HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1941 WPA-built former women's dorm on the UW campus, built over an early Laramie cemetery
1217 East Lewis Street, Laramie, WY 82071
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Knight Hall is an active University of Wyoming administrative building; exterior viewing is free and public areas are accessible during business hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-story campus office building with paved campus walkways
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1941 · WPA-era campus building (1941) · Longtime University of Wyoming women's dormitory · Named for UW's first full-time dean of women, Emma Howell Knight · Built over a relocated early Laramie cemetery
Knight Hall was built on the University of Wyoming campus during the Great Depression as a Works Progress Administration project. The architect was Wilber Hitchcock, who worked in the Collegiate Gothic style; UW students helped cut the building's stone from a quarry northeast of Laramie. The central core was completed in 1941, and a west wing was added in 1946 to help house the wave of returning World War II veterans and a campus housing shortage.
For much of the 20th century Knight Hall was a women's residence hall, with the strict dormitory rules common to the era. The dormitory function declined through the 1960s and the cafeteria closed in 1971. The building was later converted to university offices and has housed administrative functions, including Wyoming Public Radio's studios in the basement beginning in 1977. The hall is named for Emma Howell Knight, who became the University of Wyoming's first full-time dean of women.
The ground beneath Knight Hall has a longer history. According to the University's American Heritage Center, the land was used as an early Laramie burial ground, with remains relocated when the territorial prison's cemetery was moved in 1873 and again when the university acquired the land in 1886. Not all burials were accounted for: during construction, workers uncovered five sets of remains, some showing signs of violent death, and additional remains were found during utility work in 2004. The cemetery history is documented as part of the building's record rather than as folklore.
Sources
Knight Hall has a long-standing reputation as the most haunted building on the University of Wyoming campus, repeated in the student newspaper and local media each Halloween. The reports are consistent in character: unexplained sounds, the smell of cooking food when no food is present, objects that move, and occasional shadow figures, most often described on the upper floors and in the basement.
Much of the lore ties the activity to the early cemetery the building stands on, including remains found during construction and later utility work. That link is folklore rather than established fact, and the accounts of remains are best treated with the dignity owed to the people once buried there. A 2012 campus paranormal investigation described the building as home to one or more non-hostile presences, a conclusion drawn from an informal investigation rather than independent verification.
The firsthand documentation is limited to campus-newspaper write-ups and paranormal directories, and the underlying cemetery history involves human remains. Knight Hall remains an active administrative building, and the lore is best appreciated from the outside without disturbing its day-to-day work.
View the Collegiate Gothic stone exterior of Knight Hall, across from the university library on the University of Wyoming campus. The building is an active administrative facility; there is no ghost tour, and visitors should respect that it is a working office.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
9 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Casper, WY
The Casper Elks Lodge No. 1353 building was completed in the early 1920s on the corner of E 7th and Center Streets and has served as the home of the local Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ever since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Albertville, AL
Albertville Middle School operates as the sole middle school in Albertville City School District at its East Alabama Avenue location. The facility serves students in grades 6-8 and maintains academic and athletic programs. The school's construction date and historical development remain part of the district's documented heritage.
Adamsville, AL
Bottenfield Middle School, now known as Minor Middle School, operates as a comprehensive middle school in Adamsville's Jefferson County school system. The facility serves grades 6-8 and is located on Hillcrest Road. The school's construction and operation reflect standard educational infrastructure of mid-to-late twentieth century development.