{"id":7114,"date":"2020-10-29T17:44:34","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/archives.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/?p=7114"},"modified":"2020-10-29T17:44:34","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:44:34","slug":"spooky-stacks-viewing-haunted-libraries-of-the-midwest-through-library-postcards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/2020\/10\/29\/spooky-stacks-viewing-haunted-libraries-of-the-midwest-through-library-postcards\/","title":{"rendered":"Spooky Stacks: Viewing Haunted Libraries of the Midwest through Library Postcards"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a scientific survey by Chapman University, a little more than half of all Americans believe that places can be haunted by spirits, with three in four believing in some kind of paranormal phenomenon [9]. The history of ghosts in America is a storied one and can generally be charted as first being thought of as \u201cagents of God, then the devil, and now are seen as entertainment, to a large extent\u201d, according to Tamara Hunt, a History professor at University of Southern Indiana and collector of ghost stories. Generally speaking, the way ghosts are seen in culture and society reflect the temperature of the era. Those in the 18th century viewed ghosts as the spirits of the dead who had unfinished business on Earth. Later on, ghosts helped people deal with the rapid changes of the 19th century, and when seances and Ouija boards rose in popularity, so did the belief that people could communicate with any spirit \u2013 not just a loved one. Throughout all time, ghosts provided a link between the present and the past, and the living and the dead \u2013 a connection that brings comfort and peace of mind during turbulent times. Some of the most haunted libraries in the Midwest can be viewed \u2013 from a safe distance \u2013 through the American Library Association Archives\u2019 extensive postcard collection. More information about haunted libraries throughout the United States can be found through the Haunted Libraries LibGuide<\/a>, courtesy of the University of Illinois Library.<\/p>\n

Illinois<\/h2>\n

Cairo Public Library – Cairo, Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Cairo Public Library (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cairo Public Library, 241 miles south of Champaign, is home to one of the \u201cbusiest ghosts in Cairo,\u201d according to Greg Fields, founder of the Paranormal Research Society of Southern Illinois [5]. \u201cToby,\u201d named as such by former librarian Louise Ogg, is a regular in the Library\u2019s Special Collections room. He usually makes his presence known through squeaking chairs in empty rooms and flashing white lights that jump between bookshelves \u2013 phenomena that live in the corner of your eye and in your deepest subconscious, but when coupled with the ghost story leave you chilled. Former Director Monica Smith noted that there is a \u201cdefinite presence\u201d in the building, but that you eventually \u201cget used to it\u201d [1].<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Monticello College – Godfrey, Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Monticello College Library, Front Side (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Monticello College Library, Reverse Side (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Reid Memorial Library of Monticello College \u2013 now known as Lewis & Clark Community College, 167 miles southwest of Champaign \u2013 is home to the spirit of Harriet Newell Haskell, the revered headmistress of the College from 1867 to 1907. As noted on the back of the postcard in the Archives\u2019 collection, the Praise Angel windows on the east wall of the library were given in memory of Haskell. When the College became the home of Lewis & Clark in 1971, the Reid Memorial Chapel \u2013 which incidentally was Haskell\u2019s favorite room on campus \u2013 became the very library where Haskell now haunts [7]. During her tenure as headmistress, Haskell made the school one of the most respected female institutions in the country, leading the way through funding woes and an 1888 fire that ravaged much of the campus. Stories about ghostly encounters with Haskell started almost immediately after her death in 1907 \u2013 lights, fountains, and steam-operated elevators that would turn off and on at will, ghostly apparitions in darkened hallways among them. Liz Burns, the Assistant Director of Instructional Services at Lewis & Clark recounts her interaction with Haskell [6]:<\/p>\n

