While ghost stories and haunted houses become popular during Halloween, Mississippi State University’s George Hall has an interesting past that some may find creepy or scary. George Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and its spooky history causes many to believe the building could be haunted.
George Hall is located on Lee Boulevard across from the Colvard Student Union and adjacent to the post office. Currently, it is home to the Office of Public Affairs.
According to MSU’s website, George Hall was founded in 1902 and is named after James Z. George, a former U.S. senator. It originally served as the campus infirmary.
In 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic hit MSU and several students lost their lives to this illness. As a result, a temporary morgue and embalming operation was set up in the basement of the infirmary. The James Z. George Memorial Hospital was the school’s medical facility until 1965.
Students who died in the building are rumored to still haunt George Hall to this day.
However, Sid Salter, MSU chief communications officer, said he has not seen anything out of the ordinary while working in George Hall. Still, there have been some cleaning crews that refused to work in the building after dark.
“As one who maintains an office in George Hall and also works late into the night, I can say with confidence that I’ve never encountered any ghosts or spirits in the building,” Salter said. “But I know that for many people who know the history of the building as a hospital and for a brief time as a morgue, the narrative is somewhat ominous.”
Hunter Hart, social media content associate, who works in George Hall said the building is eerie.
“I mean a lot of people died in that building. It’s pretty creepy,” Hart said.
Salter said he thinks of George Hall differently than as a haunted building.
“My father was a patient here in the late 1930s while he was a student. I have known a lot of great MSU staff members who were housed in this building after George Hall became an office building,” Salter said. “I take comfort in knowing that this building has remained an integral part of my alma mater for more than a century.”
Although no ghosts or spirits have actually been spotted inside George Hall, the building’s ominous past still causes many to believe it is haunted.
