Tis Now the Very Witching Time of Night, When Churchyards Yawn and Hell Itself Breathes out Contagion to This World.” -William Shakespeare
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October 26, 2009 WWW.UNEWS.COM Vol. 77, Issue 10 “‘Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world.” -William Shakespeare PHOTO BY NATHAN LANG 2 News October 26, 2009 www.unews.com Case of three missing women remains unsolved Tyler Allen tain in front of Manheim Hall. Assistant News Editor But in 1973, the statues were removed for reasons unknown. It was 1973 when three women, who were “One newspaper clipping states that the on campus for more than three decades, van- statues were removed and reworked into what’s ished without a trace. there now because the fountain was getting Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia were main- old,” Crawford said. stays at what was then the University of Kan- Crawford has also read a statement from sas City (UKC). These “Three Graces,” as they former UMKC Chancellor James Olsen stat- were known, could always be found wading in ing the statues were removed after having been the fountain outside Manheim Hall. vandalized numerous times. Since their arrival on campus in 1939, the “So, there’s two different explanations giv- women were picked on by various campus or- en as to why the original pieces were removed ganizations. and the fountain reworked,” Crawford said. “Some of the early social groups on cam- There is virtually no information as to pus, for initiations, would sneak up here in where the statues ended up. the middle of the night and put bras on them,” According to a memo from Claire Hildeb- Tonya Crawford, senior archives specialist, rand, former secretary for the History depart- said. ment, dated November 1983, the statues were They also gained the nickname of the “nifty moved to the basement of 5212 Rockhill Road, nudes” because the women were naked. Re- the former location of the History department. portedly carved from terracotta, these women “That is apparently the last time and the last were, in fact, statues. place the statues were ever seen and nobody According to a 1960s UKC student hand- knows what happened to them after that,” Craw- book, the statues were a gift from the class of ford said. “I can’t imagine that they would have 1939. They were carved by Wallace Rosen- gotten so badly damaged that they would have Photo courtesy UMKC ARCHIVES bauer, who, at the time, was the director of the just been thrown out and, if they had been, there The “Three Graces” could be found in the fountain outside Manheim Hall. Kansas City Art Institute. would probably be some record of that.” “They were supposed to represent the three Crawford has two theories about what hap- graces: Aglaia for splendor, Euphrosyne for pened to the “Three Graces.” She believes they The Facilities department was provided of UMKC history. mirth and Thalia for good cheer,” Crawford may be stored in a forgotten corner of a building with a description and pictures of the statues. “They were a gift of the class of 1939 and said. on campus. It is also possible they were left be- Maintenance workers were told to keep an eye I think it’s kind of a bit sad that basically what The legend of the “Three Graces” states: hind in a building the university has since sold, out for them. the class left behind as their legacy has turned “Always together, a triple incarnation of grace she said. “You might call it a passive search instead out to be not much of a legacy,” she said. “Most and beauty, they delighted the Greek gods with Last year, Crawford received e-mails from of an active one,” Crawford said. students look at the rock fountain that’s there their dancing and singing and brought happi- university officials inquiring about the statues Crawford said the Archives department now and they don’t have any idea what was ness to all whom they visited.” after reference to them in a U-News article re- would like to have the statues if they are ever there previously.” In 1940, the statues were placed in the foun- newed interest in the forgotten effigies. found and believes they are an important part [email protected] DISSERTATIONS UPON THE APPARITIONS OF ANGELS, DEMONS AND GHOSTS AND CONCERNING THE VAMPIRES OF HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, MORAVIA AND SILESIA It’s a wild world out there full of vampires, goblins, Calmet takes a rather light-hearted approach with spirits, angels and demons. goblins. In the days before All Hallows Eve, we must be on the He is also a little sarcastic with witches. He explains lookout for suspicious, paranormal activity. it is silly to think that witches fly on broomsticks, rather But don’t worry. The LaBudde Special Collections has they take drugs and practice teleportation. exactly what you need to stay educated and safe during For those who are dealing with vampires, he has sound by ALEXIA STOUT-LANG this haunted season. advice. He gives specific steps of how to dispose of the Nestled safe in the stacks of books kept in the collec- body so it can’t come back to life. tions vault is a volume titled “Dissertations Upon the Ap- If you are in a graveyard and see three holes in the paritions of Angels, Demons and Ghosts and Concerning ground next to a grave, you have a case of a vampire. the Vampires of Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.” Dig up the body immediately and check for flexibility of Written in 1759 by the Rev. Father Dom Augustin limbs, fluidity of blood and un-petrified flesh. If these Calmet, a Benedictine monk and abbot of Senones in Lor- signs are present, consult local law and seek a consensus raine, the book is a guide to all things supernatural. about what should be done. Drafted originally in French but later translated to Calmet advises the body should be burned as soon as English, “Dissertations” is an excellent guide to under- possible. standing spirit activity and battling demons, goblins and The best part of this book is it was written in a time vampires. when everyone was superstitious and actually believed in “I am not ignorant that the apparitions of angels, all things supernatural. demons and departed souls are a subject which has em- It’s a must-read. ployed a great number of writers,” Calmet wrote. For those who don’t want to delve into the spiritual side Although he said he is doubtful he will shed any more of things, the LaBudde Special Collections also houses a light on the subject, he writes hundreds of pages. The collection of funeral ephemera. specific topics can be seen by viewing the seven pages of Death notices, funeral invitations and murder notices content devoted to apparitions and another seven devoted are all stored in the collection. to vampires. Some of the more famous names contained in the col- The book begins by addressing good and evil angels in lection include President Abraham Lincoln, President a chapter labeled “That departed souls sometimes come James Garfield, President Theodore Roosevelt and Isaac again.” Ridge, the first graduate physician to settle in Kansas City. Treasures archived for discoveryFollowing chapters include “Influences of dead For more information about these eerie artifacts, visit men raised to life for a little time,” “Evocation of de- the LaBudde Special Collections on the fourth floor of parted souls, instances of it,” “Spirits in mountains,” the Miller Nichols Library or go online at http://library. “Witches and their nocturnal assemblies” and so much umkc.edu. Photo courtesy LABUDDE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS more. [email protected] News 3 www.unews.com October 26, 2009 Identifying the ghosts of Epperson House Photo MELISSA ORIBHABOR Epperson House earned a spot on Unsolved Mysteries as one of the top five haunted houses in the United States. Melissa Oribhabor very close to Elizabeth. Epperson family, but had allegedly Over the years, there have been – reaching out to the living. Staff Writer The ghostly tale of Epperson fallen in love with a lower-class la- many ghost sightings in Epperson At night, security guards have Epperson House is haunted and House involves many different play- borer who worked at the docks. that seem to directly relate to how seen lights come on and heard organ the ghosts know you’re there. They ers and several deaths. She was forbidden by her family the members of the home died. music played loudly, although there can see you, and sometimes, you The hauntings said to occur in to see the man, so she took her own Evidence of hauntings started to is no one in the building. can see them. the house are reportedly due to the life. surface in the 1970s and continue Uriah Epperson has also been Epperson House, also known as residents who died in the home be- An unnamed caretaker also died to this day, although the site is now seen by campus security walking Hawthorne Hall, is now home to the fore it was turned over to the uni- in the Epperson House by drowning closed to all paranormal investiga- through the halls in a blue suit School of Architecture. versity in 1942. in the basement pool. tion. coat. But its history tells of a much The Toy and Miniature Museum Some students claim to have In 1978, two patrol men walked darker tale — one of abortion, a next door to Epperson House was “[It’s] the actual spirit of a seen a woman, assumed to be Barse, through the house to turn off the drowning and suicide.