What do you know about the ghosts that live at Iowa State? Or what about the bumps or flickers of light that happen in the Farm House? It seems that the spirits that inhabit Iowa State love to make their presence known to students and faculty today.

The Farm House is one the oldest buildings on campus, built around 1860. One of the original tenants of the house was Edith Curtiss, daughter of the president of the College of Agriculture at the time.

Edith lived on the second floor of the house and would often invite her male friends to the house at night. Before going downstairs, Edith would look out her curtains to see if they had arrived.

Long after Edith had passed away, the original curator of the Farm House would shut the curtains at night when she had finished cleaning the museum. One morning, when the curator returned to the Farm House, the curtains on the second floor were drawn open.

This continued for several nights, the curator shutting the curtains and finding them open the next morning.

Finally, the curator became fed up and one night, safety-pinned the curtains closed, thinking that would take care of the curtains blowing open.

That morning, upon returning to the Farm House, the curator once again found the curtains open, this time with the safety pin on the floor. It was closed shut.

This isn’t the only supernatural incident at the Farm House.

One of the employees of University Museums, Allison, was watching over the Farm House while the curator was on vacation. Allison had set the dining room table one night with new dishes and a tablecloth.

When she returned in the morning, Allison found the dishes in disarray, scattered across the room. Thinking it was probably nothing, she rearranged the dishes again and left to go home.

However, in the morning, the dishes were once again thrown about the dining room.

Quite shaken up, Allison went to her boss at University Museums, and he told her to go down into the basement to check the floor joyces to make sure they hadn’t shifted. Of course, the joyces were fine, and Allison didn’t move the dishes around in the dining room again.

Haunted Iowa State is taking place for the fifth year, giving students the opportunity to learn about the ghosts and hauntings of the past.

It is “experiential, fast paced, and downright spooky!” said Allison Sheridan, the collections manager and education specialist at the Christian Petersen Art Museum. Sheridan is in charge of Haunted Iowa State.

“The tour explores the lore, traditions and hauntings of our campus buildings and grounds,” Sheridan said.

Haunted Iowa State also features ghosts – a lot of them. “[The tour] is also peppered with ghosts from the past 150 years of Iowa State’s history,” Sheridan said.

The idea for this guided night tour came from students’ curiosity about the campus cemetery and eventually grew into many other “haunted” sites, including the Farm House Museum.

In addition to the cemetery and the Farm House Museum, Haunted Iowa State will visit the Campanile, Beardshear Hall, Catt Hall, MacKay Hall and the Memorial Union.

“These places are chosen because they are relevant to the historical ghosts, have reported hauntings or make your hair stand on end when you visit them at night,” Sheridan said.

Current students serve as tour guides for the night. Angela Shippy, senior in management, became a tour guide after experiencing Haunted Iowa State last year.

“It’s a great time for all involved, guests and volunteers,” Shippy said.

Shippy thinks this tour is a great way to learn about Iowa State’s famous buildings and the ghosts that inhabit them.

“You get to hear historical facts they don’t tell you during orientation, specifically the ghost stories,” Shippy said.

Haunted Iowa State will take place Wednesday. Those interested in participating should meet by the Campanile at 6 p.m. Participants should dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. The tour is free and refreshments are served when the tour is over.

The ISU Cemetery

One of the least-known places on campus, the cemetery has been thriving since 1876. The cemetery is located on the northwest corner of Central Campus and is approximately two acres; this cemetery is one of the few cemeteries still associated with a university. Tom Lee Thompson was the first burial of the cemetery in 1875, and more than 700 graves reside there. Some of the more notable graves include past university presidents, veterans of war, two students and a night guard and his dog.

Memorial Union

Originally built as a memorial to the students who had lost their lives in World War I, the Memorial Union has sustained more renovations than any other building on campus. The expansions have included a bowling alley, a bookstore and a food court. The MU now holds the names of students who lost their lives in wars following WW1, including the Iraq war.

Catt Hall

Catt Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Built in 1892 and originally called the Agriculture Building, Catt Hall was named after Carrie Chapman Catt in 1992. Catt was an ISU graduate in 1880 and a leader in the women’s suffrage movement. This building now holds the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as a horticulture addition.

Beardshear Hall

Originally built in 1903, Beardshear Hall was constructed as the “central building” on campus, according to Iowa State’s Web site. This building was named after William Beardshear, a former ISU president. Beardshear has held the mathematics, English, botany, history and linguistics departments. Today, this building is home to the president’s and treasurer’s offices.

MacKay Hall

MacKay Hall was built in 1910, and an addition was added in 1925 to accommodate the growing number of home economics students. This hall was named after Catherine MacKay, who was the dean of home economics in the early 1900s. While several more additions were added to MacKay, the largest addition was LeBaron Hall in 1975.

Farm House Museum

The first building built on “new college land,” the Farm House was built around 1860, according to the Iowa State Web site. William Fitzpatrick was the first tenant, and more than 17 families have lived in the house. Although no tenants currently inhabit the Farm House, it now serves as a museum for students and faculty at Iowa State.