After over a century of operation, it’s no wonder the University of Alberta has acquired its fair share of urban legends and chilling ghost stories. Nadine Bailey of Edmonton Ghost Tours shared some of these with Edmontonians through her campus walks.
If you’re determined to meet a spirit, your best bet is to head to the Pembina Hall. It may just have the darkest history on campus. During the outbreak of the Spanish Flu in 1918, it served as a hospital and quarantine area. Dozens of bodies of deceased patients — women, men and children — were stored there. Now, it’s rumoured that their restless spirits never left the building.
And if you’ve ever been to the Power Plant building, that now houses Dewey’s bar, you may have had a run in with Dr. Karl Clark’s spirit — a scientist who perfected a process of separating bitumen from oil sands, which played a pivotal role in development of Alberta’s economy. While you could chalk it up to having too many beers, his spirit is indeed rumoured to be wandering the halls of his former lab, wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard.
But the most famous ghost on campus? She resides in Emily Murphy house, much like she did when she was alive. You guessed it — it’s Emily Murphy herself. If you want to meet her, all you have to do is invite her for…tea. Staff say the kettle in the kitchen reportedly stays boiling all day, despite no one touching it — having the tea always ready for visitors is something for which she was known.
This article appears in the October 2020 issue of Edify
