| Radio Station WZPQ |
While I worked for the radio station in Jasper, I was also attending Walker College (which is now part of
Bevill State Community College). The original building, Davis Hall, was being renovated in early 1992.
Davis was built sometime in the early 1940's. Our Mass Communications classes were the first ones
held in the newly-renovated building during the Summer 1992 term.
My fellow students - and even our professors - began having strange experiences immediately after we
moved in. The brand new elevator operated by itself. On numerous occasions, the company that
installed it visited to inspect, but they never found any mechanical issues. They asserted that there was
simply no reason for it to run by itself and for the doors to open & close, unless someone pushed the call
buttons. It happened so frequently, it became pretty disturbing to everyone. It was a real source of
aggravation for the college's maintenance department as well as the guys answering the constant
service calls. The school administrators were frustrated because of the electricity that was surely being
wasted. While our classes were in progress, we would sometimes have to shut the classroom door
because of the bell "dinging" and the doors opening & closing.
During the first few weeks, I noted fleeting shadows in my peripheral vision, as if someone were walking
past in the hallways and common areas (such as the vending/snack area downstairs). A quick turn of
the head, and I would discover that I was alone. As probably most people would initially do, I brushed it
off as my imagination. But one afternoon while walking upstairs to a class, I heard footsteps behind me
in the stairwell. Without looking back, I assumed it was a classmate and I began making small-talk to this
person. Wondering why they didn't respond, I turned around and discovered that I was alone. Puzzling -
because I not only heard the distinctive sound of footsteps, but I also felt an unmistakable presence.
When I walked into to the classroom, I must have been visibly shaken because everyone asked me what
was wrong. This was the incident that opened up the dialogue among the students, professors and
other workers at the college. It turned out that most everyone was having strange encounters with this
unseen entity.
The top floor of Davis Hall had been converted into a fully-functioning television studio, control room,
video editing booth, journalism computer lab and radio control/production room. All the equipment was
brand-new and installed by qualified engineers. Everything was in tip-top order... but, nonetheless, the
two gentlemen who led the college's communications program shared that they had witnessed repeated
equipment malfunctions (such as studio cameras & monitors powering on & off by themselves), flickering
studio lights, and even papers flying several feet into the air off a copy stand one evening while they
were working late.
They were particularly rattled by the flying papers, because there was not much airflow in the studio -
and just no plausible explanation for it to occur. Everything had been setup with the same design
specifications as a regular TV studio, so the windows were covered to necessitate proper studio lighting,
and the air vents controlled to prevent air gusts and sound issues. There was simply no explanation for
the stack of papers to take flight off the stand. The two guys decided to cut their night short and go
home after that incident.
Along with several of my classmates, they reluctantly shared that they too had been witnessing these
same shadows and fleeting images out of the corners of their eyes. Being professional educators who
were very fact-based and data-driven, they kept these observations to themselves until I broke the ice
on the subject.
Just as with the elevator, the equipment anomalies resulted in many service calls to find out why our new,
state-of-the-art electronic devices were malfunctioning. Again, no problems were ever identified. They
only confirmed that everything was in working order, and there was no logical explanation for what was
happening.
Bevill State Community College). The original building, Davis Hall, was being renovated in early 1992.
Davis was built sometime in the early 1940's. Our Mass Communications classes were the first ones
held in the newly-renovated building during the Summer 1992 term.
My fellow students - and even our professors - began having strange experiences immediately after we
moved in. The brand new elevator operated by itself. On numerous occasions, the company that
installed it visited to inspect, but they never found any mechanical issues. They asserted that there was
simply no reason for it to run by itself and for the doors to open & close, unless someone pushed the call
buttons. It happened so frequently, it became pretty disturbing to everyone. It was a real source of
aggravation for the college's maintenance department as well as the guys answering the constant
service calls. The school administrators were frustrated because of the electricity that was surely being
wasted. While our classes were in progress, we would sometimes have to shut the classroom door
because of the bell "dinging" and the doors opening & closing.
During the first few weeks, I noted fleeting shadows in my peripheral vision, as if someone were walking
past in the hallways and common areas (such as the vending/snack area downstairs). A quick turn of
the head, and I would discover that I was alone. As probably most people would initially do, I brushed it
off as my imagination. But one afternoon while walking upstairs to a class, I heard footsteps behind me
in the stairwell. Without looking back, I assumed it was a classmate and I began making small-talk to this
person. Wondering why they didn't respond, I turned around and discovered that I was alone. Puzzling -
because I not only heard the distinctive sound of footsteps, but I also felt an unmistakable presence.
When I walked into to the classroom, I must have been visibly shaken because everyone asked me what
was wrong. This was the incident that opened up the dialogue among the students, professors and
other workers at the college. It turned out that most everyone was having strange encounters with this
unseen entity.
The top floor of Davis Hall had been converted into a fully-functioning television studio, control room,
video editing booth, journalism computer lab and radio control/production room. All the equipment was
brand-new and installed by qualified engineers. Everything was in tip-top order... but, nonetheless, the
two gentlemen who led the college's communications program shared that they had witnessed repeated
equipment malfunctions (such as studio cameras & monitors powering on & off by themselves), flickering
studio lights, and even papers flying several feet into the air off a copy stand one evening while they
were working late.
They were particularly rattled by the flying papers, because there was not much airflow in the studio -
and just no plausible explanation for it to occur. Everything had been setup with the same design
specifications as a regular TV studio, so the windows were covered to necessitate proper studio lighting,
and the air vents controlled to prevent air gusts and sound issues. There was simply no explanation for
the stack of papers to take flight off the stand. The two guys decided to cut their night short and go
home after that incident.
Along with several of my classmates, they reluctantly shared that they too had been witnessing these
same shadows and fleeting images out of the corners of their eyes. Being professional educators who
were very fact-based and data-driven, they kept these observations to themselves until I broke the ice
on the subject.
Just as with the elevator, the equipment anomalies resulted in many service calls to find out why our new,
state-of-the-art electronic devices were malfunctioning. Again, no problems were ever identified. They
only confirmed that everything was in working order, and there was no logical explanation for what was
happening.
This eyewitness account was shared with us and written by Pamela (Mays) Decker, featured in the
book, "Stories From The Haunted South." Thanks Pam!
book, "Stories From The Haunted South." Thanks Pam!