Stories about ghosts who haunt libraries...
Library Ghosts are popular, especially with help from the movie Ghost Busters. In the 1980s hit movie, a little, old lady librarian turns into a frightening library ghost! The scene continues to inspire (and frighten) would be ghost investigators, still today.
In recent years library ghosts have become popular with ghost hunters, and no library ghost is more famous than Evansville, Indiana's Willard Library Grey Lady.
Providing web cameras whereby visitors to their website may search different library rooms for ghosts, the Willard Library has become a favorite of ghost enthusiasts, who try and capture a Grey Lady Ghost Picture.
Library ghosts, it seems, have various reasons for haunting book depositories. One library ghost supposedly haunts due to thousands of dollars he had stashed away in books, while serving as the librarian at the Library of Congress. $6000 was discovered in 1897 during the library's relocation.
The Belchertown, Massachusetts Clapp Public Library custodian believes he has seen ghost, and former librarian, Lydia Barton at the spot where her old desk once occupied. Perhaps Lydia haunts her former favorite place of employment. Who knows?
Sometimes library ghosts purportedly visit libraries named after them. One such example is the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. The library was named after the daughter of Henry Huttleston in 1890, after shed died of heart failure. Accounts of Millicent roaming the library halls in blue form, or standing at a window have been witnessed.
Founders, as well as former library directors have also been witnessed haunting libraries.
Once such case involves the Peoria Public Library in Illinois. Three of the library's early directors came upon premature deaths. Some believe it was brought about by a curse of the former land owner. One of the director's faces has been allegedly spotted in the basement.
Sometimes people, other than library employees, who have died tragically, haunt library buildings. The St. Francis Library of Fort Wayne, Indiana has experienced apparitions and reported cold spots that many attribute to the death and subsequent haunting of a former student who committed suicide, sadly inside the building.
Haunted libraries report ghosts of various descriptions, such as children, men, and women, all of which are believed to be somehow attached to the library buildings or grounds. Many lost souls were indeed library workers, while others might have been just patrons; yet, some library ghosts seem to haunt for reasons unknown, and without ties to the library at all. Library ghosts can be kind, loving, frightened, or just plain nasty, according to the accounts of witnesses. And some library ghosts are quite spooky, such as a Bellwood, Nebraska elementary school that has houses the spectre of a severely burnt woman.
With libraries that are haunted, it is not uncommon to hear reports of library books being knocked off shelves, ghostly noises such as footsteps, keys and doors rattling, uncomfortable presences, balls of light, moving shadows, spots that are abnormally cold, flying paper clips or other airborne items, disembodied voices, lights turning on and off by themselves, unusual odors or aromas, shaking bookcases, and other paranormal activity. Those who have experienced such ghostly activity in libraries swear that once one experiences something strange like this, it is likely to convert a skeptic unto believing.
As the evidence of library ghosts piles up in the way of eye-witness stories, ghost photographs, and security camera surveillance videos showing moving apparitions, the next time you visit your local library remember to pay attention. You just might have your own library ghost encounter that you can tell others about! So, if you have a library ghost experience, please e-mail us your experience. We'd like to share it...