Lincoln Hulley died before this 116-foot DeLand tower was finished in 1934; he and his wife Eloise are buried in its base — and reportedly still walk the grounds with a dog
421 N Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32720
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
The tower and surrounding campus grounds are accessible for free during campus hours. The Stetson University Library's Haunted History Tour is a free self-guided resource.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved campus pathways surrounding the tower
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1934 · Memorial to Lincoln Hulley, Stetson University president 1904–1934 · Mausoleum containing Lincoln and Eloise Hulley · Florida's oldest private university campus landmark · Stetson Library Haunted History Tour anchor location
Stetson University, founded in 1883 as the DeLand Academy, is Florida's oldest private university. Lincoln Hulley became its second president in 1904 and served for thirty years — a tenure that shaped the institution's physical campus and academic character. Near the end of his presidency, Hulley and his wife Eloise undertook construction of a memorial tower as a gift to the university they had devoted their careers to building.
The tower stood originally at over 116 feet, with eleven bells that Eloise Hulley was particularly attached to. Lincoln Hulley died in 1934, before the tower's completion, having presided over the university for the entire span of its early development. Both Lincoln and Eloise are interred in a mausoleum constructed at the base of the tower — an unusual arrangement that placed the Hulleys physically within the structure they built, on the campus where they spent their working lives.
In 2005, roughly 94 feet were removed from the tower's height following structural safety assessments. The bells were relocated to various points across campus rather than being retired. The shortened tower remains standing on the historic campus, flanked by the mausoleum base holding the Hulleys' remains, and continues to anchor the university's identity as its most distinctive architectural landmark.
The Stetson University duPont-Ball Library publishes a Haunted History Tour guide as part of its digital collections, formally incorporating campus ghost legends — including those associated with Hulley Tower — into the university's public-facing archival resources.
Sources
The haunting attributed to Hulley Tower follows a clear pattern: early morning hours, near the tower's base, two figures seen walking together. Multiple campus accounts describe Lincoln and Eloise Hulley as appearing in what witnesses describe as peaceful circumstances — smiling, holding hands, walking the grounds of the university they built. The dog element is consistently mentioned, with some accounts specifying a golden terrier; Lincoln with a dog appears in more reports than the couple together.
A 2019 early-morning investigation by the Tripping on Legends team observed several dark figures moving across the grass between trees near the tower at 5 a.m. — described as silhouettes rather than malevolent presences, more like impressions than hauntings, possibly representing accumulated traces of students across generations. The investigators noted the bells, which have been relocated across campus, are reported to sound faintly even though none remain in the tower.
The Stetson University Library's Haunted History Tour formally documents the Hulley Tower tradition in its online guide — an institutional endorsement of the campus legend as part of the university's historical identity. Campus oral tradition also includes a story involving a student called Suzanna Brown, said to have died at or near the tower; the author who documented this version explicitly framed it as legend, noting that 'school myths are driven by more than what we can prove.' The Suzanna Brown story is treated here accordingly — as tradition, not established fact.
Notable Entities
Walk Stetson University's historic campus and visit Hulley Tower, where Lincoln and Eloise Hulley are interred at the base. The Stetson University Library publishes a free Haunted History Tour guide covering the tower and other campus ghost legends.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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