\u201cYears ago, I was walking down the stairs into the library basement, and when I reached the bottom of the staircase, I smelled lilac perfume. I paused, recognized the smell, and said \u2018Hello, Harriet\u2019, then suddenly, the smell had disappeared.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Lars Hoffman, a former history professor at the College, took it upon himself to collect these haunting encounters. In recounting his collection of haunts, Hoffman shared one story [1]:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe <\/em>[a young librarian who didn\u2019t believe in ghosts] was working at night. There weren\u2019t many people, if any, in the library, and she felt a hand touch her on her shoulder blade. She turned around and no one was there. It so raised the hair on the back of her neck that she quickly closed the library and left.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Scary stories to scare new students\u2026or actual interactions with spirits of the dead? Time and again, students and staff members, once skeptical about the existence of ghostly presences, have come away from their interactions with Haskell feeling otherwise. Some experiences are hard to reason away, even for rational minds rooted in reality.<\/p>\n

Peoria Public Library – Peoria, Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Peoria Public Library (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hauntings at Peoria Public Library, 90 miles northwest of Champaign, are storied and have survived both the passage of time and a 1966 building teardown. As many as thirteen ghosts \u2013 including a former library director \u2013 have been reported to roam the building, causing employees and patrons hearing their names called out while alone in the stacks, feeling cold drafts in otherwise temperate rooms, and even see the ghostly face of E.S. Wilcox \u2013 the library\u2019s first director \u2013 in shadowy doorways clad in full turn-of-the-century attire [2].<\/p>\n

These spooky occurrences can trace their roots back to Mrs. Andrew Gray, a prominent resident of Peoria who lived on the plot of land the Downtown branch of the Library now occupies on Monroe Avenue. She gained custody of her wayward nephew after her brother\u2019s death, and his frequent run-ins with the law eventually required the services of a lawyer [2, 4]. That lawyer, David Davis, took out a mortgage on Gray\u2019s home as collateral for his services, and when the time came to pay up, Davis sued to foreclose, draining Gray of all her resources. Enraged, Gray cut off her unruly nephew, whose body was later found floating in the nearby Illinois River. According to local legend, Gray then set a curse on the land and all its future occupants. This alleged cursed led to the first ghostly occurrence on Monroe \u2013 the apparition of Mrs. Gray\u2019s drowned nephew banging on the front door, begging to be let back in [3].<\/p>\n

This curse could also be responsible for the untimely and rather violent deaths of the first three directors of the Library \u2013 E.S. Willcox was hit by a passing streetcar in 1915, Samuel Patterson Prowse died of a heart attack during a board meeting in 1921, and Dr. Edwin Wiley died by suicide in 1924 by consuming arsenic. This concerning lineage was the subject of an episode of the Dewey Decibel<\/a> podcast, the official podcast of American Libraries <\/em>magazine. In the episode, host Phil Morehart wonders whether the reason why Willcox still haunts the library he used to run. One reason could be because he was so fond of his workplace and invested in the practice of librarianship. As its first director, Willcox oversaw the construction of the Library and was also the author of the 1872 Illinois Library Law, which paved the way for public libraries as Illinoisans know them today.<\/p>\n

Morehart interviewed Randall Yelverton, the current Executive Director of the Library, who remains unfazed by the fate of some of his predecessors. He is so at ease about the history of his position, in fact, that he has revoked the unwritten, long-standing agreement between directors to not talk about or publicize the history of hauntings at the Library [4]. He think it is all fun lore and doesn\u2019t tarnish the overall mission of the library. The reputation of the Library as one of the most haunted libraries in America has actually brought renewed interest to the library \u2013 not from Peoria residents interested in checking out the latest Stephen King, but in enthusiasts wanting to spend the night in the library, waiting for a ghost to appear. Staff were eager to share their experiences with Morehart, and insist that the ghosts they encounter are not malevolent and usually just want to make their presence known \u2013 sometimes even correcting staff members in their shelving errors! Trisha Noack, the then-Manager of Public Relations at the Library stated that since the Main Library was renovated in 2010, there has been no ghostly activity. Perhaps the Peoria ghosts no longer feel at home in the Art Gallery and Local History and Genealogy room that now occupy the former stacks, where most ghostly experiences occurred. The next time a patron or staff member hears books crashing down from an otherwise still bookshelf, or slamming doors and flickering lights in empty rooms, they may want to hesitate before turning around, lest they want to come face-to-face with a face from centuries past.<\/p>\n

