It’s a Woodstock student’s rite of passage to be scared by older students when they narrate all the paranormal experiences they’ve had at this school right before lights out.  I can say that one of the first few conversations I had as a new student was with my roommates, one of whom has been at Woodstock since the 8th grade. She told me about the mysterious noises that they would hear as middle schoolers in Alter-ridge. They would sneak up to the attic at night to gossip and would end up running back down, hysterical and shrieking, after something mysteriously fell off a shelf or they heard knocks on the door when no one was outside. I came to realize that these stories were not isolated and there were, in fact, many more. 

Another story which I’ve come to realize is quite infamous among the guys, is the ‘lady in white’ at Ridgewood. Talking to some of my male classmates they shared instances when they would just see a feminine figure in a white dress standing in the hallways, the bathrooms or in their rooms in the middle of the night. Few even said that they could feel the atmosphere getting evidently chillier at odd times, which is common for paranormal sightings and activity, but, in this case, it could just be the Landour weather’s mood swings.

Old Upper Dorm

As a Midlands dorm resident myself, I could advocate for some of the paranormal rumours spread amongst the high school girls.  A paranormal event I’ve personally experienced d a as I was stepping into my room after walking back from school  I didn’t think much of it at first but when I stepped out again to head to the kitchen, I noticed that there was no one in that room yet, and the door was latched from the outside. Upon recounting this to my friends, they shared similar experiences of their own. One in particular was the “Laundry Lady” story. The laundry room can be quite intimidating in the dark, especially at later times of the night, it’s at the very end of Midlands, isolated in a room within the vast Rec Hall. It’s narrow and the sound of working washing machines is monstrously noisy. Evidently, it’s not a very whimsical room. It’s common to see unexplainable shadows and hear ominous noises- surprisingly not the sound of the machines functioning- which led us to  ritualistically avoid going to the laundry room on our own. 

It’s not entirely unbelievable that Woodstock is “haunted”, considering that the school dates back to 1854, making it almost 200 years old. To put this into more perspective, Woodstock and its community have been apart of significant historical developments both within India and on a global scale. . This includes two world wars, the Indian independence and partition and the country’s development over 172 years now. Undoubtedly, there’s an immense amount of history within these walls. 

A notable event in Woodstock’s history which might have contributed to its “ghostly” status is the 1910 Cholera Outbreak. When Cholera struck Woodstock, it led to the unfortunate demise of two staff members. These tragic and untimely deaths are the ideal precedent that lead to paranormal activity and sinister things along that narrative.

Whether these stories are simply the result of overactive imaginations, creaky old buildings, the wind or something a little more supernatural, is impossible to know for certain. However, they have undeniably become a part of Woodstock’s culture. For generations of students, these tales have been shared in dorm rooms, whispered before lights-out, and passed down between students like unofficial traditions. Perhaps the real ghosts of Woodstock aren’t spirits at all, but the memories, histories, and stories that continue to linger in its halls. 

Written by Sanjana S. Journalist at The Woodstocker

Edited by Tisya K. and Norzin Y. Co-Editor of The Woodstocker