The Saint

Story by: Anastasia Benstead

You have probably heard the rumors about the sounds of small children playing in Holmdene late at night, or seen the unexplainable green light in the upper windows of the mansion; if you have not, you may need to look closer. The most likely explanation is the simplest one: ghosts. 

Beetlejuice- I mean Ryan Wendt- gave tours of Holmdene last Friday as part of Hallo-weekend and a conclusion to Fall Fest. Anyone who went would have learned that the house was purchased in 1945 for $115,000 by the college, but it was originally built in 1908. The first owners were Edward Lowe and Susan Blodgett Lowe who lived there with many servants, housekeepers, gardeners and other staff along with their son, James. Curious what James looks like? Pay a visit to the west side of Holmdene and admire the stone basin. The faces of the little cherubs on the side are modeled after young James. 

It is believed that Susan can still be seen in the house. Just last week, Ryan was sent a picture of Holmdene at night. He zoomed in on a first-floor window and discovered Susan Lowe standing there, dressed in the same clothes as the one she is wearing in the photo in the Aquinas College archives. Interestingly enough nobody was seen with her; the cleaning staff of Holmdene have often reported strange occurrences that they attribute to one of Susan’s servants who still feels a sense of obligation to her master. 

Another spirit still wandering the Holmdene halls is little Miss Ellis. The cleaning staff has also reported her walking around late at night and in the early mornings saying “hi” “hi” “hi”. Wondering what happened to Ellis? It is most likely that she drowned in the pool, but there is no obituary of her death to be found. In addition to her greetings, the cleaning staff have heard her playmates running around the third floor where the old ballroom used to be. 

If the strange noises, spirit sightings, and unexplainable lights are not enough to convince you of the haunted happenings of Holmdene- take it from the experts. John Zaffis, a paranormal researcher who visited Aquinas College in 2005. He readily admitted to the unusual presences he felt on campus.  

A huge shout-out is deserved to all of the student actors who made Haunted Holmdene such a success. They dressed in costumes, put up eerie decorations, used scary props and even put fake blood on the walls of the servant’s entrance through the basement.  A thank you to Ryan is also in order. No one on campus knows the history of this campus better than he, and we are so lucky to have someone so devoted to sharing it. Here he stands boasting his wonderful costume.

Make sure when you are walking past Holmdene next time to pay closer attention. Is there someone in the window? Should that light be on? There are so many little things that you may never have noticed on campus. You might be the next person to hear James running around playing with a ball when you are leaving professors’ office hours. 

Fake blood to decorate the walls 

Photo credit: The Editor