Indiana<\/h2>\n

Willard Library – Evansville, Indiana\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Willard Library (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The spooky shenanigans at play at the Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana \u2013 179 miles southeast of Champaign \u2013 have grown from a local legend to something of a national phenomenon, with the Library fully embracing its gang of ghosts (most notable of which is the Grey Lady), even including a full page<\/a> on their website about the history of the Grey Lady, along with interactive opportunities to spot the ghosts on camera<\/a> and learn more about the most haunted spots in the library<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Willard Library (Record Series 97\/1\/72, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Considered to be one of the most haunted libraries in the United States, Willard Library\u2019s claim to fame is the Grey Lady, though as many as eight entities haunt the library halls, according to paranormal investigators who have become regulars. While her identity is unknown, many suspect her to be Louise Carpenter, the daughter of the Library\u2019s founder who was upset her father left his entire estate to the library in his passing [9]. Though the Library has been around since 1885, the first sighting of the Grey Lady did not occur until 1937 \u2013 right in the middle of the \u201cThousand Year Flood\u201d that saw the nearby Ohio River rise to historic levels and devastate the area\u00a0\u2013 when she appeared in a long dress and veil to a custodian worker who came in early to stoke the furnace [8].<\/p>\n

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Willard Library (Record Series 97\/1\/65, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Library was the subject of a special episode of the Dewey Decibel<\/a> podcast, where host Phil Morehart spoke to Library Director (and avowed, but open-minded skeptic on the paranormal) Greg Hager. Coloring the Library building as a large Victorian building that is \u201cstately, refined, and kind of creepy in an Addams Family <\/em>sort of way,\u201d [8] Morehart asks Hager how he has embraced the Library\u2019s storied past. Hager notes that the presence of the Grey Lady, who he sees more of as a benign prankster than a malevolent force, is one that is usually felt and not seen. Strong, cheap perfume, a slight chill in the air, and the distinct feeling of a presence next to you in an empty room, are her trademark tells. She travels all over the library, but is most often felt in the basement-level Children\u2019s Department and the second-floor Local History\/Genealogy room, pulling tables away from chairs, moving file boxes and books, and typing on phantom typewriters wherever she goes [1]. The last known sighting was in 2015, when two Children\u2019s Department staff members noticed security camera footage of a strange woman looking out a glass door. Upon taking a closer look, the image became pixelated and grainy [9]. In his interview with Morehart, Hager lays out the Library\u2019s engagement strategy in relation to\u00a0the hauntings \u2013 which Hager sees as \u201cmarketing gold\u201d \u2013 made famous by appearances on television shows like \u201cGhost Hunters\u201d on the Discovery Channel.<\/p>\n

