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Visitors are encouraged to explore the grounds. An art museum, cemeteries and pleasant walking paths are just a few of the attractions The Ridges holds. Guests are invited to revere the place as a link to the area’s history.
But some guests want more to explore than those buildings and paths that have been maintained.
The myths and stories surrounding The Ridges tempt adventurous visitors to delve into the less frequently viewed aspects of the grounds. Until recently, many made their ways into the abandoned remains of what was once the tuberculosis ward (also known locally at the old Beacon School).
Today the ward, located near the water tower and the Konneker Research Center, stands closed off to the public. Since OU’s annexation of The Ridges in 1993, the building had been sealed, but a flimsy wire fence and vulnerable building entrances proved weak deterrents for those determined to see inside.
After years of trespassing and fence mending, the old building has finally been bricked shut. No practical entrance remains.
This is probably just as well, seeing that the building was made fireproof with enormous amounts of asbestos, a carcinogenic substance. Interlopers were more likely to find exposure to damaging clouds of asbestos than any mystery.
Still, the exploration of the TB ward had been a favorite pastime of many OU students especially near Halloween. With the bricks in place, the mystery and allure of the TB ward will be sealed for the foreseeable future.
That is ridiculous. We need to study the paranormal so much more than we do. Let people go in there and study!