The Willard Library
The
Willard Library
The
Willard
Library
Evansville,
Indiana
Opened in 1895, Evansville's Willard Library is the oldest public library building in the
state of Indiana.
But the beautiful Victorian-Gothic structure is known for more than just its historical
significance. It is widely known to be very haunted.
It was a snowy morning in 1937 when a lone janitor performed his duties in the basement. But
he was stopped dead in his tracks, never to return to his job or the library.
This is the first known sighting of "The Grey Lady," the library's most famous ghost. Her
appearance suggested that she was from the time when the library first opened- more than half
a century earlier.
Most people have actually claimed to see the apparition itself. Other times, people report
the faint scent of perfume or a lingering cold spot in the vicinity.
In fact, a security camera reportly once captured her image.
To this day, no one truly knows the identity of "The Grey Lady." All they know is that she
is still present in the building to this day.
The ghost has most often been spotted near the restrooms, in the research room, and around
the basement- the same place where she was originally spotted.
One time, during renovations, an employee claimed that "The Grey Lady" followed her home.
She claimed, just for a short time, cold spots, an eerie feeling of being watched and the
scent of perfume.
But she is most often spotted in the children's reading room, which is also located in the
basement.
Perhaps it is the presence of children. Perhaps she lost a child of her own. No one really
knows.
The most enduring theory of her identity is that of Louise Carpenter, daughter of the man who
established the library. She claimed her father was unfit to establish the library and wanted
the land for herself. She was defeated, so now it is said that she will haunt the building
until the land is returned to her family.
the state's oldest
a victoria-gothic classic
the first sighting
the grey lady
the tower
the southern wall
an enduring presence
multiple sightings
the stairwell
the basement
the reading room ghost
a theory
