Thursday, December 17, 2009

A different type of chill

Photo of SMCC's Hillside dorm from PRI-ME.org website.


While the cold has settled into the state in earnest, I'd like to throw some spooky chills into the mix as well.

I was talking to a friend of mine who has worked in SMCC's resident inn, and finds it a pretty creepy place to work through late nights at. But online, I found references to SMCC Hillside dorm as a home for haunts, which was new to me. I can't vouch for any of this information, but would definitely be interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced any of the Hillside phenomena mentioned here:
Southern Maine Technical College, South Portland: A Funeral Home

The Hillside Dorm has a long and strange history. This specific branch is now housing for students but at certain points in its career it has been not only a funeral home, but a brothel, and a nursing home. All this history makes it difficult to predict exactly what is haunting the halls of this college. There is a man who wanders the floors of the attic. There is also repeats of a creature up there who moves to and fro. Many times maintenance has tried to catch it, but as of yet it has eluded all traps. Strange dusty footprints have been reported around the traps. There is also an older lady and a young boy who are said to torment some of the students by messing with their blankets and windows at night. There is also a young woman in a nightgown who walks up and down the staircase in the evening hours. The validity of this sighting is that not only has she been seen by individuals, but also groups.

[Source
In searching for a photo of the dorm online, I found that Paranormal Researchers and Investigators of Maine (PRI-ME) has done a training session for paranormal investigations at the site. You can read about their investigation here -- lots of photos too!

5 comments:

chrisman01 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I went to SMTC, Now SMCC from 1997-99, and I was also a Security Officer & an RA in Hillside Hall. I enjoyed the campus and its history, but I also saw my share of unexplainable activities.

From the Hospitality Center lights also being turned on and off, and from "the General" often entering the Automotive building, there were numerous occasions where incident reports were written about many strange things.

In May of 1998, I moved into Hillside Hall & was going to work Security over the summer, and stay there to fulfill my RA duties until May of 1999.

I had no knowledge about Hillside and the very first night I experienced a situation. First it started with someone whispering, & the bathroom lights being turned on. A few days later, my fan was turned off several times and I heard the 2nd floor toilet flush. I heard someone walking upstairs & saw a door open, but no one was there when I ran to the doorway to see who it was. I thought someone was sneaking in there, but strange things kept happening. The light bulbs in the basement would suddenly blow out every time I wanted to do laundry. After the students moved in, I would hear cupboards open/close at night. My room was next to the kitchen & when I would get up to see who was making noise, no one was there. The attic...well, we always heard movement up there but never saw anything. I could share many more detailed stories after spending a year in building, but this place definitely had something going on, and I was so thankful to move on from there. I visited the campus early in 2010 after living away from Maine for 10 yrs, & I just got such a weird feeling when I passed by this house. I'm surprised the investigative team didn't find more, because this house had something new to offer every day.

Anonymous said...

I hung out with some friends who went to smcc in hillside when students were allowed to live in there. We used to sing the song by the counting crows with "hillside manor" while we were there cause it made us feel cool or whatever.. anyway we had a great time I felt like I never wanted to leave.

One night my buddy asked if I wanted to see the haunted sections. I wasn't ever sketched out by anything back then so I was all about looking tough and checked it out. He took me to the basement.. it was ancient.. there were creepy beds and sinks covered in rust, not to mention limited light supplied by cellphones. Looking around for 20 seconds made me not want to be there anymore. Something about that place gave me extreme creeps until I left. Now, I'm finding out there's some stuff in the attic, too?

Glad to be home.

SleepTechSteve said...

I am researching the paranormal history of Hillside Dorm and would greatly appreciate it if anyone who had either lived there or visited the dorm (or if you know of someone) would contact me and share their experiences with me. SleepTechSteve: Stevenhmalan@gmail.com Thanks!

Amanda W said...

I lived at hillside manor in 2006-2007 and I have to say it was creepy at times especially late at night I witnessed a black mass hovering in the corner of my room I had what sounds like a wheel chair moving in the attic I would also hear someone walking up and down the steps of the attic which has a pad lock on the door that was really freaked me out. I liked living there I just wish I didn't experience what I experienced.