By Viviana Freyer, Staff Editor
Bryn Mawr College has no shortage of notable students and alumni. However, one notorious Mawrtyr never actually graduated, and according to many, she never even left campus.
The ghost of Lillian Vickers has now been haunting Merion Hall, the College’s oldest dorm, for 120 years. Many college campuses across the U.S. are believed to be haunted, and Bryn Mawr is famously one of them. Lillian was even featured in a New York Times article about college ghost stories.
Who was Lillian Vickers, and why is she allegedly spending eternity wreaking havoc in Merion? If it pleases the Spirit, here is a rundown of her time at Bryn Mawr, her tragic end, and her tenure as the College’s undead inhabitant.
Hailing from Los Angeles, Lillian was one of five girls in her family. According to this old newspaper article, her father John Vickers was the wealthy owner of a large cattle ranch, so she and her sister enjoyed their status as young and prominent society women. Lillian was said to have been very popular at Bryn Mawr, and she would have graduated in 1903. She spent her last day alive Christmas shopping with her aunt in Philadelphia.
There is still speculation to this day about how Lillian actually died on December 20, 1901, but every theory involves some kind of fire-related accident. The aforementioned newspaper clipping claims her clothing caught fire that morning and she died four hours later from the injuries. The paper speculates Lillian’s sleeve brushed a gas jet while turning on the bathroom light, or that part of the burning head of a match fell onto her nightdress. However, there is one last, much more insidious theory floating around Bryn Mawr. The legend goes that Lillian actually believed she had leprosy and that bathing in kerosene would cure her. Unfortunately, after her bath, her robe caught fire, and to save the dorm and her roommates, she leapt out the window. She died at the age of 25.
Frankly, it’s quite a depressing story, so it’s not surprising that Lillian still wouldn’t be at rest after all these years. For over a century, she has allegedly been haunting Merion’s residents, causing anything from power outages, to random open doors, to mysterious noises. One alumna even claims to have heard a female voice singing from a room only to find it completely empty. In order to keep Lillian at bay, Merion residents often leave out candy for her.
The death of Lillian Vickers is an undeniably tragic tale, and it is easy to get sad at the idea of her soul spending eternity at the place where she met such a horrific end. However, one thing that remains clear from her story is how much she loved Bryn Mawr (her last words were allegedly, “Was the college harmed?”). So, if it is any consolation, it is perhaps better to view Lillian’s haunting as her spending forever at the college she loved so much. Surely her spirit is pleased at being just as esteemed now as she was 120 years ago.
Photo credit: Annarose King, Staff Photographer
