My Creepy Old Mansion

This past week I visited Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. I have never been to Washington before, and I have to say the state is quite beautiful. I arrived in Walla Walla last Sunday to a brisk 65 degree day. I was bundled up in a fleece, but the chapter members met me wearing sundresses. Apparently this weather was normal for them.

The Whitman campus is small, but quaint. Actually, the entire town of Walla Walla could be described this way. The sororities are un-housed at Whitman, but the sophomores stay in a section of the dormitories. As a result, I was housed in the Baker Faculty Center, an old house built in 1907 that has been restored.

On the first floor is a large dining area, serving area, and kitchen. (The campus has their faculty lunches there.) On the second floor are two large guest rooms and a few conference rooms. The chapter had rented one of the guest rooms in this house for me.

When I arrived, I was shown to the house, given keys, and quickly dropped my stuff off before meeting with the chapter president and giving a presentation to the chapter women. After a few meetings, dinner, and time to relax around the sorority dorm, I headed back to my room early to get a good night’s rest.

I walked up to my creepy old mansion and everything was dark. I unlocked the dead-bolt to the front door and stepped into the quiet house. “This is the perfect start to a horror movie,” I thought. I walked through the dark house, up the main staircase and towards my room. I flipped a light at the top of the stairs and proceeded to my bedroom on the other side of the landing. I unlocked that dead-bolt too, flipped the light on in my room, and jumped when my own shadow appeared on the opposite wall. I get this paranoia from my mother I think.

I started to unpack my stuff and then decided to call a friend from home or LC. I don’t remember who I called that first night, but I made a habit of calling someone every night so I didn’t feel so alone in that huge house. Once I got over the initial creepiness of staying in a room (heck, a whole house!) by myself, I began to appreciate the great guest room I had been given. The room was huge, with a king size bed, sitting area, fireplace, and bathroom to myself. Not really something I can complain about.



Believe it or not, I restrained from blogging about my creepy old mansion until the end of the week for fear that someone would read my blog and come scare me/murder me. Haha. Now I’m back in Montana, staying with the entire chapter in their house.