The Haunting of San Ann

By Meghan Kennedy, Contributing Writer  

Saint Leo University first opened its doors to students in 1890 and was Florida’s first-ever Catholic institution. Because of its historic past, there are different stories about what could have occurred in the past hundred or so years… specifically, ghostly activity on campus and beyond. 

The two main places that have come up when talking to students about ghostly hauntings are Saint Edwards Hall on campus and the Grotto, across the street from the school. Saint Edwards Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and the Grotto was constructed around 1916-1917.

The first spooky story comes from Olivia Conlon, a senior studying criminal justice. She had been told all the stories about the woman who roams the halls of Saint Edwards, but never believed it. She thought it was just tall tales students tell to scare each other. Suddenly, that changed when she had a night class in the building during her junior year.  

“It was late, and I left class but as I was walking, I started to hear a weird sound. I just brushed it off and continued to walk, but I swear I saw a ghost-looking woman wandering the hall,” said Conlon. 

Conlon then explained how maybe she just was just extremely tired, but a part of her still believes she saw the ghost of the woman that she always heard stories about. 

The next ghost story is told by Saint Leo graduate Alexus Veilleux, who was a business major. One night she decided to go to the Grotto with her friends because she always heard that it was scary at night. However, she never expected it to be as scary as it was. 

“When we began walking through the woods, I was just getting an eerie vibe. I started hearing rustling in the trees and bushes, and I felt like someone was just watching us,” she said. 

Veilleux explained how she and all her friends began to freak out a little and wondered if it was a clever idea to have come at this time of night. Despite their worries, they decided to walk into the gated area. That is when things became spooky for the group of students. 

“I swear when I turned around, I saw someone or something that looked like a monk. My friend even said he saw it too. That is when we realized what was watching us was probably a ghost of someone buried here and decided it was time to go,” said Veilleux.

After hearing these stories from students, it was interesting to see that there may indeed be some ghostly activity on campus and near campus. Next time you roam the halls late at night or dare walk through the Grotto, be on the lookout for the spirits of Saint Leo’s past.  

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