While most of the haunted colleges we've reported on recently have histories dating back to the 19th century (like the University of Georgia at Athens, a strong contender for America's most haunted college), the campus of California State University Channel Islands – which opened just 12 years ago – may be the youngest American school with a dark and paranormal legacy.
Built on the grounds of a former mental hospital (which shut its doors in 1997 for financial reasons), CSU Channel Islands may be recognizable to horror fans as one of the filming locations for the The Ring– but that's not nearly as spooky as the school's own haunted history.
The school has already made Listverse's Top 10 Most Haunted US Colleges, and paranormal tourism site Creepy Los Angeles posted a first-hand account from a CSU student who claims to have heard the sounds of a crying woman in one of the abandoned halls, doors slamming and locking/unlocking by themselves, scratching on walls, and other unsettling activities in several of the dorms.
Photo: Joe Viring
One of the most chilling stories recounted on the site involves the former hospital's still-standing labs and offices, which the author explored a few years ago. Among the creepiest discoveries were the words “No one can help me” etched into the lab walls, and a single word scrawled in the shower room: “DIE.” In the same location, the student claims a door moved on its own and struck her in the face.
That scene from The Ring we mentioned earlier? It's that famous shot of the well, on a hill overlooking the campus. Visitors to the site have reported an uneasy feeling while standing on that hill... “like someone is lurking around the corner.”
Want to tour more creepy campuses? How about El Paso High School, said to harbor the ghost of a suicidal student...