Kathy the Morton Hall Ghost

     Morton Hall opened its doors in 1918 as the women’s dormitories, named after Mary Morton Pollock a facility member of Arizona Normal School. The dorm featured amalgamation architecture with a grand entry and symmetrical wings set in the Colonial style with Romanesque influences.The women’s dorm featured a private library, music room and dining which was removed in 1954. In the 1940’s, Morton Hall was occupied by the US Navy V-12 unit after being converted to feature a canteen, barbershop, and a post office. Today, Morton Hall connects to Campbell via a wing-way constructed in 1935. In 1953, rumors of a young woman committing suicide began to circulate the hall and leave us with the ghost story we have today.

 The legend starts in December of 1953 with the death of 19 year old Kathy. After learning that her parents could not afford to bring her home for Christmas break due to the family filing for bankruptcy, Kathy fell into a depression. Kathy’s hope of light was further extinguished when her boyfriend, whom Kathy thought would propose, broke up with her to be with another. The story goes that Kathy then hung herself on the second floor. The location to exactly where the supposed suicide took place is up for debate. Some reports state room 202, labeling it the “ghost room”. While Others say the room was 200A. However, some say the hanging took place in the attic, in the current pantry area or even in the room’s closets.

     The events in Morton Hall were just beginning. After students returned for the spring semester, a still born baby was found in the basement. Women who stay in the dorm often report feeling of loneliness, depression and homesickness. Women who report these feeling will often report a cold hand resting on their shoulder, assuming it to be Kathy comforting them. Other stories of phantom footsteps, locked doors opening, water faucets turning on, toilets flushing in the middle of night, the smell of roses, walls turning pink, the sound of a woman crying and a mysterious woman in blue wondering the halls.

The tales of Kathy continue to be passed down through the generations at NAU, but for now the true nature of the Morton Ghost remains unknown.

However, there are some issues with the haunting of Kathy…

Different Stories over time
Lack of viable proof
Investigations into Kathy
Different Stories over time

The reasons to why Kathy may have killed herself have been speculated over the years, only adding to the legend. The above story is the most common story however there are others. In another version of the legend, Kathy became involved with a married professor on campus. Just before Christmas, it’s rumored that the professor called off the affair which caused Kathy to kill herself. There is also variety in how Kathy killed herself. Some newspaper article say that Kathy tried to slit her wrists before hanging herself. This is why blood streaks can be seen on the wall and never covered by paint despite the numerous coats that have been applied. 

Lack of viable proof

There are no physical records of a Kathy attending the university, let alone dying on campus. There are no campus records of Kathy or police records for that matter. After searching through the cemetery records of the 1950’s, there is no one by the name of Kathy who died in December of 1953 in Flagstaff. Some thing the lack of records may be due to Morton Hall being the women’s dorm of the university, causing some to believe that the hall directors wanted to hide Kathy’s death from public record. 

Investigations into Kathy

Many have tried to look into the mysterious death of Kathy, including our team. However, with no notable last name, date and location of birth and death, or any witnesses to interview the trail into the mystery of Kathy run dry. This doesn’t stop people from investigating or reporting experiences with Kathy. 

Click here to hear the campfire story of Kathy the Morton Hall Ghost

Is there any truth behind the legend of Kathy?

After doing some research in the La Cuesta from 1950-1955, a young woman named Kathleen Chambers was found. The La Cuestas or yearbooks at NAU, listed Kathleen to be a freshman during the 1953 school year. It is important to mention that Kathleen is the only young woman during the correct time period to be known as ‘Kathy’. Kathleen being a freshman in 1953 would have made her 18 or 19 years old, aligning with the legend. Kathleen is also not present in the 1954 La Cuesta, meaning she either left the university or if she is the Kathy of the legends, further following the details of the legend.

After further inquiry into Kathleen Chambers, no further information was able to be gathered due to the lack of birthdate. There is on one by the name of Kathleen Chambers within the cemeteries in Flagstaff nor in the funeral ledgers housed with the NAU archives. 

Is it possible that Kathleen Chambers is the ‘Kathy’ of all the ghost stories? Without further proof, the true nature of the Morton Ghost remains unknown.

Archive of Newspaper records of Kathy