The rumors, gruesome in nature, surround death, suicide, satanic rituals, and sealed floors all within the walls of an MSU dorm. How true are these rumors, and what is the real history behind one of MSU’s most notorious haunts?  

History 

Mary Mayo Hall was built in 1931 as the first all-women's dorm on MSU's campus. Its namesake, Mary Mayo, was an advocate for women’s education and pushed for the first women’s courses to be taught at MSU, then Michigan Agriculture College. In 1896, Mayo was successful, and a women’s course was added at MSU that offered women degree options outside of agriculture.   

Mayo’s contribution to MSU is not to be understated; the first women’s building, Morrill Hall of Agriculture, was to be named after her, but it was not until the construction of the first all-women’s dormitory that she was given her recognition. 

Contrary to popular rumors about her death, Mary Mayo passed away from sickness in 1903 and never got to step foot in the dormitory that bears her name.

Rumors 

Although Mary Mayo passed away before the construction of the dormitory, a common rumor that circulates is that she passed away in the hall and haunts it to this day. In fact, that rumor is so prolific that students often attribute any odd occurrences to her spirit. 

Marketing junior Lindsay Farrall lived in Mayo Hall her first year and spoke of the rumors that circulate in the hall and their impact on students. 

“I was aware moving into the dorm that it was 'haunted,' and that there were ghost stories, and it was supposed to be the most 'haunted' dorm on campus,” Farrall said. “The lore of the building carries so much information; you can’t really talk about Mary Mayo Hall without talking about the ghost of Mary Mayo herself haunting the building.” 

Although the rumor surrounding Mayo’s untimely death within the dorm has been debunked, her ghost is most attributed to the odd occurrences within the dorm.  

“I personally have never experienced any paranormal activities (while) living there, but definitely her presence was still very powerful,” Farrall said. “In the main hall of Mayo, there is above the fireplace a picture of her, and people would be like ‘Oh my gosh, her eyes follow you, be careful of that picture’.”

The portrait of Mayo that hangs in the study lounge near the entrance to the hall is unsettling at best. The black and white image carries an ominous presence due to its lack of color that intensifies Mayo’s features, perhaps to the point of exaggeration. 

On top of rumors haunting the minds of residents, several Mayo residents spoke about recent odd occurrences within the hall. Some of the reports, such as elevators that don’t open when arriving at a floor, or loud clanks from the radiator, could be explained easily. However, other occurrences leave the mind searching for an answer that is unlikely to be found. 

Film studies freshman Journey Brodie currently resides in Mayo Hall and spoke of unusual occurrences within her dorm that she could not explain. 

“The main thing I noticed is that our lights turn off, (although) it’s not motion-censored. We asked the other people who live here, and their lights aren’t motion-censored,” Brodie said. “Even if we get up and try to turn them back on, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just random.”  

Brodie also noted an issue that was not unique to just her dorm, that being her dresser drawers' affinity for opening at random times. Some residents attributed this phenomenon to uneven clothing distribution and old dorm decor, while others felt this was Mary Mayo playing tricks on them.

“My drawers, I can't really tell if they’re sensitive, but sometimes when I close them, they just open back up, and it’s just very random,” Brodie said. “Other people have been going through the same things... if anything happens, we just blame Mary, the lights, the drawers, the elevator, it’s all her.”

Another occurrence students cannot seem to explain is that of doors opening at odd times. 

International relations junior Riya Jacob spoke about her experience living in Mayo Hall during her first year at MSU. 

“During the winter, we wouldn’t have any of the windows open or anything, but my closet door would sometimes shut, which was weird to me,” Jacob said. “Sometimes the occasional door rattle, which I could say was Mary Mayo or it was students trying to prank me, either way it was a little unsettling.”  

Jacob maintained that she personally did not feel like her experience was a ghost but acknowledged that unexplainable events do occur. 

“I feel like a lot of stories that I’ve heard are pretty similar to mine... a door being not fully closed, or something closing on its own or opening on its own," Jacob said. “The rumor with the combination of unexplainable things, it’s kind of hard not to believe that it could be haunted.” 

Another rumor that plagues Mary Mayo Hall is that of the 4th floor, or “The Red Room”. The rumor alleges that students in the 70s performed satanic rituals in the 4th-floor attic of Mary Mayo Hall and that a young woman committed suicide on the floor. 

While it is true that a 4th-floor attic space does exist, and it is sealed with a key card scanner, it is extremely unlikely that it was sealed due to satanic rituals tainting the space. 

There is no record of either event having occurred in the hall, and it is much more likely that it was sealed off because the floor houses important units for air conditioning and heating. The floor is also accessible to facilities workers within Mary Mayo Hall, which explains the occasional shadows visible from the exterior windows and footsteps above the heads of 3rd-floor residents. 

The rumors surrounding Mary Mayo Hall tend to obscure the actual history of the hall and the pioneering woman it was named after. Although the rumors surrounding rituals, suicides, and untimely demise have been debunked, their impact on the minds of MSU students lives on.