BATON ROUGE – Many look back fondly on their college years, but some students never leave. In fact, some LSU students have stayed around so long, they’re no longer among the living!
For 160 years, Louisiana State University has educated future generations. And for all students, Pleasant Hall is important. It houses financial aid, admissions, and continuing education. But the buildings’ past was not always so “pleasant.” In the spring of 1971, a young woman by the name of Rosemary Maybell was dealing with a stressful romantic relationship. So much so she would eventually jump out the window.
LSU employee Kerry Villnuve says, “I’ve worked here at LSU for 13 years and they’ve always had this crazy story that a girl did, in fact, shoot her boyfriend which was a Ph.D. student. Everybody says it happened in 312, that seems to be the general consensus.”
Pleasant Hall was once a residential hall, then in the 70’s, it transitioned into a hotel that was in operation until 2002.
Villnuve continues, “I used to stay here really late when I was in grad school. I was a full-time employee who was also going to school. It was easy for me just to study here. I was usually the only one in the building because no one else is here at 11 o’clock at night. I would here doors closing and voices laughing. At 11 o’clock, the doors are locked.”
All sorts of stories abound, about a thin woman in her early twenties with blond hair, said to be Rosemary. One day a little boy broke away from his summer camp to stare down the hall at the room. When asked why he said he was looking at the dead. But these ghosts are not contained to room 312.
The elevator will randomly open and close on different floors, but that’s the least of their problems. One time an employee took a ride in the elevator with her grandchild who asked, “why is that skinny lady in here with the elevator with us?”
Brant Langlinais told us, “I was a hotel concierge from 2000-2002. This job required me to walk the halls late at night and I can say with confidence that there were many strange things that guests complained about. From opened doors to drastic temperature changes in individual rooms, it certainly had a life of its own.”
Have you had an experience at Pleasant Hall? Let us know twist@digital-stage.wgno.com.