
Larson’s spirit supposedly lives on in Fjelstad Hall, where, according to the CMP and Concordia College Archive (CCA), students report objects being moved without explanation, technology behaving strangely, and doors being opened and shut though no one was touching them.
Larson’s spirit is said to be harmless and was described by one student in a 2014 CCA entry as a “friendly ghost.”
Another notable ghost on campus, and the only other spirit with a name, reportedly resides in the Francis Frazier Comstock Theatre. Known as Al Gersbach, this spirit’s history is far more lighthearted than the others.
According to Concordia’s official website, in 1976, the theatre department ordered programs for one of Concordia’s productions.
Mysteriously, when the programs were received, a name unfamiliar to students and staff appeared in every single one of them: “Al Gersbach.” It was decided to leave the name in the programs, and the show succeeded.
For decades, Al’s name was included in show programs. Supposedly, if not included, Al would cause trouble during production.
Multiple suspicious lighting mishaps, practical jokes during intermission, and technical difficulties have been attributed to this humorous, harmless ghoul.
The CMP also reports the possible existence of an unknown female spirit in Old Main. The story of this ghost is almost completely reliant on legends and often hyperbolic word-of-mouth tellings. The exact year is not known, though it is speculated that the event occurred very long ago.
As the legend goes, a female Concordia student fell in love with one of her professors. On Valentine’s Day, the student confessed her love to the professor via letter. The professor rejected the student, and her immense sadness and disappointment caused her to commit suicide by jumping from one of the top floors of Old Main.
The CMP says that every Valentine’s Day, the ghost of the student sends a love letter to a different professor, though the note disappears before it can be shown to others. She also, morbidly, is said to try to pull female students from the top floors of Old Main so they will meet the same fate as her.
The final spirit of the supposed campus hauntings, sometimes referred to as “Emily,” causes trouble in Hoyum Hall and, when functional, Brown Hall. Described on Concordia’s official website as “the most aggressive of Concordia’s ghosts,” Emily’s behavior is reportedly “active” and “disruptive.”
The CMP claims that Emily’s story is much like Larson’s, in that she died by suicide due to academic stress. However, unlike Larson, Emily passed away in the fourth-floor bathroom of Hoyum Hall. She is described by students as having a white face, blonde hair, and donning a cloak.
Emily has been known to flood bathrooms, move around objects within students’ dorms, and is the spirit most commonly seen by students, occasionally appearing at the end of their beds during the night.
