The Spirits of Nunemaker Place

Today, Nunemaker Place is best known as home of Westminster’s Honors College—a gathering place for presentations, studying, academic discussions, and the occasional backyard barbeque. However, it’s also home to several haunted legends.

Originally built as an interfaith chapel in 1977, Nunemaker Place once hosted weddings. One theory suggests that a bride named Kelly Sullivan was preparing to walk down the aisle when she mysteriously collapsed and died.

The cause of death could never be determined, but her spirit is rumored to remain inside Nunemaker Place.

Another theory is that Irene Nunemaker, the funder and namesake of the building, is responsible for its haunting. Ms. Nunemaker paid for the building’s construction and helped design it, and it is purported that her spirit has remained to take care of the building she loved so much.

Whoever these spirits may be, reports of paranormal activity in Nunemaker Place are common. Multiple campus patrol officers have reported strange occurrences in Nunemaker, especially late at night.

In the year 2000, an officer was making his rounds around two in the morning when he noticed all the lights inside Nunemaker were on. Finding this odd, he radioed for another patrol officer to help him sweep the building to make sure it was secure.

As they entered and locked the door behind them, suddenly, every light in the building turned off at the same time, then turned back on again, going off and on several times before finally remaining off.

One campus patrol officer has reported hearing air vents clanking and items being thrown around. In a 2019 interview with The Forum, Ray Barber explained that he’d sometimes spend time in the empty building to take a break, and he noted that there was a presence that could be felt while sitting in the empty rooms. “You can feel a person is next to you, then it’s right here, right behind me,” he told the campus newspaper.

More recently, a student who frequently spent time studying in Nunemaker felt a presence, as though someone was standing right next to him, even though he was alone in the building. Later, he heard his name called from the rafters.

Who is responsible for the haunting of Nunemaker Place? Is it Kelly Sullivan, Irene Nunemaker, or is it just coincidence? Whatever the answer, if you spend enough time in Nunemaker place, you just may encounter the paranormal.

Thanks for listening to the Westminster Haunted Tour, presented by the Westminster College Alumni Office. Check out our other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts, and visit westminstercollege.edu/alumni for upcoming events and alumni resources.

This production was made possible through the idea of Trey Hansen, class of 2016, the research and journalism of Graham Kennedy, class of 2020, and Westminster’s student newspaper, The Forum.

Disclaimer: These tales of legends and spirits are just for fun!

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