Agnes Howard Stories

As Halloween approaches and rumors of strange goings-on are passed along, tradition carries us to the tales that stay close to us, especially on Wesleyan’s campus.  Nothing could be more fascinating or more mysterious than the stories through the years of what used to be called the “Ladies’ Hall”, now known as Agnes Howard Hall.  Although the classical stories of ghostly voices and paranormal proceedings have never really been investigated, it brings us to mind of the tragedies of the early days that have not been completely forgotten. One such story  is of one student and her short time here at Wesleyan.

Agnes Howard and Her Family

Much of what we know about Agnes Howard comes from a  letter to the college from her younger sister, Helen.  In that letter we learn that their mother, Audree Ford, was a graduate of the old Seminary in 1896 and had lived in the new ladies’ dormitory for a while – likely when it was brand new in 1895. The story goes that she was being courted by C.D. Howard, and he had to ask permission from then President Hutchinson to take her on buggy rides around town.  It was a very romantic thing to do in those days.

Agnes was the second child of five, four girls and one boy.  Her older sister, Edna, was already going to school here and two younger sisters would attend later.  Helen, one of those younger sisters, sent a letter to the college in the mid 1990s, a few years before she died, telling us what little we know of Agnes.  She was 5’ 8,” tall for a young woman, and had dark brown hair which looked black to most. Helen says of her, “She was vivacious, outgoing, athletic.” She played sports and her favorite activity seemed to be riding horses.  One of the few photos we have of her is on a horse with two other students. Agnes is the one to the far right.

In her senior year of high school Agnes developed what we would now refer to as “rheumatoid arthritis”, particularly in her knees.  Her mother took her to Little Rock Arkansas for time in some famous therapeutic baths and she improved enough to go to college. She arrived at Wesleyan for the 1916 fall term and lived in the Ladies’ Hall.  She was fine up to February of 1917 when she started getting sick. She apparently finished the year and went home, never to return. She died on December 21, 1917. Her death certificate only says from “complication”.  Interesting but not unusual in those days. After discussing this with others who have done work on her life, we think that possibly the influenza might have caught her in her weakened state and that is what took her life.  Sad that she never got to finish her schooling here.

Agnes  is buried in the family plot in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Cowen, Webster County, West Virginia. There was no truth to the rumor that she died in the dormitory.  Perhaps it had been thought of by those who came after.

Her father, Clarence D. Howard, served as a Trustee at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1906-1934. He gave generously to the college, and was in hopes of giving even more before the great depression in 1929 caused financial reverses for him. In West Virginia Wesleyan College: First 50 Years 1890-1940, Thomas W. Haught writes:

Mr. Howard’s eldest daughter, Edna, had graduated from the College with the class of 1918. His second daughter, Agnes, had entered the College and was in residence at the dormitory. The suddenness of her passing from the apparent bloom of health, also the universal esteem in which she was held by reason of the rare combination of spiritual attributes that were hers, made a deep and lasting impression on all who knew her. Instinctively, one and all felt that to make the dormitory her memorial would be not only a fitting tribute to her, but would be an equally fitting recognition of the generosity of a man who literally went about seeking opportunities to convert his material prosperity into the finest fruits of the spirit.

Four children of Audree and Clarence Howard have been students at Wesleyan:

• Edna, graduated in the class of 1918
• Agnes, who tragically did not live to graduate
• Helen, graduated from the college in 1924
• Elsie, graduated from the Normal School in 1933

Haught writes that, “Mr. Howard’s generous patronage in sending four children to the College was an expression of his confidence in the aims and purposes of the institution; and his unstinted financial backing of its program spoke eloquently of his deep interest in its welfare.”

A brother, Harry F. Howard, attended the Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, VA.

And now for the stories:

Through more recent years there have been stories of unusual happenings occurring, all on the fourth floor.  We don’t really know at this time if this is the floor that Agnes lived on, but many surmise that it is. The fact is that any stories of this nature that have been recorded have all come from students living on this floor.  Doors opening and closing, objects being relocated, sounds of movement but no visual sightings, and one instance of a resident student’s name being whispered in her ear three times have all been told and reported. There were even a few tales of feeling pressure on their bodies as if someone was sitting on them.  Nothing has ever been corroborated but they do add to the mystique of the building and the ongoing legend that is Aggie’s legacy. Nonetheless, no new stories have been told for some time so it is hard to imagine anything factual to all of these stories. However……..

Agnes Howard will go on as being a piece of the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College.  As we move further away from the past and move farther into the future, her time here becomes a smaller and smaller piece of the Wesleyan story.  Her painting hangs in the lobby of the hall that bears her name and you can decide how well the artist depicted her beauty and vigor. She will be forever a part of West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Note:  information on the strange occurrences credited to Linda Loudin Wygal of the Upshur County Historical Society.

The Legacy Continues:

In the spring of 2017, as I was teaching a class on WVWC history, I had just finished reading Helen Hunter’s letter to the class one afternoon when a student raised her hand to ask if she could add something. Of course, I was anxious to hear what she had to say. I assumed that she had a story of her own about the ghostly happenings in Agnes Howard Hall.

Much to my surprise, Lauren Bolen’s addition was much more than that. It turns out that Helen Howard Hunter was her Great Grandmother! Thereby, Agnes Howard was her Great Great Aunt, and Audree Ford Howard and Clarence D. Howard were her Great Great Grandparents.

The spirit of life and love that Agnes brought with her to Buckhannon lives on. Even those who have experienced strange occurrences say that they never feel threatened – but rather that Agnes has a way of pranking people. This would tend to fit with the description from her family.

The legacy also lives on. Helen Howard Hunter, class of 1924 (daughter of Audree, class of 1896; Great Grandmother of Lauren Bolen, class of 2020) ends her letter by saying, “I might add that Agnes was a favorite with young and old, probably because she was so fun-loving. She would like your calling the hall “Aggie Howard”.  At Agnes’ funeral service, one of the floral wreaths had these words: “Too Soon”. How true!

Click here for more information about Agnes Howard Hall.

I’m trying something new! If you have stories about hauntings in Agnes Howard, Atkinson Auditorium, or other campus locations, click here to submit them.