Campus News
My Descent Underneath the Castle
(Continued from Bulletin home page)
A few months ago, through the Staff Council grapevine, I heard that tours of the tunnels were in the works. Sue Gettlin, Vice President for Staff Council, Web Communications Manager and Assistant Director of University Relations, had contacted Tom Macchi, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, and his staff, and they were enthusiastic about doing the tours. In mid-October registration information went out via e-mail and the tours “sold out” in just over an hour. Fortunately, I was able to get on one.
On Oct. 21, I waited anxiously in the Castle lobby with other staff members. I was finally about to fulfill my seven-year wish. John Hagerty and John McNeil from Facilities met us—with flashlights in hand—and took us down into the Castle basement.
After donning hardhats, we were allowed to begin our descent. The door to the tunnel has a spray-painted poodle on it—“Our guard dog,” Hagerty and McNeil explained. Behind that plywood door, there is a shaky set of stairs. After descending, we were in a well-lit portion of the tunnel. As we walked, however, things grew darker and colder.
The hardhats were much needed as nearly all of us clanged our heads against pipes and, as we saw later, into lots of spider webs. Boots would have been useful too, as there were some areas with large puddles. Despite these issues, going into the tunnels was fascinating.
As we walked underground toward Murphy Hall, we saw a few manhole entrances to the tunnels, which we later also viewed from above ground. We stepped over pipes and navigated the curves of the tunnel by flashlight. McNeil and Hagerty answered questions and gave us warnings when we needed to step over a large pipe or other object. I imagined what walking these tunnels must have been like for the Harrisons and felt myself go back in time.
The tunnel we were in began to curve up and we felt the temperature grow warmer. We shimmied around a maze of pipes—some of us stepping over them and others sliding under them—and were back in the land of the living.
We walked up a flight of steps and emerged outside Murphy Hall right near the darkroom. I realized that as a student taking photography I had unknowingly passed by this tunnel entrance for an entire semester.
As we walked back toward the Castle, Hagerty and McNeil showed us where the manhole entrance was. I asked them about the one tunnel entrance I knew about as a student—and had almost succeeded in entering. It’s a tunnel that runs from the Castle to the parking lot, which was a greenhouse in the Harrisons’ time. They said no one goes in that tunnel because there’s a cat skeleton in it. Good thing I didn’t make it in there when I was a student…
Later, I posted the good news on Facebook—“After seven years of waiting I finally got to tour Arcadia's castle tunnels!” Many fellow alums, current students and staff members commented on or “liked” my status. Everyone wants to tour the tunnels.
“I love the Castle and all the history our campus has, it’s part of the attraction of Arcadia and I’ve always wanted to know more,” wrote Maureen Pafford Orletti '07.
Others wrote how jealous they were or demanded, “I want to take a tour!”
And it wasn’t just my friends demanding tours… Overall 40 staff members journeyed underneath the Castle this October. All of the reviews were positive and those who did not get on a tour are hoping they will be offered again. Due to the high-demand and popularity of the tunnel experience, some individuals on campus are looking into organizing more tours in the future. And, this time, it won’t just be for employees.
In the meantime, check out this video from the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Castle’s ghost stories, which also shows footage of the tunnels.