The Spirits of Old Main at Southern Utah University

Southern Utah University has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a small teacher training institution in 1897.

It’s now one of the acclaimed universities in the state, offering over 100 associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs to more than 3,000 students from across the U.S.

However, SUU is far from just another top American university…

The Spirits of Old Main at Southern Utah University

Updated 2/11/2020 – SUU is home to many spirits, most you may come across in the oldest building on campus, Old Main.

Two entities have especially made themselves known to students and visitors alike: Virginia and Miss Little.

The Life, Death and Afterlife of Virginia

One of the stories SUU’s tour guides have been telling until the administration stopped them is that of 16-year-old Virginia Loomis.

She was violently murdered in the red hills, east of Cedar City by her boyfriend.

Her throat was slashed and her blood was allowed to pour freely out of her body and onto a large red sandstone boulder.

After some of the stones from that boulder were used in building Old Main, Virginia’s spirit became bound to the building forever.

Hired to investigate Old Main’s supernatural claims by the university’s officials themselves, Dr. Jeorde Spear, a professor of parapsychology with the University of Utah, revealed that Virginia tried taking revenge when she set fire to the building in 1948.

The acquitted boyfriend had then returned to Cedar City and was hired to tend to the furnace in Old Main.

Virginia didn’t lose much time and killed him during his first shift.

According to Dr. Spear, the murdered teenager’s apparition appeared in the flames laughing as she finally avenged her death.

However, she still hasn’t moved on.

Virginia has been seen roaming the third floor of Old Main, playing unnerving flute music at night.

She’s even known to vindictively stop elevators or scare students by creating footsteps that can be heard but not seen.

Virginia has also made herself seen in the building’s upper windows.

A biology major senior, Weston Prisbey told the university paper Thunder, “As soon as midnight rolled around the blinds on the third floor of Old Main, on the left hand side, began moving up and down, opening and closing. 

Then a bright flash filled the room and when it went off there was a figure standing in the window.

All of us ran to our cars and for the next day every sound made us jump.”

The Tragedy that Immortalized Miss Little

The paranormal entity hunting SUU’s halls is that of a young lady by the name Miss Little.

An accomplished pianist, she died of a heart attack the minute she finished a rendition of ‘Deep Purple’ at a recital in the auditorium.

However, a librarian at the school believes that Little was practicing the song to play it during Junior Prom.

Unfortunately, she died one day before she could play the song due to a ruptured appendix.

Adamant to make herself heard, she still plays the piano in the bell tower of Old Main.

Since then, playing ‘Deep Purple’ during Junior Prom is considered bad luck.

There are many other ghosts aside from Virginia and Little making their presence known in Old Main.

While a majority aren’t evil, don’t put them to the test if you decide to linger around the building after midnight.