HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
WKU's 1911 landmark haunted by Henry Clegg, a student who fell through a skylight in 1918 chasing the sight of the county's first airplane.
1906 College Heights Blvd, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free general access to building; ghost tour ticketed separately
Access
Wheelchair OK
Indoor historic building on a university campus with paved walkways
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1911 · WKU's First Building · National Register of Historic Places · 1918 Skylight Death Documented in Courier-Journal
Van Meter Hall was constructed in 1911 as the first permanent building on Western Kentucky University's hilltop campus, named for Holland McTyeire Van Meter, a Louisville businessman who donated funds toward the site. The structure was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style and served simultaneously as the university's auditorium, classroom space, and administrative center during its early decades.
The building's most documented dark chapter occurred in 1918. Henry Clegg, a student from Alabama, climbed to the roof to view what local papers described as the county's first airplane passing overhead. He fell through a skylight and died of his injuries — an event that the Courier-Journal covered and that WKU's Special Collections department has confirmed in institutional records. The story was recounted in a 2023 WBKO news investigation drawing on both contemporary newspaper coverage and university archives.
The auditorium remains an active performance and lecture venue. Van Meter Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural significance and its role in the early history of public higher education in Kentucky. The university's grounds tour and the annual Hilltop History and Haunts event both include Van Meter Hall as a primary stop.
Sources
Henry Clegg's 1918 fall through the auditorium skylight is the documented origin point of Van Meter Hall's haunted reputation. The account is not the product of urban legend alone — it was reported in the Courier-Journal at the time and later confirmed by WKU's Special Collections staff, giving it more archival grounding than most campus ghost stories.
Reported phenomena include disembodied footsteps in the upper balcony, unexplained sounds during off-hours, and a persistent sense of presence near the area of the skylight. The building features on WKU's official Hilltop History and Haunts Tour, which frames the story in its historical context rather than as sensationalism. The tour has run annually in September and October, drawing students and community members to the campus's documented past.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A seasonal walking tour of WKU's historic campus that stops at Van Meter Hall and other haunted locations, drawing on university archives and documented paranormal accounts. Offered in September and October.
Van Meter Hall is open during regular university hours. The auditorium and public areas can be explored freely as part of a visit to WKU's historic hilltop campus.
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