Centenary College

This college is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Tillie Smith. In 1886, when Tillie was 18 years old, she worked and lived at the college. She was found dead in a nearby field, raped and strangled. Accused of the brutal murder was a maintenance man that went by the name of James Titus, despite his known to be high moral of character. Titus was convicted of the murder and sentenced to hanging, despite only circumstantial evidence. To avoid being hanged, Titus signed a confession of guilt and was allowed to live in prison for 19 years, until being paroled in 1904. He lived in town until his death in 1952 and was buried in Union Cemetery, where there is also a monument to Tillie that was unveiled in 1887. Jeanne Walker did a ton of research on Tillie and wrote a play about her, that is put on at the Centenary Theatre. The theater also sponsors Tillie Walks, where actors and actresses follow her trail through town acting out the events of the evening she was killed. Both students and staff of the college have reported seeing Tillie's spirit.