 In 1974, Thomas Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with the register reading

A press release issued when Thomas Hall was added to register told the story of the campus legend of "Old Steve," the ghost who haunts Murphree Area, the last all-male residence area (it was designated co-ed in 1972).According to the legend, "Old Steve" was the original head cook on campus who worked in the kitchen in the center of Thomas Hall, beneath the classrooms and library.The legend states that Old Steve disrupted the campus through his shouting and cursing at his kitchen crew, the banging of pots and pans, the hissing of steam, and the loud crackling of fire and pans as lunch was prepared—the same sounds heard when the steam heating system in the Murphree Area halls is turned on every fall.