larsonjt2@lopers.unk.edu

Underneath the G.W. Frank House are tunnels that connect to other buildings on the university campus. During a tuberculosis epidemic in the 1900s, these underground passages were created to connect the hospital to campus. This hospital was repurposed, known today as West Center, but the tunnels remain as relics to a darker time.

While these tunnels are no longer used for their intended purpose, rumors abound, prompting some students to explore them. Multiple reports indicate that these old tunnels lead to the lair of a secret society.

“One of my friends and I went down in these tunnels,” said senior ghost hunting major Ima Lyar. “At the time we thought it was a fun idea, but we didn’t have any idea what we would stumble across. After walking for a while we came to a dead end — or so we thought. There was a light coming from underneath the back wall, almost like it was a door; so we pushed against the wall, and it turned open.”

Lyar described the passages in detail, and recounted their contents. 

“We walked through the turned wall and down a dark hallway lit by torches on the wall, when we came to the end of the eerie hallway we found a group of cloaked individuals,” Lyar said. “I wanted to turn around before they saw us, but my friend wanted to get a closer look. She moved closer to the group to get a better look, but she tripped over a rock and fell down right in front of the group of cloaked figures. One of them, probably the leader, yelled ‘grab her.’ I was freaking out — I ran to grab my friend, and we ran as fast as we could out the tunnels before the hooded figures could get us. After what happened, we called the police to report what we saw, but the police just thought that we probably went down there while intoxicated and that we imagined the whole thing. But I know what we saw was real and to this day I can’t shake this feeling that I am being watched from the shadows.”

This is just one instance in which students have reported stumbling across a secret society in the tunnels underneath the campus.

Others report similar eerie tales.

“Some of my friends and I had heard about the tunnels underneath the campus and wanted to check them out,” said junior candy making technology major Dee Ceiving. “The only thing down there was cobwebs, a few rats and some puddles, things you would expect to find in some underground tunnels. We kept walking for half an hour before we came to a dead end. I leaned against the wall and as I put my back against the brick wall it swiveled open like a revolving door. As the door opened I fell back and I couldn’t believe what we discovered: some sort of secret passage.”

After some debate, Ceiving said she and her friends decided to explore further.

“We decided to go down this mysterious hall,” Ceiving said. “After five minutes of walking down this passage we stumbled upon a group of hooded figures. The figures turned toward and the person who I assume was the leader yelled grab them. My friends and I turned around and started to run as fast as we could out of the tunnels. As we ran we kept hearing the figures behind us. We soon reached the entrance. We ran up the stairs and hurried back to our dorm. We all agreed that what we saw wasn’t real, but I can’t forget about the group of hooded figures we found underneath the tunnels of our school.”

These tunnels may have been made in the 1900s, but they still hold some mysteries for brave students to solve. If you decide to go exploring the tunnels, make sure you’re not alone —  and that you’re a good runner. Who knows? Maybe you will stumble across something you shouldn’t.