In the hallowed halls of Locke, an unsettling tradition has lingered for decades, shrouded in whispers and shadows. According to English teacher and Dean of Campus Life Carolyn Conforti-Browse ’79, “It has been an unofficial tradition since the 1970s for the Locke dorm heads to invent stories about the Ghost of Locke.” Mrs. Conforti-Browse, when she was head of the dorm, breathed life into the tale, dubbing the mischievous spirit “Dora,” who hid out on vacations and kidnapped faculty cats. “If I ever wanted to startle students late at night, I would just meow,” she recalls. The story took on a darker tone a few years later when history teacher Andrew Sykes arrived. Late at night, students began finding ominous messages like “I’m here” typed on the dorm’s computer screens, seemingly left by an unseen hand. But, in 2011, English department chair Jim Moore, Hon. 93, sent the myth into the realm of pure legend, delivering a Chapel Talk that is still whispered about more than a decade later. 

Blending pieces of real Blair history with hints of the supernatural, Mr. Moore spun a fantastical tale, introducing the specter as a girl named Jenny McGraw. “She confines her daytime activities to the Locke attic,” Mr. Moore told the rapt audience, “but, at night, she descends into the halls where you sleep, making her presence known.” With deliberate pauses, he continued, “What I didn’t know until recently is why she haunts Locke Hall—moving objects, messing with electricity, and, as I’ve heard but not witnessed, leaving messages on computers.”

Those present that day recall that the tension in the room was palpable. “You could have heard a pin drop,” fellow English teacher Craig Evans recalls. Students sat wide-eyed, hanging on every word, until Mr. Moore leaned forward and asked in a quiet voice, “You know how this story ends, right?” Well, we won’t ruin the ending here, either, but needless to say, no one slept in Locke Hall that night. 

The story of the Ghost of Locke, a playful fiction created by teachers, has now become a favorite tradition at Blair that continues to captivate students to this day. This year, senior Minh Anh Vo ’25 asked Mr. Moore to recount the infamous Chapel Talk to the ninth and tenth graders living in Locke. The consummate showman, he kindly obliged, but only, of course, in the dim glow of Locke’s attic lights. 

Mr. Moore understands, he thinks, why this story has stood the test of time. “In a world increasingly dominated by screens, we are looking for collective experiences that bind us,” he says. “Being part of Blair means being part of a much larger story. So many people come back after they’ve graduated because they understand they are part of the story. The Ghost of Locke is about inviting students to be part of the legend.”

Long live the legend of the Ghost of Locke. May she roam the halls eternally, waiting for the next generation of unwitting students to discover her….

Blair’s 175-year history is filled with a mix of well-documented facts and time-honored legends passed down through generations. From ghost stories and wartime mishaps to cows mysteriously appearing in dorms, we’ve teamed up with the School's historians and storytellers to uncover some of Blair's most enduring tales. Join us next Monday for the next installment of the Legends & Lore of Blair.