Mackenzie Thomas
Constructed in 1941, Knight Hall was named after Elisabeth Emma Howell Knight, the first full-time Dean of Women at the University of Wyoming. Originally, Knight Hall was used for student housing until it was converted into office space during the 1970s. Knight Hall was designed by architect Wilbur Hitchcock to have a collegiate gothic style.
“Hitchcock designed tons of houses for Laramie and many buildings for the University; he was the architect behind the Cooper Mansion,” Jane Nelson, President of the Albany County Historical Society, said.
She said Hitchcock designed Knight Hall in 1924, but he passed away in 1930 so he was unable to supervise the construction process.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a federal program in the 1930s and
1940s as it employed men who did not have jobs as a result of the Great
Depression. Many of the workers who contributed to the construction of the
building were apart of the WPA.
“Knight Hall is historically significant for that reason alone since it was a WPA project,” Nelson said.
During the original construction of Knight Hall, workers discovered multiple unmarked graves in what appeared to be a burial ground . Construction was delayed as the unknown bodies were unearthed and transported to what is now the Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie, Wyoming.
In an article published on April 18, 1940 by the Branding Iron, it was unclear why the bodies were there, as there was no record of any official cemetery in that location that could be found. According to the article, the bodies were virtually undisturbed from their original burial.
Due to the burial site found on the land that is now Knight Hall, there have been regular reports of unusual sightings throughout the years. The second floor of Knight Hall is infamous for people hearing wailing noises and disembodied voices as well as reports of faces appearing in windows.
The basement of Knight Hall has had multiple reports that say the sound of a beating drum can be heard from time to time. This noise is thought to be linked with a burial ceremony that could have taken place in that area. Alongside the noises, reports of seeing a Native American girl standing in the West Wing of Knight Hall have also been common.
John Waggener, a photo and audiovisual archivist at the American Heritage Center, provided the source of “A History of the University of Wyoming (1887-1964)”by Wilson O. Clough, which discusses a few details about the unearthed bodies. Waggener said the fifth body that was uncovered back in 1940 was found to be buried with his boots on. The body of the man had a bullet hole between his eyes, much like the other bodies who also had bullet wounds.
“A History of the University of Wyoming (1887-1964)”also touches on the aspect that the bodies were most likely part of an early-day cemetery from the 1870s and 1880s. This appeared to hold true as in 2004, another body was discovered.
Nearly 60 years after the other bodies had been found, during the summer of 2004, work crews discovered another body while laying a pipeline. This body appeared to be from the same early-day burial site as the other five found in 1940 during the original excavation of the land.
For now, Knight Hall will continue to be utilized as office space for administrative advisors and other university support staff. However, though the remains of the bodies were transported to Greenhill Cemetery, their ghosts may still be in Knight Hall.
I called 12 different people (Wyo historical societies and Greenhill cemetery included) along with walking down to the American Heritage Center, Jane was the only source who had a bit of information, but the other sources either didn’t return the messages and emails I left them, or they didn’t know enough to feel okay with contributing to the article. I have one more source who is supposed to call me back and if she does, I will add that in as well.
I went to the American Heritage Center in which I met with John Waggener. He was the only source they could find me that knew a bit about Knight Hall, but he didn’t feel comfortable with an interview because he “didn’t know enough specifics about the subject”. He gave me the book to do some research from, which I tried to cite here but I am unsure of how it should be formatted, I tried my best with this.
