Back when the Waltons still owned Eastern’s campus and the estate was still functioning, Doane residence hall was part of the servant’s quarters. Built in the 1910s, Doane B and C were part of the original estate. There is suspected to be an underground pathway that leads from the Waltmarthon mansion to Doane. However, this claim is yet to be confirmed.
Located on the top floor of Doane B is a girl’s hall. At the top of the stairs on the right is a dusky, original bathroom where a girl named Reba Yoder supposedly hung herself. Some stories say that Yoder was a servant of the Waltons in the early 1900s, and some say that she was a past resident of Doane B.
There have been multiple accounts of paranormal activity there. Strangehappenings.org claims that those who live on the hall have attested to seeing rope occasionally appear in the bathroom, and have seen and heard frequent noises and other disturbances along the hall. Some say they have seen feet dangling below the bathroom stall doors.
Mackenzie Kennedy, Eastern student and former RA of Doane B says, “Myth is that if you leave a chair in the bathroom with the door shut, when you open the door the chair will be tipped over.”
Andrew Whitehead, a senior and current resident of Doane states that he has also heard the stories about Doane B. Though he has not personally encountered the spirit, he has heard a number of accounts from the girls that live there. Whitehead admits, “It’s kind of a creepy bathroom.” He also notes that the ghost may be terrorizing the Doane A mailroom as well, as he has heard of some people
encountering the ghost there.
Former RD Nate Stuzman says that there are complaints every year about girls hearing creaking and footsteps throughout the third floor, yet when they go to pursue the source of the noise, no one is on the hall.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Bubb used to live on the second floor of Doane B and says she has had personal experiences with the haunt. “I heard a lot of footsteps at night up on the third floor, and I never knew what it was because it was too late for my hallmates to be up.”
Junior Alex Kraft says that he was “genuinely scared to do his laundry” when he lived in Doane A during his freshman and sophomore years because of how eerie the room is. He says that the lights would occasionally flicker on and off, leaving him to do his laundry by the light of the hallway.
Though there are many myths about Doane, none of the stories have been confirmed as true. Students of Eastern may never know if the legends of Reba Yoder are true unless they experience the haunting themselves. Next time you are in Doane, you can choose to chalk up any odd happenings to the local ghost, or you can blame the ruckus on some crazy night-owl students. Whether you chose to believe or not is up to you.
Shane Witzer 
Hannah Bonanducci