Haunted Libraries

We’re still a long way from Halloween but Halloween season is certainly in full swing.

George Eberhart at the Britannica blog has his second installment (covering Florida-Maryland) of his “fairly comprehensive list of allegedly haunted libraries, or at least ones where patrons, staff, or local folklorists have associated with paranormal happenings.”

Some highlights:

At the Cairo Public Library in Illinois there is the ghost named Toby who “reportedly hangs out in the special collections room on the second floor of this 1884 building.”

In the old Cedar Rapids Public Library (which now the Cedar Rapids Art Museum) in Iowa “an apparent case of “crisis apparition” occurred sometime in the late 1960s when a longtime patron was seen in the library shortly after she had died in a fire.”

Charlie is the name of the ghost at the Madison-Jefferson County public library in Indiana. At the library “women riding the elevator sometimes find themselves patted or caressed,” Charlie is believed to be the ghost of a young man confined to a wheelchair who is said to have lived in a house on the site where the library now stands.

Also in Indiana is the Willard Library in Evansville where the Grey Lady Ghost lives. The library is a “virtual ghost hunting mecca,” where thousands of people have searched the library for “remnants of lost spirits.”
This place is so haunted that the library director, Greg Hager, gives a virtual ghost tour of the library!
“The library has been investigated by several organizations including MESA (multi-energy sensor array), TAPS, and other teams looking for ghosts.” and for your viewing pleasure there are three ghost cams set up throughout the library.

The Library Ghost website is the place to start your trip through the Willard Library.

I’m already spooked out and he is only through Maryland!


Image above is of the Willard Library