Imagine you are walking through Ayres Hall. Night has fallen and you can feel the darkness from outside creeping into the building. It is cold outside and you feel a chill run down your spine as if something, or someone, is following you. When you look behind you while trying to rush to the safe haven of the door, you see nothing and no one. Could it be just paranoia? Or is it the ghost of Annie Bidwell?

Kory James, Cecily Williams and David Palubeski each has more than two years of experience as Chico State tour guides. They share what they’ve heard about Chico State’s unwritten campus history.

Volkswagen Bug

The story of the buried Volkswagen bug is probably the most well-known myth on campus. The story goes that the class of 1969 buried a Volkswagen Bug in Alumni Glenn and hid a treasure map in their time capsule.

“I think it’s going to be a little toy car,” said James, senior liberal studies major. “It’s going to be something, but I don’t think it will actually be a car.”

The capsules are opened every fifty years, which means that in 2019 students will be able to see if this myth will be proven or busted.

Cameras in the eyes of The Three Sisters

The statues of the three sisters in front of the George Petersen Rose Garden were built by students in 1991. The artists said they created the statues after Antoine Chekov’s play “The Three Sisters.” Some people, however, say they represent the Esken, Mechoopda and Konkow tribes. It’s rumored that there are cameras in the eyes of The Three Sisters, meant to keep an eye on the George Peterson Rose Garden. If someone were to pick a rose, they would be easily identifiable and charged a fine.

“I’d like to believe it,” Palubeski said. “But, I don’t know anyone who has ever been caught before.”

Until someone actually gets busted for picking a flower from the rose garden, students may never know whether this story is just a myth or not.

Ghost in Laxson

Many students claim they have seen a ghost near the stairs on the side of Laxson Auditorium, as seen from in front of Ayres Hall.

This ghost is rumored to be the ghost of Annie Bidwell.

“I definitely believe that,” Williams said. “I’ve seen some weird things over there.”

Ghost in Ayres

Yet another ghost story.

According to this one, there is a ghost haunting the corridors of Ayres Hall. This ghost could possibly be Annie Bidwell trying to get a change of scenery. Look out art students; next time you are alone in the building, stay alert for a cold breeze or any ominous sounds.

Haunted Bidwell Mansion

Has anyone every seen someone enter or exit Bidwell Mansion? That is exactly what Williams asked herself.

“I’ve walked by it before and have seen the curtains move,” she said.

It’s possible that it’s Annie Bidwell again, or maybe even John Bidwell himself. The two do not seem to want to leave their old home.

Bomb shelter between Shasta and Lassen Halls

Lassen and Shasta Halls were built in the 1950s during the Cold War— the height of fear for nuclear fallout. When these buildings were established, a bomb shelter was supposedly built underground, in between the two dorms.

“There is supposed to be one next to the two buildings under the volleyball court,” Palubeski said.

Considering the multitude of bomb shelters built throughout the United States at that time, is it really far-fetched to say there is one underneath Chico State?

“Mother” statue in front of Ayres Hall

The multiple statues in front of Ayres Hall are part of the Monolith Project, which was completed in 1991. Each statue looks and feels differently, but one is in the shape of a woman.

The myth goes that the baby (or the baby’s artifacts such as clothes, toys, etc.) of the woman represented in the statue is encased within the statue itself. Others have even said that if you rub the belly of the statue, you will become pregnant.

With Chico State being more than 125 years old, there are bound to be some mysteries woven into the history of campus. Whether or not you believe in ghosts or haunted buildings and cars buried beneath your feet, no one can deny that Chico State has some wacky, but potentially true, myths and legends.

Sabrina Grislis can be reached at [email protected] or @sabrinagrislis on Twitter.