Obscure Columbus: The ghostly handprint on OSU campus

Along with centuries of tradition, Ohio State has accumulated its fair share of urban legends—but few are as chilling as the story of the ghostly handprint at Hopkins Hall.

Legend has it that a female student was pulling an all-nighter at Hopkins Hall, one of the campus’ art buildings, to complete a large-scale final project. After putting the finishing touches on her piece in the dead of night, she entered the elevator to leave Hopkins Hall. Little did she know, she wasn’t going to be leaving that elevator anytime soon.

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As the story goes, the student spent the entire night trapped inside the immobile elevator where she cried and screamed for help only to find no solace. She was found the next morning with no physical damage to her body, but the isolation had clearly taken a toll on her mental state. The inside of the elevator was rumored to be covered in handprints from the frantic student attempting to escape, but after an investigation, there was no evidence that anything had happened to cause the elevator to malfunction the night before.

The identity of this student is still unknown. The legend remains that she was killed in a car crash years later, but that she also never forgave what the university did to her. According to the tale, her spirit left the impression of a handprint on the outside pillar of Hopkins Hall that cannot be removed by any earthly methods.

Have you ever noticed the immovable handprint on the side of the pillar in the front of Hopkins Hall? We’re willing to bet you will now.

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