Fronting the Oval at the heart of the campus, the university’s oldest standing building, also known as Main Hall, proudly represents the birth of this noble institution. Celebrated Missoula architect A. J. Gibson designed the Richardsonian Romanesque style building that, along with its now-demolished companion Science Hall, comprised the campus at the school’s opening in 1899. During the university’s dedication ceremony in 1898, corn, oil, and water symbolizing plenty, joy, and peace were poured over the building’s cornerstone. Today the hourly chiming of the bells in the majestic bell tower serves as constant reminder of the enduring solidity of the university.
University Hall, sometimes referred to as "Main Hall" is one of three buildings (that we know of) on the U of M campus which is reputed to be haunted. For decades there have been reports of strange occurrences and even sightings of people who turned out not to be there. The building's ghosts seem to have a predilection for appearing to custodial staff, leaving most others who work in the building alone.
The Bane of UM Custodians
The oldest building on UM’s campus, Main Hall (or University Hall, as it’s also known) is rumored to be UM’s most prodigiously haunted structure.
A creepy looking place to begin with, Main Hall has narrow, creaky hallways and more than one poorly lit doorway. It’s the type of place you would expect to be haunted, and custodian Jack Mondloch described hearing phantom footsteps and more in Big Sky Ghosts.
“One night I was cleaning the sinks in the men’s room in the basement,” he said. “I was six or eight feet from the door and I heard someone knocking. I said, ‘It’s open,’ but no one came in. I heard another knock, so I went over and opened the door myself and was surprised to find no one there.”
The next time he worked, Mondloch propped the basement men’s room door open with a wedge, hoping to deter invisible visitors from knocking. He was cleaning the far end of the room when the wedge suddenly came flying at him, hitting his leg. You guessed it—there was no one else around who could have thrown it.
Perhaps the weirdest story about Main Hall was reported in Big Sky Ghosts by Jim Dredger, also a custodian. He was cleaning the downstairs women’s room when he heard a knock. He yelled for the person to “come on in,” but no one did. Another knock followed. He opened the door and found no one there.
“I thought that was peculiar,” Dredger continued, “but I figured that my supervisor or one of my friends was giving me a bad time, so I didn’t think too much about it. But just to be on the safe side, I stuck a wedge under the door to keep it open. I turned back around to pick up the soap canister and there in the mirror of the vanity was the reflection of a lady with dark hair. I was startled and I whirled around to see what she wanted, but there was no sign of her. I rushed into the hall, but I couldn’t see or hear anyone moving along that wooden floor.”
Pat Bristol, who has had an office in Main Hall for 10 years, told the Independent that she too has experienced unexplained phenomena in the building. “On the first floor, there is a room with copiers and a little radiator,” she explains. “Late one night I walked by that room and the radiator was clanging away. But there hasn’t been water in it for 15 years. I thought it was strange, so I reached over and touched it. The radiator was stone cold.”
Another time, Bristol was working into the early morning hours. At about 5 a.m., she heard chains rattling up the stairs to the second floor, right next to her office. She decided not to get up and investigate. Despite her ghostly encounters, Bristol says she thinks the spooks in Main Hall are friendly.
From Missoula Tourism