Tampa is a well-known place to all Newsome students, an upbeat and crowded city that shines with the brightness of the sunshine state. However, when the sun sets, many residents of Tampa become witness to bone-chilling hauntings. Whether one believes in ghosts or not, the number of Tampa ghost and haunting experiences is overwhelming. 

   The turrets of the University of Tampa can be seen from far away, marking the spot of the original Tampa Hotel built by Henry Plant in 1891 to accommodate travelers. This beautiful and historic site has apparently been home to the ghost of Henry Plant himself over the years. Students and staff of UT’s Plant Hall have reported sightings of a tall, white-haired ghost with red eyes and a brown suit, deemed “The Brown Man”. According to eyewitness accounts, the ghost will rush up to any passerby that makes eye contact with its glowing eyes, quickly dissipating as it approaches. This story has bound the students of UT together in belief, as many have claimed to spot the ghost of Plant around those halls. Perhaps if one were to visit Plant Hall, they may run into Henry Plant himself, among the hallways, elevators, staircases, or perhaps even in his very own Henry B. Plant Museum downstairs.

   Another haunted location in Tampa is the Tampa Theater. The building first opened in 1926, and these days it appears very old-fashioned and run-down, possibly even haunted. There are countless stories of ghost interactions in the theater. A well-known projectionist of twenty years, known as Foster “Fink” Finley, died and left his ghost to haunt the theater. Workers and attendees of the theater believe that they hear Finley slam doors and walk with rattling chains on the floors above. Sometimes the power goes out mysteriously and many believe that it is the work of Finley. Another ghost that has been sighted within the theater is said to haunt seat number 308, and sometimes materializes in his seat as a man wearing a fedora. He is said to simply be the ghost of a man who greatly enjoyed coming to see shows at the Tampa Theater in life. Finally, the ghost of deceased organist Rosa Rio is also believed to haunt the Tampa Theater, as many claim to hear organ music inside. Once, when a person fell backwards off of the stage, many say that Rosa Rio’s ghost guided their fall such that they would not fall directly onto her beloved organ.

   The old Jackson Rooming House in downtown Tampa has some ghost stories of its own. It was built in 1901 by Sarah and Moses Jacksom as a cottage with six rooms. This historical monument played a vital role as one of the only African American rooming houses for travelers in Tampa, as many others showed discrimination. Famous people such as Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have stayed at the Jackson Rooming House. In Tampa’s prime, bustling age, the Jackson Rooming House provided a breath of fresh air with its accepting ways for traveling African Americans. Today, the rooming house appears dilapidated and broken, but miraculously still standing. Ghost believers have reported seeing faded, ghostly faces in the broken windows of the house, perhaps those of past residents.