OSU's oldest surviving structure, built in 1894, survived multiple fires and a 1921 condemnation to become the anchor of an annual ghost-story event where an unexplained odor once drew a fire department call.
Washington St, OSU Campus, Stillwater, OK 74078
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Campus ghost tour organized by OSU History Club is free or nominally priced; see event listings each October. Old Central exterior is always viewable. Interior access depends on scheduled events.
Access
Limited Access
Historic three-story brick building on OSU campus; limited interior accessibility due to historic fabric.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1894 · First permanent structure built on the Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) campus, constructed 1894 · Survived multiple fires and a 1921 state condemnation · Listed on the National Register of Historic Places · Anchor building for OSU History Club's annual October ghost tour
Oklahoma A&M College — now Oklahoma State University — was founded by the Morrill Act in 1890, and Old Central was constructed in 1894 as the first permanent building on what was then a largely undeveloped campus in Payne County. The three-story brick structure was built in a Romanesque Revival style and served as the college's primary academic building.
The building's survival is remarkable given its history. Multiple fires damaged the interior at different points in its early decades. The Oklahoma state government condemned the structure in 1921, finding it unsafe for continued use. Despite this, the building remained standing rather than being demolished, and eventually underwent structural repairs that allowed continued use.
Old Central was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, acknowledging its significance as a surviving example of early Oklahoma land-grant college architecture. OSU operates the building as an event and meeting venue; it is not a public museum with regular visitor hours but can be accessed during campus events.
The building is the anchor of the annual campus ghost tour organized by the OSU History Club, which takes place each October and uses campus buildings' documented histories as the basis for the storytelling.
Sources
The most specific paranormal account attached to Old Central is the unexplained odor: a smell reported from inside the building when it was locked and unoccupied, persistent and strong enough that someone called the Stillwater fire department. When responders arrived and checked the building, they found no fire, no smoke, and no identifiable source for the smell. The account has circulated in local campus history discussions and is a centerpiece of the OSU History Club's annual October ghost tour.
The building's documented history provides a ready frame for the speculation. Multiple fires, a state condemnation, and more than 130 years of institutional memory give Old Central an unusual atmospheric density for a campus building.
The OSU History Club's ghost tour treats the campus's documented histories as the basis for its storytelling rather than fabricating supernatural narratives. Old Central's accounts are presented within that same framework — unusual events with no clear explanation, rather than confirmed hauntings.
The OSU History Club leads a walking ghost tour of campus each October, with Old Central as the anchor stop. Campus ghost chronicles are shared, including accounts of the unidentified odor that prompted a fire department call. See OSU events calendar for scheduling.
View OSU's oldest surviving structure from the campus exterior. The 1894 Romanesque Revival building has survived multiple fires and a 1921 state condemnation. Historical markers on the grounds describe the building's significance as the first permanent structure on campus.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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