There are just too many questions about Sarah the North Hall ghost for us to not put some information about her online. If you have anything to add, please let us know.

The legend: Supposedly a student fell to her death in the atrium of North Hall. Some say she jumped. Some say she fell. Many say the building is haunted by her ghost. The legend has lots of variations. Every time we hear it, it's different.

The known: North Hall was built in the 1870s, but it didn't look like it does today. The renovation/expansion which added the atrium (a.k.a. the Well) was completed in about 1908. According to one source, the Well was boarded over for fire safety reasons in summer 1930. And in the 1970s the building was closed. So, if there was a death, it would need to be in the period between when the Well was built and before it was boarded up, 1908-1930.

The unknown: Who the ghost is, if there is one. While there are theories, we can't identify a student that is the basis of the Sarah story.

The proof: There isn't any one way or the other. Several university classes and employees have tried to identify the basis of the legend, but no one has found the girl who supposedly met her end at the bottom of the Well.

Is it possible that this entry in the 1866 catalog is the source of the name "Sarah" for the ghost of North Hall? It doesn't match the time frame of when the Well was open, but the ghost doesn't appear to have a name until the 1980s or so (A "Flashlight" article from 1992 didn't refer to her by name). Perhaps the legend got someone looking in the University Archives. When they found the name and 'deceased' they assumed it was the girl. No one knows for sure, but it was an interesting find.

Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania
Edited by Thomas White

North Hall ghost is discussed on pp. 71-75 in the chapter "Haunted Libraries of Pennsylvania" by Elizabeth Williams-Herrman.
Not available online. Ask Librarian Sheila Kasperek if you are interested in reading it.