As the curtain falls in Tohill Theater, some say the spirit of Elizabeth Tohill still lurks, the university’s former theater professor who helped shape Rowan University’s performing arts program. Watching from the shadows behind the curtains, intrigued with each new cast, while still bringing discipline towards those who do not fit her expectations. The spirit, better known to some theater students here at Rowan as “Liz,” is rumored to haunt Tohill Theater in Bunce Hall, historically, the oldest campus building that dates back to 1923.
As the legend goes, Liz has been known to move this around on the stage and is the first-ever drama professor at Rowan. Junior, Matthew Ciampa, is familiar with the legend of Elizabeth herself.
“The first ever theater professor here at Rowan, Elizabeth Tohill, haunts Bunce Hall, particularly haunts Tohill Theater, and whoever is in there occupying the theater. Rumor has it that other spirits roam backstage and even the bathroom. I heard that someone even saw a distorted face in the bathroom, kinda spooky,” said Ciampa.
For decades, Rowan students have experienced Bunce Hall being haunted by light noises, which some think to be Elizabeth. While freshman Mia Larussa is knowledgeable of these hauntings of Rowan, she further reinforces this spooky legend.
“My dad is a former alumnus from the 80s. In Bunce Hall, my dad would always hear talk of it being haunted and just having a creepy feel towards it, given that it’s so old. I don’t know, all the old Rowan buildings just seem to have an eerie tone to them,” said Larussa.
According to NewJerseyhauntedHouse.com, numerous reports over the years mention that some students have had unexplainable encounters in Bunce Hall. One of Rowan’s former students had dealings with a spirit in the 90s, in particular. As the alumni described the spirit to be humming in the women’s bathroom, while there was no one visibly there, as well as the stall doors opening and closing. Along with hearing the faucet run, as the website described, it was rather eerie.
Sophomore Anna Cate Hoffmann mentions quite a few spirits, from the commonly known Liz to a nameless spirit that is known to grab people’s backs and legs in the mezzanine leading to the third floor of Bunce Hall.
“Legend has it that this unknown spirit had an unfortunate ending. While another spirit occupies the green room, where actors wait to go on stage during their performance, some say the basement is haunted as well. My classmates often joke that I somehow upset Liz, considering I often get hurt during a performance,” said Hoffmann.
While these rumors of ghostly encounters and spooky tales continue to occur around Bunce Hall, the legend of Elizabeth Tohill has grown into a known superstition. Elizabeth Tohill remains greatly embedded in Rowan’s theater culture, reminding theater majors of a sense of standard towards theater. Whether Liz’s presence lingers through the muffled humming or the creak of stage floorboards and the hush of empty seats, students still remember her name with curiosity and fright. Allowing both legend and memory of Rowan’s first drama professor, Elizabeth Tohill.
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