Gothic Myths Demystified

Southgate Dormitory was never an insane asylum, even if freshman and current resident Kate Hansen suggests some of its current residents are a little "bonkers."

Although many students have heard unsubstantiated myths about Duke's history, like the Southgate story, many are unsure if these tales are true.

Hansen, like many Southgate residents, was told early in her Duke career that the building, with its distinctive wide hallways and distance from other dormitories on East Campus, housed mental patients before it housed students.

She never believed the story and, as it turns out, she had good reason not to.

Heard by Southgate residents for years, the myth is totally false, according to University Archivist Bill King.

Built for female students in 1921, Southgate may have been separated from the other buildings because it housed women on a primarily male campus.

"It's out there by itself, a little removed from campus," he said. "But where that [rumor] started is anybody's guess."

The Southgate story may be one of the stranger myths about the University, but it is hardly the only one. And for King, who has served as Archivist since 1972, dispelling myths about Duke is part of his job.