150-Year-Old Campus Where Performers Leave Candy for the Rail Girl
1184 W Main St, Decatur, IL 62522
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Campus grounds are publicly accessible. Theater performances require ticket purchase. Check Millikin.edu for current performance schedule and pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved campus paths
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1901 · Liberal Arts Education · Illinois Performing Arts History
James Millikin, a Decatur businessman and banker, funded the establishment of Millikin University in 1901. The 150-year-old campus designation in the Shadowlands account refers to the age of the institutional presence in the area, though the university itself dates from 1901.
Schilling Hall, among the oldest buildings on campus, contains the Albert Taylor Theater — the university's main auditorium. Albert Reynolds Taylor served as Millikin's president during the early 20th century. When he died in 1929, his funeral was held in the auditorium that would be named for him — a biographical detail that adds an unusual resonance to the theater's atmosphere.
The Albert Taylor Theater has hosted more than a century of student productions, faculty performances, and visiting artists. It remains an active performance space.
Sources
The Rail Girl occupies the upper railing of Albert Taylor Theater in Schilling Hall. Witnesses describe an adolescent girl who appears along the rail in the upper level of the auditorium, sometimes audible — crying, running, making sounds that reach the stage below. No confirmed account of who she was or how she came to be associated with the space exists.
What makes the legend notable is its institutional absorption into the theater's pre-performance ritual. Candy left backstage before every show has become standard practice. The tradition is observed by students who are skeptical and by those who are not — both groups report that skipping the offering tends to produce mischief: lights that flicker when they shouldn't, props that vanish and reappear, sounds with no identifiable source.
The theater's history contains one anchor: Albert Taylor's 1929 funeral was held in this same auditorium. Whether that biographical detail fed the folklore, or whether the Rail Girl legend predates the theater's naming, is not documented.
Notable Entities
Millikin University's 150-year-old campus in Decatur offers publicly accessible grounds. Schilling Hall, home to Albert Taylor Theater, is one of the oldest buildings on campus. The theater itself is accessible during performances.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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