1939: A Year of Unrest

The year was 1939 and Cape Girardeau Public Works started a project that included the creation of two new campus buildings. Kent Library and Cheney Hall were constructed simultaneously, making Cheney the oldest residence hall still standing at Southeast. Taking its name from the Southeast Missouri State Normal School’s first President, Lucius Cheney, the rooms were reserved for returning students. 

Lucius H. Cheney

Long before the building donned “Cheney” on its concrete marker, the name belonged to a principal. Lucius H. Cheney served as principal, or president as well call them now, for the Third District Normal School as it first opened in 1873. The school opened in the old Lorimier School building with just five faculty members and 57 students.

Cheney graduated from Albany State Normal School in Albany, New York in 1852. He served twice as a principal before coming to Cape Girardeau. Under Cheney, the Normal School saw the construction of its first building, and the creation of a set curriculum for teacher education in a rural district. Cheney administered a written examination to each student to help determine his or her interests and talents in a variety of subjects and both Latin and German were requirements for every student.  By the final year of his administration, it had 229 students.

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The ghost of Cheney

Where does Cheney earn its haunted reputation from? The most popular rumor can be traced back to the 1970s when students began telling stories of a girl with long brown hair in a white nightgown wandering the halls. The story goes the girl tragically died in her dorm's bathtub. When facilities tried to clean the room for the next student, the bloodstains couldn't be removed. They built a cabinet over the tub and eventually turned the entire room into a storage closet.

Investigating Cheney Hall

Learn more about the haunted rumors surrounding Cheney and see what the building looks like today.

Hauntings in the Hall

Hear two haunting tales about Cheney Hall originally shared by students who lived there. Dr. Rhodes reads "The Shadow" from his book, Haunted Cape Girardeau: Where the River Turns a Thousand Chilling Tales.

Lasting Legacies

The last time Cheney Hall was officially used as a dorm was in 2017 when overflow rooms were needed on campus. Alumni remember the dorm fondly as one of their favorite places on campus. Take a look at their posts on the now inactive Cheney Hall Facebook Page. 

As for Lucius H. Cheney, he met his end on July 14, 1876. Cheney worked on an archaeological expedition in the Cumberland Mountains while attending a summer field camp with Harvard University. His team excavated a large mound of skeletons on the first day of digging. Having some experience in excavation, Cheney was put in charge. As he exclaimed that he might be able to save an entire skeleton, spectators rushed to see his find. This caused the wall around the site to give way and crush those working below. Cheney was the only worker killed in the accident. His wife, Frances, finished out the year as principal at Southeast. Cheney's body is buried in Lorimier Cemetery where his tombstone reads "a teacher."

In 2021, Cheney Hall remains a fixture on campus, although the current Southeast facilities team has labeled the building not structurally sound as a residence hall. Currently, it holds old furniture and lost memories. There are no plans to renovate or demolish Cheney Hall at this time.

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Memories

While the building may no longer house students, former residents shared their favorite memories of Cheney Hall.

"We had group dinners, BBQ Bash, built a float for the homecoming parade, hosted thanksgiving with Jim (the custodian) and even set up a Christmas tree we found in the closet. Such a great place!"
-Erin Hagglund

"I moved there in the fall of 1986. I liked how big the rooms were and they had ac. My boyfriends father had lived in them in the 50 I believe. He told me about putting cake in his window sill and that [ants] had gotten in it and he did not know until he ate it! The boyfriend was a sig ep and I was serenaded by the fraternity and when I came down to the front steps he put my lauvalere on my neck. It’s a necklace with a heart and the fraternity letters. I met Julie lambert, who became my sorority sister as we pledged at the same time. We moved the next year into Greek housing. I loved Cheney."
-Pamela Madick Troutwine

"I lived in Cheney in 90-91. One day some workers went through a door in the basement. Turns out it lead into the tunnels. I secretly put a piece of duct tape over the latch and later that night, my friend, Jobin and I and a couple other people explored the tunnels until we were seen by some workers at the power plant! We ran as fast as we could and didn't get caught. What a rush!"
-Ken Sills

"I lived in Cheney Hall my first and second year of college with my best friend. We met so many amazing people during that time and my passion for working with college students was ignited by being on the hall council. Our Haunted Halls events each year were some of my favorite memories!"
-Kevin Cook

"I didn’t get a chance to stay in Cheney cause I had to move into Greek housing but I can say I spent a lot of hours with people there that I still consider friends."
-Michelle Werner

"Cheney was my favorite resident hall on campus. I lived in Cheney three years (2004-2007), and loved the huge rooms! I met some great people who I still call friends today!"
-Sara Parks

"We were displaced by the Great Towers West Renovation of '93, so we knew some folks that were already in Cheney. Spent the remainder of my SEMO career in various basement rooms. We really had a very good community. We participated in Haunted Halls, had BBQ's out at Capaha, even put on a hall prom one year. We even purchased a sound system for events around campus."
-Brian Kinzel

"Cheney was my home for 2.5 years and to this day is my favorite place to have lived (and present in many of my dreams). I met so many people there, and have so many memories but what I remember most fondly are nights, listening to music in my room (decorated the way I wanted since my roommate had moved out) and really just feeling at peace and like I was on the right path. That feeling + those memories and moments = PRICELESS. Every time I'm in the area I try to drive by to see Cheney, and have this sense of seeing an old friend. I truly, truly, truly miss Cheney and am grateful for the time I had there."
-Lindsey Marie

"Had a lot of friends that lived and worked as staff in Cheney as an undergraduate, spent a fair amount of time there. Cool lounge, lots of character in the building, one of the most unique residence halls I have ever seen."
-Dustin Fritsche

"Cheney ended up being my favorite dorm. I was a music major and a business minor so all my classes were nearby in Brandt Music Hall and Dempster. Lots of my friends lived in Cheney and so few people lived in Cheney that it was fairly quiet and the community style bathrooms didn’t bother me since only 6 people shared a bathroom. (...) I loved how unique all the rooms in Cheney were and how it felt like a classic dorm you’d see in the movies. The year I lived there, there was a popular website that listed all of the haunted places in Missouri and gave the ghost stories that went with them...Cheney was close to the top of the list...oh joy. Some ghost hunters investigated various buildings on campus and gave a tour that October I lived there. I went on the tour and they set up their equipment in Cheney and Cheney definitely had the most “activity” out of any of the buildings. The EVP machine definitely picked up a man’s voice saying “Get out, get out now!” while we were in the haunted dorm room...I said “Sir yes sir” and ran out of that room and down the stairs 😜 It was a little freaky to be sleeping a few yards away from the most “haunted” room on campus that night! Ha! But I quickly got over it. But it was still a great place and I was very sad to see Cheney be closed as a residence hall."
-Brooke DeArman

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