Tucson is a town filled with history and traditions stretching back for centuries. Over the course of that history, some of our most beloved historic landmarks have become tainted with the presence of ghosts of our city’s past, sentenced to a life of lingering as they whisper their unfinished tales into our ever-eager ears.

If you’ve ever been on campus in the dark hours of the night, maybe you’ve encountered one of the university’s eerie inhabitants. Thousands of students call campus home, and legend has it that a few wandering ghosts and spirits do, too.

Centennial Hall

Known for its intricate architecture, Centennial Hall is the university’s performing arts hub. During the day, it serves as an enormous lecture hall. However, when classes end and the hall empties out, it’s an entirely different story.

Two ghosts are rumored to haunt Centennial Hall, said Kyiara Clark, a junior communications junior and Centennial Hall employee. Actors and performers in the theater claim to have heard noises while onstage, and Clark said many of her coworkers have felt a force bump into them while inside the theater.

Local medium and astrologist Jo’Ann Ruhl said that there aren’t any ghosts in Centennial Hall, but there are spirits.

“The spirit is a form with the human being, when we let go of the physical form, we return to being a spirit,” Ruhl said. “The ghost is where the person dies, but their consciousness, their awareness, thinks they’re still alive.”

Ruhl said that Centennial Hall is home to a spirit that occupies the projection room and is sometimes seen or felt tampering with objects in the area. Another spirit, Emma, spends her time backstage and travels to various theaters seeking the art and adventure she lacked in her real life.

“There’s usually a connection,” Ruhl said. “It’s rare to find a spirit that goes some place randomly.”

Maricopa Residence Hall

Maricopa Residence Hall is rumored to be home to a ghost who took her life after discovering her fiance’s infidelities. History senior Jenn Menzur said that during her sophomore year, she experienced multiple instances with ghosts while living at Maricopa.

“When I was taking pictures, I saw an orb through my phone camera, but as I looked up to where the real light was, something flew at me,” Menzur said. “I’ve never seen that happen before — ever.”

Menzur also said there was another incident in which a silhouette of a person was visible on the wall in the Grand Room, which is completely devoid of windows, while she and her resident assistant were the only ones in the room. She claimed that beginning on Oct. 1 of every year, there is an eerie, cool feeling on the second floor that is especially tangible in the bathroom and on the anniversary of the young girl’s death, Oct. 30.

Hotel Congress

Built in 1919, Hotel Congress is one of the great historic landmarks of Tucson. The hotel is supposedly home to several ghosts, including a young boy and girl who roam the second floor, an older gentleman who haunts the entire hotel, leaving butter knives in his trail and a woman who looms over the reception area and stairs.

Several instances of ghost and spirit experiences have been recorded in the old hotel.

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