Underrated Ghost Stories And Mythical Creatures All Over The World: One Hundred And Fifty-Fifth Stop – Seattle, Washington

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Underrated Ghost Stories And Mythical Creatures All Over The World: One Hundred And Fifty-Fifth Stop – Seattle, Washington

Seattle is Washington State’s largest city and is the home to tech moguls like Microsoft and Amazon. There are many places to visit in Seattle like the Seattle Art Museum, Gasworks Parks, The Space Needle, Snoqualmie Falls, Pikes Place Market, The Boatyard Inn, and many more.

A skyline of Seattle

A skyline of Seattle. (Link: https://www.travelmag.com/articles/things-to-do-downtown-seattle/)

Another place in Seattle that you should visit if you are up for some paranormal activities is the Burnley School of Professional Art. 

The Burnley School Of Professional Art in an undated photo. (Link: https://www.historylink.org/File/2023)

The History Of The Burnley School Of Professional Art

Initially, the building was called Burnley School of Art and Design. The person who founded it was Edwin and Elise Burnley and it was constructed in the year 1946. However, it was only open to the public the following year after World War II. They were the ones who first started teaching graphic design and illustration in the school. Later, they expanded their curriculum and offered more subjects related to commercial art.

Twelve years from when it started operating, the Burnley School of Art and Design was bought from Burnley by Jess Cauthorn. He managed it until 1982. His wife passed away so Cauthorn sold the school to the Education Management Corporation. It was then when the school was renamed to The Art Institute of Seattle. Cauthorn continued to run the school because he became the President of The Art Institute of Seattle. However, two years later, Cauthorn stepped down as the principal and the position was given to George Pry. Many more principals managed the school after that.

A photo showing the facade of the Art Institute of Seattle. (Link: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/art-institute-students-scramble-for-transcripts-answers-after-seattle-school-announces-it-will-close/)

The Infamous Ghost At The Burnley School of Professional Art

One of the ghosts that is said to live at the Burnley School of Professional Art was given the name Burnley. This ghost is the most popular and is said to be responsible for the loud footsteps that people can hear when in the building. He also makes the unexplained noises that others have testified hearing.

Accordingly, Burnley is also known to push students from behind and tipping over the desks at the school. He also likes opening drawers. Because of these paranormal activities, the owners called mediums to investigate these paranormal and strange occurrences at the Burnley School of Professional Art. Three mediums came to check out what was happening and all of them said that Burnley is the ghost of an 18-year-old boy who was killed in the year 1913. He was reportedly killed during a basketball game in the gym. Accordingly, someone pushed him down the back stairs while they were fighting and he got killed from there.

The team of Haunted Houses went to investigate, too, and said that Burnley is an attention-seeking spirit. He loves to find ways to annoy students and staff at the Burnley School of Professional Art. One instance involves a student who was working alone in one room. She then heard someone doing some paperwork and walking around in the room that was next to the room where she was staying. She checked it out and found no one.

One of the rooms inside the Art Institute of Seattle. (Link: https://petapixel.com/2019/03/19/photos-inside-the-art-institute-of-seattle-after-it-abruptly-closed/)

Another incident was when a student was putting on a new coat of paint on the platform on the second floor of the school. The platform is where the models would stand to pose so students could sketch them. The student who was painting the platform went out for a bit to grab something to eat. He then heard noise from the room where he was in. When he checked it out, the platform was move to the opposite side of the room.

Burnley also triggered the alarm system at the school one evening. When the authorities and the owners came, they saw no one. In another art room, Burnley was also responsible for the X-acto knife and markers of one student roll across her desk on their own. Another female student on the top floor was standing in front of the window and Burnley is believed to have pushed her from behind.

It seems that Burnley loves the attention from the women because he never bothers male students or staff. The college’s female manager for the microcomputer lab was in the storage room one time and was conducting an inventory. Later, a pile of computer disks fell on her head and that was impossible because the disks were far away from her. It happened a second time and she told Burnley to stop because she has a lot of work to do. He obliged after that.

Other Strange Occurrences, Paranormal Activities

In the year 1960s, another spirit is said to be causing strange events at the Burnley School of Professional Art. Doors opened on their own, sounds were heard, phones being dialled by an unseen force, coffee being made without anyone actually making them, and many more happened at the school. The furniture would also mysteriously be rearranged the night before and the staff would find the odd event in the morning when they report for work. The staff was sure that the school was locked so it was impossible that someone would get in and rearrange the furniture or put the coffee on.

Also during the 1960s, paranormal investigators were called again at the Burnley School of Professional Art. During the session, it was interrupted by a loud crash that came from the upstairs bathroom. When they checked the area where the sound came from, they saw a broken window and a huge rock. The rock was so big and heavy that it was impossible for someone to throw it from the ground. A medium then wrote something from the guidance of a spirit and that writing led them to the school’s basement. In the basement, a hole where the rock fits perfectly could be seen. When a team excavated the area, they found the skeleton of a small animal but there were no other things found.

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