Long before the term “urban myth” existed, American college campuses were fertile grounds for rumors to be born and spread quickly – increasing day-by-day in their fantastic-but-believable detail. Most often, such rumors are short-lived, existing only for a few days. In some cases, however, the stories develop into true myths and take on lives of their own to the point that they are ultimately accepted as historical fact.

James Madison University is no different than many other colleges and universities and has had its share of stories that developed into believable myths. These pages describe – and debunk – a few of them.