Haunted Evansville, Indiana and the Willard
Library
Once
again, the month of October has come and gone…. a time for hauntings, Halloween
- and all things spooky. Yes, I know,
October was officially over yesterday, but I couldn’t close our look at haunted
locations in the Midwest, without an overnight visit to Willard Library. And,
maybe, just maybe, catch a glimpse of the Grey Lady…
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| Willard Library By Moonlight |
On
a cool October night, with a full moon looming above the Gothic library, I met
with the Willard Library Ghost Chatters group (WLGC) for their annual
paranormal investigation of "their" library.
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| WLGC Investigate |
has
been meeting here every year in October since 2000 when founder Maer Mack suggested
that a few chat room friends interested in paranormal and the Grey Lady (the
resident spirit of the library) meet at Willard Library once a year to investigate. One
thing has led to another over the years and now the group comes from all over
the country, and Canada, prepared to search for ghosts, while getting caught up with
each other during their weekend reunion in Evansville.
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| In the Stacks |
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| EVP Session in the Children's Room |
Everyone has a story to tell - of orbs bouncing between the book stacks; books
sailing off of shelves and even striking people; water turning on and off at the
janitor’s sink; shadows passing up the stairs; cold spots moving through the
rooms… EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) are prevalent in the library: a
little boy’s voice, a woman’s, and sometime a man's can be heard.
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| Paranormal Investigator Tim Harte |
How
many spirits abide at Willard? Hard to say – WLGC estimate that there are at least
eight entities here. Tim Harte with Mesa Project http://www.mesaproject.com has been researching the paranormal for decades.
Each year he brings his equipment to the library and sets up in a room, measuring
a variety of energies that are associated with paranormal phenomena.
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| Ghostly Activity |
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| Tim Updates the WLGC's |
Harte’s
equipment collects data on visible, incident infrared, and ultraviolet light
intensities: “natural and artificially generated electromagnetic fields, gamma ray radiation, galvanic skin response of a human subject, infrasound, and vibration." On this night, he picks up some activity in
the Bayard Room, a known “haunt” of the Grey Lady’s.
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| Willard Carpenter |
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| Willard Library |
It all began when Willard
Carpenter, a well-known businessman in the Evansville community, decided to build a library that would be “for the use of
people of all classes and sexes, free of charge, forever.” Willard Library
opened in 1885, housed in a 3-story Victorian Gothic style building. It is the
oldest public library in Indiana.
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| Dark Shadow (Circled) |
The
first report of the library being haunted occurred in the winter of 1937. The
library janitor was stoking the basement furnace in the early morning hours
when he came face-to-face with a woman dressed in grey. When he asked what she
wanted, she simply faded away. That was the last time the janitor was in the building; he quit the next morning.
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| Louise Carpenter |
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| Investigating the Children's Room |
The
Grey Lady has been rumored to be Louise Carpenter, Willard’s daughter. Unhappy with
her inheritance, she is said to haunt the library, which received the bulk of
her father’s money. But many say that just doesn’t feel right. They believe the
Grey Lady may be the spirit of a former librarian. Especially since the spirit
seems to like being in the children’s section in the basement.
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| Grey Lady on Stairs |
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| Bayard Room |
The
Grey Lady is known to move furniture around, push books off shelves, or move
them forward to the edge of the shelves. Footsteps can be heard when no one
else is on the floor in question, and the scent of lilac or lavender perfume is
sometimes noticed. She has been seen on the main staircase and has been felt as
a cold spot. She also likes to touch female patrons hair or earrings – and this
I can vouch for; it’s happened to me in the Bayard Room.
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| Moonlight Through a Window |
City
police take it in stride when motion sensors set off the alarm system at the
library at night. Once a policeman, stationed outside during an alarm, saw a
woman standing in the window of the Bayard Room. When he asked if they had
apprehended her, he was told that the police could find no one in the room, or
the
building…
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| Basement Hallway |
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| Janitor's Sink |
Sightings
have continued to this day, and not just of
the Grey Lady. There is also a
young boy, known as “Billy” who plays tricks on staff and patrons. Could he be
the spirit that turns on faucets at a janitor's sink on the first floor, knocks
or throws books off shelves, and operates the elevator for unseen patrons? There is also
a male apparition called “Frank” that is
sometimes seen in the basement. And, there are also others...unnamed.
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| Library Director Greg Hager |
Willard
Library has been featured on paranormal programs broadcast on the Discover
Channel, the Sci-Fi channel, CNN, and the Travel Channel, just to name a few. According to Library
Director, Greg Hager, there is currently a waiting list for paranormal groups
who would like to do an overnight investigation here; the next available night will
be in October 2031! But the door is always open to the WLGC - the group that started the search.
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| Louise is Ready for Halloween |
As
for those just wanting to learn more about the paranormal activity here, the library offers free Grey Lady tours on select evenings in October, but
reservations are strongly recommended.
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| The Witching Hour at the Library |
Although it’s too late to
catch an evening tour this year, check with the library about free tours held
year-round during the daylight hours. And if you’re still wanting to see what
happens in the library at the witching hour, check out the Library Ghost Cams
at Library Ghost http://www.libraryghost.com and Willard Library Ghost Cams http://www.willardghost.com/
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| Down the Staircase |
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| Reading Room |
Willard Library is like a
step back in time, full of beautiful wooden trim, long library tables with
individual reading lamps, and a helpful staff that won’t look askance when you
ask, “Who was that woman who just touched my hair?”
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| The Grey Lady... |
“Why the Grey Lady, of
course,” will most likely be the reply.
~ Joy
As
for those just wanting to learn more about the paranormal activity here, the library offers free Grey Lady tours on select evenings in October, but
reservations are strongly recommended.
