Oakland University is known for its history. Meadow Brook Hall is known for its ghost stories, and who can resist a spooky tale about the old labs deep in the forest. However, there are a few stories that are actually true concerning the spooky spots on campus.

1. The lake is terrifying

Mary Issacs, Oakland Center Office Assistant, has been at Oakland University for about 30 years. And in that time, one of the strangest things she’s ever seen happen on campus was the time a car was found in the lake.

However, this is not the story of the car that slid into the lake in 2014.

A car was found in Bear Lake (then called Beer Lake) after draining it to do some landscaping around the area. This ended with a mid-80s model station wagon being found, with suitcases, hair curlers, and even a purse found inside.

No insurance claim was ever filed on the car, and no reason was given as to why the car ended up there in the first place.

2. Yes, the mansion is haunted

Or so many visitors claim. Issacs said that when speakers used to come to campus, they’d often be placed in the mansion as lodging for the night.

“Mark Brown, a children’s author, was so excited to be there. But at 3 a.m., I got a phone call [from] him begging me to take him to a hotel,” Issacs said. “He was terrified, said he kept hearing things and needed out at that exact moment. So we drove him to a hotel for the night.”

New students are often subjected to the rumors about the mansion. John Tufnell, former RA and Oakland alum, remembered hearing rumors about a groundskeeper in the mansion finding something that looked like a body under a sheet moving around in the basement.

“The scariest part was apparently nothing was supposed to be down there at the time,” Tufnell said.

3. The strangest stories aren’t the scariest

Richard Fekel, director of the Oakland Center, said that the strangest thing he’d ever heard of on campus was the time a group of student athletes stole a Big Boy statue and placed it into the lake.

“Another time students dumped laundry detergent into the lake filling it with suds. There was also the time someone put a mannequin in the lake, which was creepy.”

Apparently, students had an affliction with putting things in the lake.

4. There are buildings on campus you may have never seen

Nestled deep in the forest away from all other academic buildings are the Observatory and Magnetics Lab. These buildings are run down, locked up, yet have the brand new uniform signs every other Oakland building has.

Many students don’t go down to see the buildings, but it’s worth the walk if you like feeling as if you’re part of a zombie movie.