Mercyhurst has a rich history full of great achievements and accomplishments -- I know I'm proud to say that I'm a Laker. But every school has a few things that aren't talked about. Here are 11 facts that you won't be seeing on the admissions page. You might think twice before walking around campus by yourself after reading this -- especially at night.
1. Former Volleyball Player Delivered and Smothered Baby
On Aug. 12, 2007, an 18-year-old sophomore volleyball player delivered a baby in her 3810 Briggs apartment. The baby was found dead, wrapped in a plastic bag hours later.
2. President William Garvey
President for 25 years at Mercyhurst and highly influential in creating the university it is today, he must have been pretty great, I mean, we named a park after him. What is not so well known is the accusations of sexual abuse placed upon him by six men, three of whom Garvey coached in basketball. As the evidence and accusations piled up, Garvey resigned, ending further investigation into the issue and walking away unscathed. So obviously, we named a park after him.
3. Mercyhurst Goes Co-Ed in 1969
They really couldn’t have picked a better year to make this transition. The first male student was Daniel Burke who transferred from Gannon University. You probably know him today as Professor Burke.
4. Tullio Field
It is named in honor of Louis J. Tullio, former mayor of Erie and major benefactor in the funding of Tullio Field. What is not so well-known are the allegations against him associating him with the Mafia.
5. The Grotto Ghosts
The Grotto was constructed at the peak of the Great Depression by a group of unemployed laborers as a gift to the nuns for providing a daily soup kitchen. What isn’t known is that to create the Grotto they had to drain the pond that used to be there. At the bottom of the pond, they found the bones of a young girl that had gone missing years previously. People still claim to see her walking around today. Creepy.
6. Egan Fire
While this is largely passed on by word of mouth, multiple sources have claimed that in the early 20th century a fire occurred in Egan where students burned to death. Up until 2009, it was used as an all-girls dormitory and residents claimed they would hear screams of the victims burning.
7. Ghost of Old Main
This legend surrounds the love story of Dorothy and Tom. Dorothy attended Mercyhurst college in 1941 when Tom proposed to her. However, before their relationship could continue, Tom was sent off to war. Within days of their scheduled wedding, Dorothy was informed of Tom's death. Completely devastated, Dorothy turned to the church and became a nun with the Sisters of Mercy. To move on with her life she placed her engagement ring on the fingers of the statue of Baby Jesus in between the Christ the King’s Chapel and the Queens Chapel. However, when the war ended in 1945 Tom came to visit her. While Dorothy was overwhelmed with joy, having to choose between a life with God and a life with Tom was too much for her. She went into her room above the chapel and hung herself, leaving behind her ring on the baby Jesus statue. To this day people claim to see her wandering around, still unable to make a decision on who she wants to be with.
8. Taylor Little Theater
The Taylor Little Theater was originally home to the dance department. A previous dancer hung herself on stage wearing a white dress. Rumor has it that whoever dances goes on stage in a white dress leaves the stage with blood on their dress. Yikes.
9. The Missing Body
Many years ago, a room in the south parlor of Old Main was used as a viewing room to view the bodies of those who were deceased. A deceased Sister of Mercy was placed there overnight. When the nuns returned the next morning the body was gone. The doors had been left open with footprints leading away from the room. They never discovered what happened to the body and the doors have since remained permanently closed.
10. The Roost
In 1933, a group of students approached the president of the college, Mother Borgia Egan, and asked if they would be able to have a place on campus to smoke cigarettes and hang out - a rather radical idea at the time. She gave them permission to use the old chicken coop as the first “student union." Eventually, the smoking lounge was moved into the basement of Old Main and the Roost burned down.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to respect the privacy of parties involved and has been properly fact-checked to avoid speculation of death.
