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Myth: A bus was once deposited on the library steps
True
In the late 1940s, reports college historian Fr. Kuzniewski, someone did park a No. 10 Worcester bus on the steps of the Dinand Library—at about the spot where the Hand of Christ sculpture now resides. Some fingers of accusation have pointed to Fr. Brooks himself as the perpetrator of this prank.
"Father Brooks always tells the story in the subjunctive, so you're never sure if he was the perpetrator or not," says Fr. Kuzniewski. "But he always seemed to know how to do such a thing."
Fr. Brooks denies any knowledge of the incident. "I was charged with driving the bus there, but it's not true," he says.
Myth: Underground tunnels connect every building on campus
False
One persistent Holy Cross myth tells of underground tunnels that connect all of the older buildings on campus. Various iterations of this legend tell of tunnels or catacombs that were used as: burial places for "renegade Jesuits"; as part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War; and as storage vaults for liquor supplies during the years of Prohibition.
According to Dennis Shea, the former director of the College's mechanical systems, who was employed at Holy Cross for 50 years—and knows every inch of the campus—the myth is hogwash.
Fr. Kuzniewski reports that there was once a central power plant in Kimball, so, no doubt, he says, there are some heating tunnels under the hill—but little else.
Fr. Brooks recalls that, at some point, there was a proposal to build a tunnel from Loyola to the chapel, so that the Jesuits could avoid the winter morning ice—but it never came to pass. "We built a chapel inside Loyola, and that resolved that problem," he explains.
Myth: A Pirate Radio Station Operated on Campus in the 1960s
True
According to undisclosed sources, "Radio Free Holy Cross" operated for a full decade out of the basement of Alumni Hall. In the early 1960s, FCC regulations still limited station WCHC to on-campus only broadcasts. But, with engineering help from members of the College's Amateur Ham Radio Club, provocateurs rigged a hidden antenna across the length of the Alumni roof—boosting the intra-campus signal as far as Framingham and often knocking commercially licensed stations off the air.
Myth: Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, once fell out of a Wheeler Hall window.
False
Legendary rock group The Who did perform in the College fieldhouse on Oct. 17, 1969, as part of Homecoming Weekend. There are no reports, however, that Moon visited with students in Wheeler … much less fell out a dorm window.
Myth: The Linden Lane guard shack was painted pink one night.
Unconfirmed
Sitting as it does near the first entrance to campus, set away from the administrative buildings and residence halls, the guard shack long has appeared a prime target for campus pranksters. But while the myth of the "pink paint job" persists and some longtime campus employees vaguely recall such an incident, there is no hard evidence to confirm it.
Myth: Interstate 290 was altered to avoid Fitton Field
True
Yes, Interstate 290 curves in the southern section of Worcester solely to avoid Fitton Field.
"They wanted to build it through near the corner of Carlin Hall," explains College historian, Fr. Kuzniewski. "The school was able to establish something called ‘consequential damages,' which meant we would be entitled to reimbursement not only for the value of what was lost but also to the diminished value of property adjacent to the highway. It finally became less expensive for the state to tear down some old factories."
Read more Myths & Legends:
"The Fenwick Exorcism"
The Jeane Dixon Axe Murder Rumor
"Letters to Tomorrow"
The Cow That Came in From the Cold
The Plot Against the Greenhouse
The Naked Bunch
The Immurement of Father Crowley
The Lord of the Rings on Mount St. James?
More myths and legends...revealed!
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