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The Spirits of LMU
Lincoln Memorial University is located in Harrogate, TN, just across the border from Middlesboro, KY. According to legend, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suggested to General O. O. Howard, a Union officer, that when the Civil War ended he hoped General Howard would organize a great university for the people of this area.
The Reverend A. A. Myers opened an elementary school in the area around 1890. A few years later, Myers met with Howard and many other people to fulfill Lincoln's request to establish a university to educate the mountain people. This group even included Robert Patterson, a Confederate veteran! Lincoln Memorial University was chartered by the State of Tennessee on February 12, 1897, which was Lincoln's birthday. Every college seems to have at least one ghost, and LMU is no exception.
For years, it was said that the ghost of the woman haunted the dorm. According to legend, during the fire of 1950, a woman in a red dress appeared in a fourth story window screaming for help. Today, some witnesses claim to have heard a lady coming up the stairs, or seen the apparition of a lady in a red dress wandering the halls, especially on the fourth floor. She has also been known to knock on doors, and turn door knobs. Some say she is trying to warn residents of the historic fires! Perhaps we would be wise to listen to her. She has certainly experienced her fair share of fires.
©2002-2005
John Norris Brown. Part of John Norris Brown.com
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