Willard Library

Willard Library
Evansville, IN.

     Is Willard Library Haunted?

A fascinating, and at least somewhat credible, old legend exists within the ancient walls of Willard Library: It's a living, breathing haunted house.

    The first reported incident happened sixty years ago to a library employee who trekked through the snowy cold for his nightly duty. Since then, countless other employees and patrons have reported seeing this apparition, each giving an eerily similar description. Is the legend true? We'll leave that for you to decide

    Winter 1937: The first sighting of Willard Library's "Lady in Grey" On a cold, snow-covered night in the winter of 1937, the library's janitor, as was his nightly routine, came to the building at 3 a.m. to shovel coal into the heating furnace, ensuring warmth for the coming busy day. Armed with his flashlight and gun, the janitor cautiously made his way to the unlit basement to fuel the fire. Though comfortable in his duty, he was always wary of any unexpected nighttime visitors. Suddenly, as he neared the furnace, he froze motionless and dropped his flashlight to the dusty basement floor. A look of amazement and fear overcame the normally docile janitor's face. Standing before him in that dark and dreary basement of Willard Library was a ghostly veiled lady dressed in glowing grey. In his astonishment, he managed to bend down and pick up his flashlight, noticing that even her shoes were grey.

    Before the janitor could regain his composure, the image disappeared and he was once again in silent solitude. Frightened and confused, the janitor completely forgot about shoveling that coal into the furnace. He ran crazily from the basement and from Willard Library, never to return to either again.

    Some other notable sightings and strange happenings The famed "lady in grey" did return, however. She has appeared many times to many different people in many different ways since that cold winter night in 1937:

    Countless speculations and opinions exist about whose ghost the famed "lady in grey" actually is. Some believed that the ghost emigrated from a nearby cemetery. Others say that a woman died in the building during its early days and that she liked the library so much that she never left (and gets jealous when mortals read her treasured books).

Still, the most widely held opinion is that the "lady in grey" is actually the ghost of Louise Carpenter, the daughter of the library's founder. Louise once sued the library's Board of Trustees, claiming that her father was "of unsound mind and was unduly influenced in establishing [Willard] Library." She lost the suit and, as a result, her claim to any of the library's property. After her death, her spirit returned to the place that caused her so much grief during her life: Willard Library. Those who subscribe to this opinion say that she will continue to haunt the library until the property and its holdings are turned back over to the living heirs of the Willard Carpenter family.

Now you can be a ghost hunter right there in front of your own computer. This story and the pictures come straight from the library's web site. The library has a lot more to tell you of the hauntings and several GhostCams for you to look at. Care to look? Just click HERE to visit their webpages. Who knows...Maybe you will be the next person to see the Lady in Grey...

Photos | Morbius J Kromwell | Message Board | Download Center | Main