Happy October and spooky season to all those who celebrate Halloween! Did you know that NC State has some spooky traditions and tales? If you’ve ever wondered about them, you’re in luck because we’re going to turn back the pages of NC State history and discover what lurks behind the red and white of the Wolfpack.
On-Campus Events
In 2020, Technician, the student newspaper at NC State, published a story about Halloween events on campus from the 1920s to the 2020s. The paper went through its archives and featured stories it had documented, including the following:
- Halloween parties hosted by fraternities and sororities in the 1920s and 1930s.
- A Halloween prank in 1963 went wrong. A student put a chemical in Rocky Branch creek, turning the creek green all the way into downtown Raleigh.
- In the 1970s, haunted houses became popular. In 1976, a fraternity co-hosted a haunted house to raise funds for the March of Dimes.
- In 2006, students created a Facebook group and proposed a Halloween bash on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh similar to the gathering on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.
Holladay Hall
Did you know that Holladay Hall has a haunted history? The site for Holladay, the first building on campus, was once a family burial ground. Before the building opened in 1889, a mysterious fire broke out in the building. After the fire, a watchman kept an eye out for mischief.
The Curse of the Talley Seal
The scariest superstition on campus concerns the seal in Talley Student Union. Students who step on the seal are said to be cursed to graduate late or not graduate at all. Next time you stop by Port City Java for a breakfast sandwich or Starbucks for a pumpkin chai latte, pay attention to all the students walking around the seal.
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