The Haunting of Blackburn Hall was actually the first ghost story that I ever heard about Millikin University and the second haunted college story that I can recall (the first being Pemberton Hall at Eastern).

The ghost at Blackburn Hall is said to be the spirit of a young coed who was murdered on campus sometime in the 1960’s. Some remember that she was killed by a janitor, but all agree that she was brutally slain. She was a resident in Blackburn Hall and because of this, she has come back here to haunt the place.

Many would think that the ghost would be a very melancholy one after her life was taken in such a vicious manner, but many residents of the Hall report just the opposite. They have so generally accepted her presence that she has been nicknamed "Bonnie", in honor of the building’s namesake.

Although some of the women in Blackburn report an occasional wispy form in the hallways and even sometimes an apparition, Bonnie generally makes herself known through electrical equipment, especially on the building’s third floor.

Many residents have come to expect interference when it comes to their lights, radios and televisions. The erratic behavior of any equipment is often commonplace.

Bonnie continually turns off and on televisions and stereos and one resident even complained to me that the ghost refused to let her keep her stereo on one evening. Every time that the girl turned it on, Bonnie repeatedly snapped it off. Finally, the girl gave up and let the ghost have her way.

That was probably for the best….all things considered.