Our school has been around for over a century, so naturally, there are countless rumors of ghosts and other supernatural phenomena in its halls. You may have heard about the Residence’s ghost, Priscilla: once a handbells-loving student, now haunting the shadows. Or maybe you’ve experienced strange happenings firsthand, such as a door mysteriously shutting during class. But are such minute occurrences enough to prove that ghosts are real, or even active at Baldwin?

One of the most popular locations where ghosts are said to be active is the Residence, which is not much of a surprise considering it is the oldest building in the school, built in the 19th century. The scariest area of the building is the fifth floor, which—if you survive the impractical hike there—certainly lives up to its reputation. The dusty books scattered on the floor of dark empty hallways makes the floor a perfect horror movie set.

But how telling is the fifth floor’s spooky appearance of the true nature of the Residence? Its notoriety suggests that spirits roam the floor, haunting the building that once housed many students, and now some faculty. Of course, rumor isn’t strong enough evidence to prove that ghosts really haunt our school, but many students claim to have witnessed unexplainable sights during their adventures up there. 

Most students who visit the fifth floor have been there to investigate the rumors themselves. Zoe Ross ‘23 said, “Once in 4th grade, our class took a trip to the fifth floor of the Residence during a recess for fun. Walking through, I dared one of my friends to pick up an old dusty black book. When she picked it up, the door that we had entered through slammed shut. All of us were in the center of the room and there were no windows open.” 

Others who have experienced the mysteries of the fifth floor share similar accounts. Doors closing, voices, strange noises— often blamed on drafty rooms—are often heard by people on their journey to the Residence’s infamous fifth floor. 

While none of these rumors are enough to insinuate there is anything more than an open window, the supernatural occurrences at Baldwin still remain a mystery to many students. So keep an eye out the next time you’re at the Residence, and you just might catch the notorious Priscilla drifting by a window.