THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Franklin & Marshall College's Wohlsen House is associated with a ghost nicknamed "Bob." Reports include slamming doors, unexplained bangs on the staircase, electrical disturbances, and the apparition of a man who reportedly walked into view before disappearing behind a basement wall.
The Robert S. Wohlsen House at Franklin & Marshall College was constructed in 1929 as the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house and later became associated with the college's admission office. Campus folklore holds that the building is haunted by a young man known as Bob, who supposedly died after falling down a staircase, although the details of that death have not been independently established. Reports of unexplained activity are concentrated particularly in the basement. A secretary working there alone reportedly heard a loud bang on the stairs and found no one present when she investigated. On another occasion, two women working in the basement said they saw a man walk into view and then disappear behind a wall. Other stories describe doors slamming during the night when the building is empty and lights suddenly switching off. According to campus tradition, employees sometimes respond to the electrical disturbances by shouting, "Knock it off, Bob!" after which the lights are said to come back on. The stories form part of Franklin & Marshall's longstanding collection of campus ghost lore.