The Haunted Mills College

Posted: 10.02.2024 | Updated: 10.02.2024

While more mainstream landmarks may catch your attention in the San Francisco area, one lesser-known haunt ranks high on the uncanny meter. A picturesque school, unassuming to those who attend it by day, harbors a shadowier atmosphere at night. Although it may appear innocuous to those unfamiliar with its tales, Mills College is a locale that beseeches further investigation from any ghost enthusiast.

This 170-year-old school rests serenely away from the action of the Bay Area and all its bustle. But don’t let this quiet, rustic appearance fool you. The pastoral demeanor of this school belies a strange and unnatural list of occurrences. While the brave souls who attend this historic campus may seem like any other university students, their tales span beyond the standard urban legends that haunt most college halls. 

Who Haunts Mills College?

Mills College's history dates back to 1852, when a group of protestant men founded it. Tucked away in East Oakland, this historically women’s college is home to many otherworldly inhabitants, arguably more so than any other haunted Oakland location. Experiences at Mills College run the gamut from phantom figures to a terrifying ghost carriage that tears throughout the grounds.

Mills College is not home to one, two, or even three spectral figures. In fact, it counts at least five haunted buildings on the campus. An unmistakably peculiar place, this historic campus holds many mysteries within its boundaries. Why does Mills College contain such a disproportionate number of hauntings amidst its walls? Perhaps there’s something in the land that traps spirits between this earthly realm and the next, or possibly the secret lies curled within the pages of its lengthy history. 

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A Long and Layered Seminary History

Mills College has a rich history that is much older than that of many of the colleges in the region. Originally founded in 1851 in Benicia, the school was once known as the Young Ladies’ Seminary. Husband and wife teaching missionaries, Cyrus and Susan Mills, would buy the school in 1871 for the price of $5,000 and relocate it to Oakland. 

In 1877, the school became incorporated and was renamed Mills Seminary. Susan Mills would go on to serve as principal of the seminary until her husband’s passing in 1884, after which she adopted the added role of acting president and board member. In 1885, the school became Mills College, the first women’s college on the West Coast. 

Susan Mills was elected president of Mills College in 1890, spending 19 successful years in the role before retiring in 1909. It’s unlikely Susan Mills ever dreamed upon its founding that the small school would become home to such a variety of spirits. One has to wonder what spirits were rumored to haunt the school in her day.

Alumni today describe the grounds of Mills College as idyllic, and it's easy to see why. Hidden away from the commotion of Oakland and San Francisco, this 135-acre expanse sits surrounded by eucalyptus trees and striking old buildings. Walking these grounds in the light of day, one would never assume that this location is one of Oakland’s most haunted. 

The various hauntings at Mills College include ghostly footsteps in Lisser Hall’s theater, a woman in Victorian garb standing on the steps of Orchard Meadow Hall who vanishes moments later, a ghostly horse-drawn carriage pulled by eerie horses near the residence halls, and a math-loving phantom who frequents the dorm libraries. All in all, it appears there’s no spectral figure these grounds don't contain.

A Myriad of Hauntings 

Mills College is renowned as a haunted location by many, having even been granted its own chapter in the book Ghost Stories and Legends of Alameda, Berkeley, and Oakland. Within its pages, multiple haunted landmarks are detailed. The book thoroughly describes a spectral visage at Mary Morse Hall in 1996.

During this encounter, two students who fell asleep in the dormitory woke up to a man sitting at their desk, doing none other than reading the newspaper. After noticing his two startled onlookers, the man put the newspaper away and exited the room by passing through a nearby wall. Other hauntings include mysterious piano music emanating from the music building late at night, the notes echoing down the corridors with its ghostly player unaccounted for. 

There are other hauntings whispered about on the grounds of Mills College. Another noteworthy ghost of Mills College is that which visits the Ethel Moore Residence Hall library. Many students are wary of attending this scholarly site unaccompanied, as suspicion has it a phantom figure may be stirring nearby. 

The much-told tale surrounds a student who fell asleep while doing their math homework. When they awoke, a mystery ensued: their homework had been completed. Who is this benevolent, number-loving phantom that wanders the dorm library in search of math problems to solve in the great beyond? The variable in this equation remains unknown. 

Phantom Footsteps at Lisser Hall

Other legends center around the college cemetery, located on a remote corner of campus. There, founders Cyrus and Susan Mills lie buried at a small gravesite. Before being laid to rest at Sunnyside Cemetery, Susan Mills laid in state in Lisser Hall after her 1912 death. 

If that unsettling image doesn’t warrant a haunting, it's hard to fathom what does. The figure of Susan Mills continues to be sighted in Lisser Hall even now, just one among several other ghostly occurrences in the building. 

Lisser Hall continues to encapsulate the echoes of its time. Those who have entered its premises are struck by a musty smell that lingers in the air. Timeworn seats and velvet curtains hang inside, and a black and white portrait of Louis Lisser resides to the side of the main doors. 

In addition to the haunting figure of Susan Mills, the sounds of ghostly footsteps pacing the stage in Lisser Hall are frequent at Mills College. Who do these phantom footfalls belong to, and why do they continually ambulate in the afterlife?

One legend says that Susan Mills wished to maintain Mills College as a liberal arts school. One of the early stakeholders for Mills College, Louis Lisser, heartily disagreed. Lisser, for whom the building would eventually be named, instead desired to turn the school into an art conservatory.

Rumor has it that the ghostly pacing is the sound of the two roaming back and forth in Lisser Hall, arguing as they were believed to do so many years ago. Others debate whether the footsteps belong solely to Lisser or Mills as if their acrimony remains so potent they could never be willing to converse with one another in the hereafter. 

Haunted San Francisco

Why does Mills College remain a hotbed of otherworldly activity? Paranormal researchers have speculated that environmental factors may play a part in it all. Could magnetic fields lead to locations like the quaint campus of Mills College being more spectrally active? Or are the idyllic grounds simply far too beautiful for past residents to leave, even in the afterlife?

You’ll have to confer with the ghosts of Mills College to find your answer. Visit our blog for more haunting tales on the Bay Area’s spooky draws, and to journey into the unknown yourself, book a ghost tour with San Francisco Ghosts. For more spooky content, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sources:

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13879301/5-haunted-bay-area-locations-to-scare-people-into-social-distancing

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-Lincoln-Tolman-Mills

https://oaklandside.org/2021/10/29/are-these-oakland-landmarks-haunted

https://www.executiveinnoakland.com/blog-archive/oaklands-eerie-tales-ghost-stories-urban-legends

https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/06/30/mills-campus-oakland-california