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Willard Library (Record Series 97\/1\/72, Box 3)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hager sees the explosion of the Library\u2019s popularity among ghost enthusiasts as starting in 1995, when the Library\u2019s first Ghost Tour drew a crowd of 800 guests, greatly surpassing expectations, along with occupancy limits for the building [8]. These Ghost Tours, which are slated for the last three weekends in October every year \u2013 have continued since then and draw in thousands of out-of-town guests to the Evansville area. The greater strategy for these tours, according to Hager, is \u201ccome for our ghost tour and bring your family and have fun. And then come back next month, next week, not for a ghost tour but to use the library\u201d [9]. In 1999, Hager, in conjunction with the Evansville Courier & Press\u2019 new media editor James Derk came up with the idea for a series of six webcams in areas of the library with high ghost activity that would upload pictures in real time to an online server, allowing people from around the world to get in on the fun. On Halloween Night of that year, so many people were trying to access the webcam images that all internet service to and from Evansville crashed [1]. This initiative won the team a Digital Edge Award for Most Innovative Use of the Online Medium in 2000. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has halted in-person Ghost Tours this Halloween season, those who are interested can still take themselves on a self-guided (masked) tour of the library using the educational guide<\/a> provided by the Library. In speaking about the lack of jump scares and cheap thrills on the ever-popular Ghost Tours, Hager notes that \u201creality can sometimes be more frightening than someone in a mask jumping out at you\u2026we can kinda reason one away, and the other one is real\u201d [9]. The ghost hunters who are frequent guests at Willard Library have noted that the \u201ceerie feelings\u201d some get in certain areas of the library can be traced back to electromagnetic fluctuations in the air [8], but perhaps \u2013 to some \u2013 that chill means something more than just science and molecules.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1] Marcotte, Alison, and George M. Eberhart. \u201cPhantoms among the Folios: A Guide to Haunted Libraries.\u201d American Libraries Magazine, 28 Oct. 2015, americanlibrariesmagazine.org\/2015\/10\/28\/phantoms-among-folios-guide-to-haunted-libraries\/.<\/p>\n

[2] Blair. \u201cTop 10 Most Haunted Libraries in the Midwest.\u201d Mysterious Heartland, 1 Oct. 2019, mysteriousheartland.com\/top-10-most-haunted-libraries-in-the-midwest\/.<\/p>\n

[3] Ysbryd. \u201cHaunted Libraries: Peoria Public Library.\u201d The Witching Hour, 3 Jan. 2014, 4girlsandaghost.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/03\/haunted-libraries-peoria-public-library\/.<\/p>\n

[4] Morehart, Phil. \u201cEpisode 31: The Haunting of Peoria Public Library.\u201d SoundCloud, American Libraries, 26 Oct. 2018, soundcloud.com\/dewey-decibel-703453552\/episode-31-the-haunting-of-peoria-public-library.<\/p>\n

[5] Halstead, Marilyn. \u201cHaunted Southern Illinois: Legends of Ghosts and Strange Occurrences.\u201d The Southern, 31 Oct. 2015, thesouthern.com\/news\/local\/haunted-southern-illinois-legends-of-ghosts-and-strange-occurences\/article_93ed0026-2dc2-54ac-ab4d-874bb1bcbd68.html.<\/p>\n

[6] Earney, Darick. \u201cThe Ghosts of Lewis and Clark Community College.\u201d The Bridge, 27 Oct. 2014, thelcbridge.com\/the-ghosts-of-lewis-and-clark\/.<\/p>\n

[7] Taylor, Troy. \u201cThe Ghost of Harriet Haskell: Hauntings of Lewis & Clark Community College.\u201d Haunted Illinois, 2007, www.hauntedillinois.com\/realhauntedplaces\/ghost-of-harriet-haskell.php.<\/p>\n

[8] Morehart, Phil. \u201cEpisode Seven: \u2018Night of the Living Dewey Decibel.\u2019\u201d SoundCloud, American Libraries, 27 Oct. 2016, soundcloud.com\/dewey-decibel-703453552\/episode-seven-night-of-the-dewey-decibel-podcast.<\/p>\n

[9] Fater, Tori. \u201cWhy Spooky Ghost Stories Keep People Coming Back to Willard Library.\u201d Evansville Courier &amp; Press, 21 Oct. 2017, www.courierpress.com\/story\/news\/local\/2017\/10\/21\/why-spooky-ghost-stories-keep-people-coming-back-willard-library\/784663001\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to a scientific survey by Chapman University, a little more than half of all Americans believe that places can be haunted by spirits, with three in four believing in some kind of paranormal phenomenon [9]. The history of ghosts in America is a storied one and can generally be charted as first being thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":707,"featured_media":7116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-just-for-fun"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/707"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}