A superstition that won’t die

The elevator in the Boston University dormitory of Shelton Hall often stops inexplicably on the fourth floor ‘-‘- also known as the Writers’ Corridor ‘-‘- but when the doors open, no one is there.

This incident is among many strange events that take place in the supposedly haunted corridor, giving rise to a host of superstitions that have yet to die. Many residents, as well as Shelton staff members, attribute these occurrences to the ghost of playwright Eugene O’Neill, who died in suite 401 before the hall became a BU dormitory.’

O’Neill, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936 and four Pulitzer Prizes, died in suite 401 in 1953, when Shelton was the Sheraton Hotel, according to a plaque on display on the first floor.

When BU bought the hotel in 1954, officials altered the floor plans, making O’Neill’s old room into what is currently suite 419, Shelton Residence Director Jennifer Battaglino said.

‘There are conflicting stories as to where he died, and what he died from,’ Battaglino said. ‘I feel like no one really knows the whole story.’

The fourth floor mysteriously has dimmer lighting than any of the other eight floors in Shelton, Battaglino said. Maintenance has attempted to fix this difference many times, but without success.

Battaglino said she has not only heard stories about the haunted floor, but experienced strange events firsthand. Sometimes, when she picks up her phone to make a call, it will dial the number four without stopping. Another time a resident assistant took a picture with a second person in the frame and a blurry figure appeared in the background.

‘If you look at the blur with a magnifying glass, there is a face that looks like Eugene O’Neill,’ Battaglino said.

Despite these scary experiences, Battaglino said she never feels frightened when she is alone in Shelton over the holidays.

‘It goes back to that feeling of friendliness,’ Battaglino said. ‘Even though they say he was a mean drunk, maybe he has changed as a ghost.’

Three of the four women who now reside in room 419 are living there for their second year, and said that part of their incentive to stay in the room was due to the ghostly happenings around them.

‘We decided we didn’t want to give up this room,’ College of Communication sophomore Kirsten Berg said. ‘Part of it had to do with Eugene O’Neill.’

Occasionally, the residents will hear knocking at the door, but when they go to answer it, no one is there. The strangest experience, however, may have occured on an excursion to the Brookline Booksmith for a floor event, they said. Their RA found a copy of O’Neill’s complete works and then, although the store is organized by author, saw O’Neill’s books everywhere.

‘It was like his face was following us around,’ Berg said. ‘I finally just gave in and bought a copy, and now ‘Long Days Journey Into Night’ sits on my bookshelf.’

The myth is that the spirit of O’Neill inspires those who live on the fourth floor, COM sophomore Christina Braccio said. Sometimes, when students are up late working on a paper they call on O’Neill to help them finish it.

‘I like to think of Eugene O’Neill as a friend,’ Braccio said. ‘He has never done anything to show us he’s anything else.’