Fort Collins has a long history of ghost stories and with that, many spooky attractions such as ghost tours of Old Town and hosting grand haunted houses during the fall for Halloween. Fort Collins was even ranked the third-most-haunted city in America in 2019 by Yelp. What many residents and visitors alike may not know is that there are several ghost stories just at Colorado State University.
While these myths don’t have any concrete evidence to back them up, some stories, such as students seeing wet footprints in Ammons and shadowy figures in Student Services, have helped the tales persist over time.
According to the stories, Ammons Hall, Johnson Hall and the Student Services Building seem to be some of the scariest places on campus and have had the most paranormal activity reported or rumored.
Ammons Hall and Student Services Building
Myths have been passed down by students for many years, telling legends of the girl who supposedly drowned in the pool that used to be in Ammons Hall, or the architect of the Student Services Building who is said to have been plotting to kill his wife and children and bury them beneath the building.
Being more than 100 years old, Ammons Hall has a long history at CSU. Originally named the Women’s Building, it was built in 1921 as a separate recreational space for female students, and included a small gymnasium, several social areas and the first swimming pool on campus. In 1978 it was put on the National Register of Historic Places, and survived a fire a few years later in 1980.
Many have theorized that the pool was closed because a female student drowned there, but according to CSU Archives and Special Collections, the pool had been used only for storage since 1982, and was sealed in a 1996 renovation to make room for Career Services. Marble from the original locker rooms was repurposed for countertops, and it became home to the Office of Admissions and the University Welcome Center in 2007.
Still, rumors of the paranormal continue to persist. The Collegian reported in 2019 that the Ghost Hunters of Colorado visited Ammons Hall and Student Services to conduct an investigation. The hunters supposedly recorded spirits talking to them, giggling, chairs rocking on their own and heavy doors slamming. The hunters also reported lights turning on and off on their own.
The history of the Student Services Building is also expansive, having originally opened in 1948 as a dormitory under what is now a more familiar name: Braiden Hall. The building, designed by the same architect as Ammons Hall, Eugene Groves, used to have a tunnel that connected it with the Johnson Hall Student Union so that food could be easily transported between the two. This tunnel, however, was closed in 1951, and on the Johnson side it was instead connected to the Student Union Annex’s new game room.
The building was used by the Housing Office beginning in 1958, and in 1963, the name Braiden was given to the then-newly constructed dormitory that Braiden is today, with Student Services being the name given to the original residence hall.
As for the rumors surrounding Groves’ mental state, they are generally considered false according to CSU Archivist Linda Meyer’s research. Groves did develop Alzheimer’s before his death in 1967, but he had been a prolific and respected architect who designed several historical buildings in Denver that still stand today.
Another fun fact is that Groves boasted that his roof design for what is now Student Services would not leak for 10 years – a claim that was proven false in 1949 when the roof did start to leak, and was then repaired at Groves’ own expense.
Johnson Hall
Groves also designed S. Arthur Johnson Hall which was built as the Student Union building in 1936 – similar in function to the Lory Student Center today.
Zach Farrin, a graduate teaching assistant at CSU, says there is paranormal activity in Johnson Hall. Farrin said over an email that the electrical wiring casings would vibrate and make noises, but would only start when he began talking and would stop when he stopped.
“Also, that room would be inexplicably freezing sometimes, like colder than it was outside, which can also be a tell-tale sign of spiritual activity,” Farrin says.
Clarissa Trapp, a faculty member in the library, says she has also heard many stories throughout the years. When it was originally built as the first on-campus student union, a ballroom was added and later converted into a theater.
“People have had experiences where they hear music or dancing in the auditorium, which I think is kind of classroom-y now, in Johnson Hall,” Trapp says. “Honestly, that’s fun. Kinda creepy, but fun.”
