Isabel (Belle) Harris Bennett (b.1852) founded the college for minorities in 1897 and named it the Sue Bennett Memorial School (later Sue Bennett College) in honor of her deceased older sister, Sue Bennett. Belle was big in the woman's suffrage movement, and also in Methodist education. She also helped found the Scarritt Bible and Training School in Missouri, which later relocated to Tennessee. She also helped found a few more schools, and even had one in Rio de Jinero named after her. She died in 1922 in Richmond, KY.
The school closed in 1997 after it lost accreditation and funding due to financial and administrative problems (despite a fundraiser by Oprah Winfrey, hehe). Part of it is now the Bennett Center, which houses a branch of the local YMCA among other things. Its also been added to the National Register of Historical Places.
Shadowlands Description of Hauntings:
London - Sue Bennett College - they say the dorms and the theater are haunted and that Belle Bennett roams the halls all night playing the piano’s turning off and on lights and watching people sleep that still stay there if you go in your sure to find something.
Theresa's Note: In the comment section of another haunted locations listing, a former student also shared information on a suicide that ocurred on the 2nd floor of Helm Hall. The apparition of the young lady who hung herself in that dorm is reported to have been seen more often than Belle.
I want to go there for collage but idk. I am unsure, sorry I am anomunus. I need info.
ReplyDeleteSue Bennett College has not been an accredited institution of higher learning since 1997, so you might want to consider some other options. My advice would be to study hard, make good grades, and look at colleges or universities that have an accredited and respected program for whatever field you wish to go into. This is a paranormal site, so I only focus on that aspect...and although tempting, making a decision concerning your education based on an institution's haunted history (or lack thereof) and not considering other factors is a huge mistake. Good luck!
DeleteI lived on the campus in a house that used to be a schoolhouse in the early 1960s when Hays was the President of the College.It was located on the land behind was was built to be the college library. My dad was the Dean there for four years. I was in 3rd grade (I think) when I was awakened in the middle of the night by someone gently lifting the covers off of me. When I opened my eyes, I saw someone standing over me just looking at me. When I called out for my father, the person straightened up and walked slowly out of the room. My father searched the house and even checked to be sure one of my older brothers had not been playing a trick on me. They were not. I'm still convinced to this day that I saw an apparition.
ReplyDeleteNow I’m kinda scared lol I heard there was a lady Hanged on the 2nd floor
DeleteI'm looking to do a investigation, i have my own paranormal team, and there are 3 of us, would there be any way or how would we go by getting to investigate the college?
ReplyDeleteThe college is no longer a college, but many of the original buildings have been preserved by and our the new home to the Bennett Center, which is a non-profit Christian organization. As I'm not in that immediate area, I have no idea if they are open to investigations, but they do have a website that includes contact information. Best of luck to you! http://www.bennettcenter.org/
Deletethanks for the tip! and thanks...
DeleteI graduated there in 1979. What a awsome place to spend my teenage life there. Does anyone know if the campus still exist as it was back in 1979? I'm planning to visit there this fall.
DeleteOh, Mr. Hays, I'm sorry for all the troubles I caused on campus.
Mr. Hoskins, thank you for allowing me to keep my 1973 Kawasaki Z1 in the dorm. You were so cool!!! Coming straight from high school in Japan to SBC was very different and exciting. Thank you all of you who had to put up with me. Also, my personal thank you to Kathy Houston who showed me around on my first day on campus. I could not speak English then to thank you.
SBC taught me many things about life. So sad it had to close its door. SBC FOREVER!!!!
I worked at Sue Bennett College for 4 years just before it closed in 1997, one night as 3 other people and I were building sets on the stage in the Belle Bennett building, we saw what we thought was the night watchman pacing back and forth in the balcony area. but soon after he came up the back stairs and we all stood there and still saw "something" walking back and forth in the balcony. we called out to them but they never answered. we left and didnt come back till the next morning. never saw them again. I researched and found that a man had been shot in the balcony in the early 1920s by someone who was there voting. it used to be a voting spot for local elections. another thing I witnessed was while in the Helm Hall 2nd floor doing routine maintenance one day the door of one room kept slamming and opening. when I went to investigate there was no one in the room and the windows were all closed, so no draft could have slammed the door several times as I witnessed!...??? There was a maintenance man who worked there before I started who died in the basement of the gynasium. and basket balls would roll around on the gym floor by themselves. it would only do that when there were only a couple people in there. if there were a lot of people there it wouldnt do it.. I saw that happen several times and nobody could explain that one?
ReplyDeleteI've been up there many times late at night around 3 a.m. and I'd quite active upper I've got quite a few pictures of some interesting things.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see some pictures.
ReplyDeleteI went there are saw someone walking up in the theater once I checked up there there was nobody there and someone people say there’s a lady hanged up I. The 2nd floor I went up the second floor and couldn’t find the body but I heard something in the basement and someone walking down the stairs
ReplyDelete