Ghosts in Merrill Hall
Photograph by Crina Parasca.
October 11, 2023
Adam Hendrix, Contributing Writer
As she sits alone, practicing piano in the Nordica Auditorium, panic begins to rise in her chest as an incorporeal form appears only a few short feet away from her. It doesn’t take her long, even in her frightened state, to recognize the floating, legless being before her as Lady Nordica, who was looking back with kind eyes.
For countless years, students from the University of Maine at Farmington have told hushed stories of paranormal activity stemming from Merrill Hall. Recently, Gavin Pickering, a UMF alumni and counselor, shared some of his collection of such stories in a private meeting. Some students have not felt just the presence of a single lone ghost in Merrill Hall, but instead three unique entities have made themselves known within the hall, especially to those who choose to be alone within its walls.
“I’ve had a number of students talk about how they feel a presence when in the Nordica Auditorium,” Pickering said.
Of the three spirits, the one most talked about is the fabled Lilian Nordica, a long-dead opera singer who allegedly brings a “friendly vibe” to those who she appears to.
Tales of her hauntings do not state that Lady Nordica appears at random, though, as many students report that they “were alone playing music or singing [when] they saw Lady Nordica,” Pickering said.
Though she died in 1914 of pneumonia almost halfway across the world in Indonesia, Lady Nordica’s name has been preserved not only through these stories, but also through the Nordica Homestead Museum. The museum not only displays artifacts from her vibrant career, but also many of the Coca-Cola collectables featuring her image.
Though he has never had an experience with Lady Nordica herself, Pickering claims to have interacted with one of the other two spirits in Merrill Hall.
As Pickering wandered alone into the old classroom behind the Nordica Auditorium, he called out to the emptiness before him.
“If anyone is here, make your presence known,” Pickering said.
As the lights in the room suddenly began to flicker in response to Pickering’s words, one thought pierced through Pickering’s shocked cloud of thoughts: this can’t possibly be the work of Lady Nordica; this isn’t anything like the stories he was told about. It was only a whole year later that he learned that there were three separate spirits residing within Merrill Hall. One such spirit is a mischievous, childlike entity that has been the source of many events, all of which resemble Pickering’s brief moment with the being that revealed itself to him that day.
Not all of the spirits are said to bring such positivity to those who interact with them, though, as the final and most mysterious entity hasn’t been as kind. Not many stories involve this entity, but those that do always note an eerie presence stemming from within Merril Hall’s basement.
“I’ve taken an art class in that basement, and it feels dark; there is definitely... a weird dark presence in that basement,” Pickering said.
Though infrequent, ghost stories continue to manifest on the UMF campus to this day. Those who call out into the darkness with their music might even have the darkness call back.
