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Do you believe in ghosts? 

Due to being founded in the 1890’s, Grand View University’s long lineage of about 125 years is bound to have some ghost stories. What is now the Humphrey Center, was the first building built on campus and formerly known as Old Main. Currently, it houses the admissions, advancement, and Viking Central offices. The Humphrey Center also houses President Keck’s office. Though back when the building was Old Main during the beginning years classes, dorms, and offices were all housed there. 

In 1929 Old Main was residence halls and the west side was the boy’s dormitory. On May 4th of that year, the Des Moines Tribune wrote about a devestating fire that started in the attic of Old Main and spread to the rest of the building, resulting in serious damages. According to the article, the costs totaled to approximately 25,000 dollars. 

Rumor has it that a male student who attended Grand View in 1929 had a girlfriend who was not a student known by the name Sheila. According to Carrie Sponhiem, the Director of Annual Giving, Sheila’s boyfriend and his friends snuck her in the night of the fire through the fire escape. At the time, the dorms were not coed, so girls were not allowed in the boy’s dorms. Sheila’s boyfriend snuck her in regardless. It was said that a professor warned students of the spreading fire, but everyone thought that it was a drill. The boys feared getting caught so they told Sheila to stay behind. After the fire, everybody except Sheila had been accounted for. It is assumed that Sheila died in the campus fire on May 3, 1929. Her spirit is said to be stuck in Humphrey, having haunted the building since her death.

“It’s like a fun story and there’s like been weird things that have happened in this building,” Sponheim said. Many employees that work in Humphrey have commented on strange possibly paranormal experiences they have had. 

There have been countless unexplained noises and events that have been encountered, such as people seeing someone in the windows while the building is supposed to be closed and loud footsteps when no one else is around. 

“I feel like everyone that has worked here for any amount have had weird experiences,” Sponhiem said. Sponheim has had her own experiences after working in Humphrey for about 17 years and commented on some fellow employee’s stories she has heard about. 

One night Sponheim, with the company of her dog, was alone in the office. Sponheim would often let her dog roam the basement hall since they were the only ones in the building. Eventually, security came up to her to let her know they were about to lock up the building. The guard told Sponhiem to just turn off the lights when she went home. Shortly after, Sponhiem remembers hearing the guard leave the building. She assumed that it was once again only her and her dog. 

“Five minutes later I hear footsteps in the office above me,” Sponheim said. Almost in sync with the footsteps her dog stopping running around and began to bark. 

Needless to say, Sponheim did not stay to investigate. She grabbed her dog and went straight to the car. Sponheim was also able to share a story of her old boss who worked in the same building as her, that had some strange unexplained encounters in Humphrey. 

Sponheim recalled that one day her boss left the office to go grab some papers from the printer and when he came back his computer was stuck pressing the “N” key on his keyboard. The man was pretty freaked out, and when he shouted out “Sheila” it stopped. While digging deeper we also found a five-year-old YouTube video titled, “A Haunting in Humphrey: The story of Grand View’s ghost” published Viewfinder Media. Bill Burma former Vice President of Advancement recollected this experience in the video.

All in all, the obligation to find the truth about Sheila may never be met due to lack of information available from the events that occurred May 3rd, 1929. Sheila may continue to be one of the longest legends to survive in GVU history. Stay safe and happy spooky season.