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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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OSU History Club's after-dark tour of campus haunted buildings, including Cordell Hall's flickering 'Cordello' and Old Central.
107 Scott Ave (Old Central, OSU Campus), Stillwater, OK 74075
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Typically free or low-cost community event; check OSU events listing for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Outdoor campus walking tour; some historic buildings may have steps and uneven pavement.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1895 · Oklahoma State University founded 1890 · Old Central (1895) is OSU's oldest surviving building · Cordell Hall (1929) and Edmon Low Library (1953) are among buildings on the tour
Oklahoma State University traces its origins to 1890, and its oldest surviving building, Old Central, dates to 1895. The campus grew substantially through the early twentieth century, and several of its historic structures have accumulated ghost traditions passed down through student and staff generations.
Cordell Hall, a dormitory opened in 1929, is home to the persistent legend of 'Cordello,' an entity blamed for unexplained flickering lights and the occasional feeling of being watched in the hallways. The Oklahoma Collegian has documented staff and student reports tied to the building over multiple decades.
Edmon Low Library, completed in 1953 and now bearing the name of the university's longtime head librarian, has also drawn paranormal accounts — late-night study sessions interrupted by cold drafts and the sense of a presence on upper floors. The Atherton Hotel, operating as a full-service hotel on campus, has its own guest-reported phenomena.
The OSU History Club began organizing an annual after-dark walking tour to collect and present these accounts in a structured historical frame, connecting campus architecture and institutional memory to the ghost traditions that have formed around them.
Sources
Cordello — the informal name given to a presence reported in Cordell Hall — is OSU's best-documented campus ghost. Students and residential staff have reported lights flickering without explanation, doors swinging in empty hallways, and a general unease on certain floors. The Oklahoma Collegian first put the legend in print and has returned to it periodically as new residents encounter it.
Old Central, the 1895 building that anchors OSU's historic core, is frequently described in student accounts as carrying a weight that its newer neighbors lack — the sense of something unresolved in its century-plus of institutional memory. Late-night visits to the building's older wings have generated enough accounts that the History Club made it a centerpiece stop.
The Atherton Hotel and Edmon Low Library round out the regular tour stops. The library's upper floors and the hotel's older guest rooms draw the most accounts, usually reports of cold spots, unexplained sounds, and objects shifted between visits.
Notable Entities
The OSU History Club leads an after-dark walking tour of campus buildings with documented paranormal histories: Old Central, Edmon Low Library, Cordell Hall (home of 'Cordello,' whose lights reportedly flicker on their own), the Atherton Hotel, and additional campus sites. The tour draws on student and staff accounts and campus lore stretching back decades.
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