William and Mary University is one of the most prestigious schools in the nation. Its curriculum challenges its students at the highest academic level. Students who attend this school fight for excellence, lending to the success of the College of William and Mary. One of the most notable operations of William and Mary is the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. The Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall was built in the 1950s to commemorate this society.
The Memorial Hall is considered one of the nation’s finest performing arts facilities. Students in the school’s theater, dance, and music programs consider it an honor to perform at this establishment. This was especially true when it first opened.
Learn more about the College of William and Mary, its hauntings, and Williamsburg history on a walking tour with Colonial Ghosts!
Who Haunts Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall?
In the late 1950s, a young woman named Lucinda was cast as the lead in the theater department’s production of Our Town. However, she never showcased her acting chops because she died shortly before opening night.
She has since haunted the College of William and Mary. Her thirst for excellence, passion for performing, and love of the performing arts have all seemingly kept her spirit trapped inside this building.
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa is known as the first national academic honor society. However, it was initially a secret society. Around the time Phi Beta Kappa was established, no one took the two existing secret societies at William and Mary (FHC, PDA) seriously because of their reputation for partying and drinking too much.
Phi Beta Kappa was established to provide students with a society that focused on learning and discussion, not partying. As a result, in 1776, John Heath and five other students met at the Raleigh Tavern to establish Phi Beta Kappa.
The society closed its doors twice throughout the years. The first time was during the American Revolutionary War. In 1780, William and Mary shut down but reopened in 1781. Phi Beta Kappa didn’t, and before the Virginia Chapter reopened, secret societies came under attack from religious organizations that believed these societies focused more on philosophy and not religion.
This forced Phi Beta Chapters at other colleges to lift the veil on their secrecy. As a result, when the Virginia Chapter reopened in 1851, thanks to two William and Mary professors from Union College in New York, it became an honors society and not a secret society.
It remained open and running for the next ten years. However, because of the Civil War, Phi Beta Kappa closed its doors for a second time and didn’t open again until 1893. The society today has an impressive list of members. Among other people, Phi Beta Kappa members include John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, ten chief justices of the Supreme Court, 136 Nobel laureates, Glenn Close, Francis Ford Coppola, etc.,
In Honor of Phi Beta Kappa
In honor of Phi Beta Kappa’s achievements, the Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall opened in 1956. It’s the college’s main performing arts complex and has the largest auditorium on campus, The Mainstage Theater. The Mainstage Theater plays host to the University ceremonies, convocations, and lectures. In addition, the student’s main productions in dance, music, and theater are also performed here.
There are also other various theaters in the building. The Studio Theater is the school’s black box theater and is the school’s main classroom for theater students, the rehearsal space for the main stage productions, and the rehearsal space for smaller or experimental productions. The building also has a scene shop, Computer Design and Drafting Lab, Lighting Lab, and a Costume Shop.
Among the rooms necessary for the performing arts, the building also houses one of the many ghosts that haunt William and Mary University.
Hauntings of William and Mary
A former William and Mary student haunts The Mainstage Theater. In the late 1950s, a young woman named Lucinda received the lead role in the school’s production of “Our Town.” Unfortunately, she died tragically in a car accident before opening night.
Just after her death, Lucinda made her presence known when she appeared on opening night in the theater’s balcony. The understudy looked up and saw her wearing the black dress she was to wear for the graveyard scene.
Since then, she has shown herself to students who practice in the theater late at night.
On one occasion, an actress meant to wear a white wedding dress in a production was rehearsing alone one night. She looked out into the auditorium and saw the dress sitting upright in one of the chairs as if it was watching her.
On another occasion, a student was practicing the piano and, when finished, heard a voice say, “Oh, don’t stop,” as he went to leave. However, when he looked around, he found that he was alone.
Two other boys were rehearsing a scene from an opera, stopping when they saw a woman in a black dress drift across the balcony. On a third occasion, a student was rehearsing with his entire cast. He stopped and screamed, startling the other students. They all saw a transparent figure walk out of the theater.
William and Mary’s students undergo a lot of pressure in their academic lives when they’re at the school. Ghosts have unfinished business, and because Lucinda never performed, moving on to the next life was probably difficult for her. One wonders if she will ever be able to take care of her unfinished business, or will she be stuck in the audience seats, watching for all eternity?
Haunted Williamsburg
Intrigued by the ghosts at Phi Beta Kappa? There are plenty more spooky stories waiting for you! These historical spots are rich in eerie legends, ghost sightings, mysterious occurrences, and restless spirits.
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Sources:
- https://www.wm.edu/
- https://advancement.wm.edu/news/2016/school-spirits.php
- https://www.pbk.org/about/history
- https://www.wm.edu/as/theatre-performance/pbk/
- http://flathatnews.com/2011/10/31/76091/