HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Penn State's oldest standing building, where Frances Atherton is said to watch her husband's grave
East Pollock Rd, University Park, State College, PA 16802
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to view the exterior of Old Botany and the nearby Atherton grave on Pollock Road. The building houses university offices; interior access is limited.
Access
Limited Access
Campus walkways near Old Main and Pollock Road
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1888 · Oldest standing building at Penn State University Park (1888) · Sightline to the grave of President George W. Atherton (1882-1906)
Old Botany dates to 1888 and is the oldest building still standing on Penn State's University Park campus. It sits in the campus core near Old Main, the central administrative building, and faces Pollock Road. Directly across that road is the grave of George W. Atherton, who served as Penn State's seventh president from 1882 until he died in office in 1906.
Atherton's tenure was a formative period for the institution, and his burial on campus, beside the chapel and within sight of the buildings he helped shape, is unusual for a university president. Old Botany originally served the university's botany department, giving the building its lasting name, and over the years has been used for offices.
The building's age, its prominent position near Old Main, and its sightline to the Atherton grave have combined to make it a recurring subject of Penn State's campus ghost lore. It is one of several University Park buildings that the university itself includes in its retellings of campus legend.
Sources
The best-known legend of Old Botany centers on Frances Atherton, wife of former president George W. Atherton. According to the campus retelling, her figure is seen at an upper-floor window of the building, looking out across Pollock Road toward her husband's grave. Penn State's own account places her at the top floors; the State College Centre County Gazette describes her watching the grave from a window of Old Botany. Late-night passers-by on Pollock Road sometimes describe a sense of being watched.
Penn State's retelling adds a second, less benign thread. People who have stayed late in the former botany department building report carpets rolling up on their own and the sound of breaking glass, attributed to a more disruptive presence rather than to the watchful figure of Frances Atherton.
The Frances Atherton story is carried independently by the university and by regional reporting, which is why this entry is published rather than held for review. The phenomena remain the stuff of long-standing campus tradition rather than documented investigation, and the venue is treated as folklore tied to a real, well-documented building and grave.
Notable Entities
Walk past Old Botany, Penn State's oldest standing building, and the grave of former president George W. Atherton across Pollock Road. The site is part of the University Park campus core and free to view from public walkways; the building interior holds university offices.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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