撸先生

Flickering lights, footsteps, misplaced objects鈥攖hese are some of the mysteries that visitors to the Auburn House have reported over the years. And each year, as Halloween draws closer, the stories and questions intensify.

For many, the explanation is Martha, the resident ghost of the historic building on the university鈥檚 south campus. 

According to 撸先生 lore, Martha was a young nanny or maid who died in a fire that ravished the Auburn House 172 years ago on Oct. 29, 1849鈥攍ong before it was part of the Towson University campus鈥攍eaving only the foundation and three basement doors intact. While a 鈥淏altimore Sun鈥� story from the time doesn鈥檛 mention any deaths associated with the event, the legend has persisted for decades within the university, which acquired the Auburn House (rebuilt in 1850) with the purchase of 23 acres of land from Sheppard Pratt in 1971.

What鈥檚 making Martha mad?

Alexa Demski, assistant director of alumni outreach programs, first learned about Martha in 2013 when she was working for the Tiger Athletics Fund. At the time, many of the athletics staff were based in the building.

鈥淚 heard about Martha on my first day in the office,鈥� Demski recalls. 鈥淚t was the running joke as I went around meeting everyone, to watch out for her. You naturally laugh it off until you鈥檙e in there and random things would happen鈥攖hen you would wonder who did something that made Martha mad that day.鈥�

Demski says the creepiest experiences often happened when she was alone鈥攐bjects falling off desks without being disturbed, doors creaking after everyone had left and the window in the back third-story room鈥攔umored to have been Martha鈥檚鈥攆lying open on days without any wind.

The most hair-raising moment, however, was when Demski went to drop off supplies late one evening after working a men鈥檚 basketball game. She noticed the light on in Martha鈥檚 room, though the lights had been turned off before the game.

鈥淔or some reason my keys had trouble unlocking the door that night, but after eventually getting into the space I turned on the first-floor light and proceeded up the stairs,鈥� Demski recalls. 鈥淎s I continued to the second floor, I started getting the eeriest feeling, like someone was behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised.鈥�

Instead of bringing the supplies to the third floor, Demski rushed back downstairs and left them inside the front door. 鈥淚 ran down, locked the door and, while walking back to my car, I looked up, and the light was off,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 made sure to not go into the house after work hours moving forward, to not disturb Martha at night.鈥�

Auburn House interior in 1999  (撸先生 Special Collections and University Archives)

In 1975, the university renovated the building, restoring it to the original 1850 Victorian style. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places the same year.

From 1976 to 1993, the Auburn House served as the Towson Club, a dining club for faculty, staff and others associated with university activities.

The first recorded mention of a ghost in the Auburn House is in a 1982 issue of 鈥淭he Towerlight,鈥� according to a . 

In October 1992, the university leaned into the legend with the opening of Martha鈥檚 Pub, a short-lived venture designed as an after-work gathering spot for alumni, faculty and staff in the stone-walled basement. A 鈥淭owerlight鈥� article about the pub鈥檚 grand opening recounts stories from members of university police and maintenance staff of shadowy figures, lights mysteriously turning on and windows blowing open.

Twenty years later, the same types of stories continue to be passed down.

It鈥檚 coming from inside the house

It had just started snowing on a November evening when building mechanic Andre Passas parked in front of the Auburn House to do a walk-through of the building. When he got to the basement, he heard the front door slam shut and footsteps walking above him.

I made sure to not go into the house after work hours moving forward, to not disturb Martha at night.

Alexa Demski

鈥淚 figured it was someone from 撸先生PD, because they come and check the place out too,鈥� recalls Passas, who has worked for 撸先生 for almost 20 years. When he reached the first floor, expecting to see someone, the building was empty. 鈥淲hen I opened the front door, there was snow on the ground and no footsteps.鈥� 

On other occasions, Passas has found the windows in the third-floor room open. 鈥淚鈥檒l close and latch the windows, and then I鈥檒l do my other buildings, and I might ride back past Auburn House, and the window will be open again,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 happened twice for me, and other people have said the same thing.鈥�

Who鈥檚 that in the family photo?

Despite the spine-tingling episodes, staff consider Martha a Tiger.

鈥淢any of us enjoy hearing stories of Martha because it鈥檚 a connection to the history of the land and spaces we now occupy,鈥� says Deputy Director of Athletics Tricia Brandenburg, who started working at 撸先生 nine years ago when the athletics offices were in the Auburn House.

Although she hasn鈥檛 had any firsthand experiences with Martha, she has heard the stories from colleagues since her first day on the job.

鈥淲e really do feel that Martha is part of our 撸先生 family.鈥