By: Mikala McBride, staff writer
Have you ever heard of the bat child that haunts Old Main? If not, you’re not alone. One night during last year’s interim, a few students decided to investigate the legend of this highly elusive creature on campus. According to Wofford folklore, Ben Wofford had an illegitimate child, but had to hide his adultery because of his position as minister. This child grew up sheltered and when a rabid bat accidentally bit him, Wofford was forced to build a college in order to house the now dangerous child. The bat child is rumored to stay up in the towers of Old Main and eat unsuspecting victims who pass by.
The students took it upon themselves to recruit a group of trustworthy allies for their mission to find the infamous bat child. They staked out Old Main early into the morning, hearing unusual noises, until they eventually saw a dark bat-like shape run across the front steps. After being captured, the bat child was surprisingly willing to sit down for an interview with the group. He discussed his experiences as a basketball player, shared details about his close relationship with Bruce Wayne, and debunked the legend that he is Ben Wofford’s illegitimate child.
Despite the fact that this story was created for an Urban Legends interim class, the actual legends and ghost stories of Wofford College are just as creepy as the made-up ones. Phillip Stone ‘94, archivist, investigated ghost stories for an article in a ’91 Old Gold & Black article. He found that “one of Dean Preston’s children used to hear noises that made her think that someone was in the room with her.” There were also several other reports of people on campus hearing strange noises around Old Main at night. Wofford’s legacy of creepy occurrences continues today.
An anonymous freshman source and her roommate have had some weird experiences in their room in Greene this year. At first, the strange occurrences began with a cork board that was hung up on the wall mysteriously moving to the floor across the room. The supernatural happenings continued as different objects started appearing in places they were not left, arranged into strange patterns. Despite the discomfort the two felt when faced with these experiences, they were completely unprepared for the moment they saw a demon head floating in the air. The source says she first saw him in the bathroom when she left and returned to find the door and curtain closed and a seven-foot tall demon standing by the shower.
Not only was she scared, but when she tried to tell others, he “didn’t like that [she] was talking about him over the phone later that night and kept pushing [her] when [she] mentioned him over text.” She says the dynamic has changed though, because he does not disturb them as much anymore. Instead, he just appears and glares at the pair, which is very scary for the both of them. They have had the room blessed and sprayed with holy water, but they say it only works for a few days and then he comes back.
This experience is just one of the many real reports there have been around campus regarding strange paranormal activity. We will see what scary stories Halloween day has in store for the students of Wofford College.
