The greatest season of all is upon us and with Autumn comes the wonderfully spooky holiday of Halloween!! Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday and as it comes closer, I find myself pining to be on campus. Swarthmore’s campus is the perfect setting for spookiness to ensue. With huge trees that can create ominous shadows at night and old buildings that can create creaks and moans, Swarthmore’s campus is the perfect place for haunting as a ghost. Thus, here are my top places for haunting at Swarthmore if I were a ghost.
5. Mary Lyon Dormitory
This may or may not be on the list solely because this is where I lived Freshman year but hear me out!! This dormitory is farther from campus than any of the other dorms, and you could easily spook some students late at night who missed the last shuttle home. This dormitory feels like a quaint cottage with wildlife out and about during the night as well! Overall it’s nice and quiet and a wonderful place to get some good spooks in.
4. Sharples Dining Hall
Picture this. It’s late at night. You’re all alone. The lights are out and the only illumination comes from the moon. Sharples is completely deserted. There is just you and me! A friendly but very hungry ghost. I’m very used to seeing a packed Sharples full of students in big groups or getting in some studying while they eat, and I think a completely empty and deserted Sharples would be a perfect place to haunt. Plus if I ever get really hungry (do ghosts get hungry? Unsure) there’s plenty of compost for me to eat!
3. Scott Arboretum
The flowers, the beautiful fountains, the peaceful quiet, absolutely immaculate energy for haunting. I could easily spook some students who are taking a break in between classes to smell some roses. I would also be surrounded by neat bugs who also live in the garden! Overall a wonderfully peaceful place to haunt and maybe help some plants grow.
2. The Bell Tower
Picture this. A GHOST CHOIR. We all sing spooky songs at odd hours during the night. The acoustics in the bell tower are PERFECT for some haunted singing. I would also get a pretty good view of students heading to class and Sharples, so I could choose who to haunt to remind them of their problem sets and unfinished essays. When the weather turns more chilly I would also get a front-row seat to seeing students attempt to sled with trays from Sharples.
- McCabe Library
McCabe is my favorite library on campus! Underhill has chill vibes but I don’t like seeing my stressed reflection in the big glass when it gets dark outside and Cornell stresses me out because it’s too loud. McCabe on the other hand is the perfect mix of quiet and spooky for haunting! There are old brick walls and old portraits of dead people everywhere! I could dramatically float up the staircases or gaze out a small window on the living students below me. I could also join in on the Halloween festivities when they roll around on the 1st floor! I would also be surrounded by books. Overall, the perfect place to haunt on campus.
Oh to be a lil ghost haunting Swarthmore’s campus. I really miss Swarthmore and writing this was very cathartic for me. Happy Halloween!
