Haunted Founders Hall

Posted: 11.13.2024 | Updated: 11.13.2024

How far would you go for some extra money? If it were an emergency, would you steal human remains straight from the grave and set off a chain of events that releases a restless spirit into the world for quick cash? It may sound like a story reserved for a movie, maybe even bordering on too insane to be true, but the history of Founders Hall is anything but squeaky clean. 

Founders Hall may be a centrally located event space in Charlotte connected to a shopping center and performing arts facility, but its history is far less lavish. Years ago, a medical college was said to have been run where the opulent space now sits. Its existence is struck from official materials about Founders Hall, and the medical school is tied to an unexpectedly dark and unfortunate story that more than explains why employees and visitors to the special event space and attached venues complain of a restless spirit.

Why is Founders Hall haunted?

Long before weddings graced the marbled floors and sophisticated facilities of Founders Hall, a medical school occupied the space and provided students with a deeper understanding of the human body. While there’s no record of unsavory acts within the school itself, one story ties together the school, grave robbers, and the remains of a poor, random, unfortunate soul. 

According to the local legend, grave robbers pilfered the corpse of a girl named Louise and sold her to the medical college. What happened to her remains once in the hands of the university is a mystery, but the act jarred her spirit from a peaceful rest. Louise’s ghost haunted the medical school, taking her anger and suffering out on the students and staff. Lost and angry, she kept up her paranormal antics, even after Founders Hall was constructed long after the medical school had closed. Book a ghost tour with Queen City Ghosts today to hear more ghostly tales. 

A Desperate Act with Eternal Consequences 

Sometimes, we talk about ghosts having an anchor to the realm of the living. It’s an object or a person that keeps them from moving on or finding peace in death. Those who don’t have this bond or have let it go typically find tranquility in their passing and are never heard from again. 

Poor Louise may have succeeded in severing her ties, only to have been suddenly ripped from her serenity by the greed of man. Who Louise was and how she died is unknown, though neither seemed to be a driving force behind the decision made that would change a Charlotte institute and alter the girl’s afterlife.

One 19th-century night, grave snatchers came to the cemetery in Salisbury, where Louise was buried, in search of a body. The hope was to sell it and make money, though it’s unclear how involved the school was in the illegal act. Determined to leave with a moneymaker, the snatchers chose Louise’s body. They exhumed her corpse, brought it to the medical school, and successfully sold it without incident. 

At least, it was presumed without incident, but disturbing the body was enough to stir her otherwise peaceful spirit.

A Century Worth of Activity 

It’s quite possible that Louise’s soul will never find peace again. What the medical school did with it remains a mystery, though there is a somewhat happy ending at the end of the sordid tale. Was she cut open and dissected to give students a look inside a human body? Was her flesh carved and her organs removed, all in the name of a proper education? 

It can be gruesome to think of, so it’s understandable why, even after all these years, Louise continues to search for what would now be her skeleton. Some believe a popular haunt for the girl is the McGlohan Theatre, about two blocks away at the Spirit Square Center for Arts & Education. Employees claim to hear singing throughout the theater, which is a different take from what her presence at Founders Hall is said to be. 

Anguished by her missing body, Louise’s screams have been reportedly heard echoing throughout Founders Hall. Legend has it that her body was eventually returned to the original grave site, but something continues to keep the apparition attached to the event space. Is it simply for revenge, for the time she spent devastated at the loss of her physical form? Or could a piece of her have been left behind, ultimately forcing her to continue what is now a futile hunt? 

Haunted Charlotte

If you’re a local considering using Founders Hall for your event space, know that you may have an extra guest on the list. It’s okay, though. Louise doesn’t take up much space, and she certainly won’t eat more than her share. Otherwise, you’ll want to book a Charlotte ghost tour with Queen City Ghosts for the chance to hear more about wandering spirits.

For even more haunting tales and horrors from the grave, be sure to keep up with our blog. Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more real North Carolina hauntings.

Sources:

https://clclt.com/charlotte/charlottes-most-haunted-places/Content?oid=2141228