The unexpected resident of Rossborough Inn

By Taylor Lavery April 9, 2017

COLLEGE PARK, Md- Rossborough Inn is home to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
and Images, Marylands Campus Tour Guides, but campus folklore says that it is also home to
ghosts.

According to UMD Archives, Rossborough Inn has served many functions since it was built in
1812. It has served as the headquarters for the agricultural experiment station, housing for faculty
and students, a faculty-staff club, a restaurant, and a space for University Relations staff.

During the Civil War, the Confederate Army used Rossborough Inn as a residence and
headquarters. Miss. Bettie was the tnn keeper during that time.

Many spirits are said to inhabit the building including a man who lost a duel, in front of the Inn,
to a confederate soldier, and Miss. Bettie, the most famous spirit to haunt Rossborough.

Miss. Bettie was first spotted at Rossborough, in 1981, by Larry Donnelly, a dining services
employee. She was spotted again several weeks later by a waiter at the Inn.

Many believe that Miss Bettie haunts Rossborough, but others are skeptical.

Working in Rossborough is great. Its always so lively. People are always coming in and out,
and its a really comfortable office space to work in, said CJ Apgar, a student employee at
Rossborough Inn. I personally dont think its haunted, but thats only because nothing has ever
happened to me.

Others are unsure whether they think the building is haunted.

I cant say Im absolutely sure that it is haunted because I have never had any unusual
experience there, but I definitely believe it could be. Its the oldest building in College Park, and
I have heard a lot of stories about there being a ghost that turns lights on. Its definitely a
possibility, said Nicole Kirkner, a junior journalism major.

In May of 2012, UMD set out to discover if Miss. Betties ghost was real. A team from Maryland
Paranormal Research spent time at Rossborough gathering hours of footage and caught a female
voice on one of their recordings. Many believe that this voice belongs to Miss. Bettie because
there was no one else in the Inn at the time.

Oh, its definitely haunted, you dont wanna be there after dark alone, thats when Miss. Bettie
comes out to play, said Aaron Schuckman, a student employee at Rossborough Inn.

Others agree with Schuckman, that there is no doubt the Inn is haunted.
I believe it is haunted. How can it not be when it has been around for over 200 years? said Cait
Chale, a senior government and politics major.

Rossborough Inn is the first stop on UMDs Ghost Tour. You can see the full tour route here, and
check out other spots on campus that are also believed to be haunted.