The Grey Lady of Willard Library

Author: Tyler Stilp

Willard Library founded in the 1870s Evansville, Indiana

In the small dreary town of Evansville, Indiana, lies the oldest public library in the state. Since the early 1870s Willard Library has been offering books and a library atmosphere to locals. Little did they know that their library also offered something beyond checking out books.

It was just a regular early morning at The Willard Library in 1937 , when a custodian made his way downstairs to turn the furnace on. I wonder if this custodian knew that his life along with the Libraries was about to change forever in just a few seconds? As he approached the furnace he noticed a veiled woman glowing in a grey dress. That morning, the custodian spotted, The Grey Lady, a spirit that was haunting the library.  

There are many insights and thoughts from many people of who the ghost is. Many believe that the ghost is, Louise Carpenter, who was the daughter of the libraries founder.  Louise was not the biggest fan of the library, she was often found feeling jealous of the library due to all of the attention and, money her father spent on the library. On occasions the ghost will appear when there is work being done on the Library or someone is changing it from one-way to another.

The ghost makes her appearance very often; she is a nice ghost and protects the library. It was a normal Thursday afternoon when two staff members where working in the children’s area, cleaning and fixing the floor when the ghost made here appearance. There was no one in the library at this time, when they noticed a large section of books were rearranged. It was said that every fourth book had been pulled out and positioned in a weird angle.             The two staff members were very confused and not to mention creeped out!

The Grey Lady is often spotted in the children’s library, and by the behavior of the ghost in the children’s area some people believe the ghost lost a child and she is waiting for the child to come back. One day there was a group of children running around and being quite loud when it suddenly all came to a stop. A three-year-old boy that was playing came running back to his mom saying a ghost like lady was shaking her hand at him in the hallway.  Needless to say, the group of loud children playing and their parents soon went home.

            Other sighting and ghostly things do occur at the library daily. Water faucets will be turned on cull blast when nobody is around. With no one standing near the bookshelves, books will be thrown off the shelf. During the hours when the library is closed and vacant, the motion detectors will be set off.

So now you may ask, “Why is she called the Grey Lady?” There is no proof or agreement to who the ghost is, so she is left being called, The Grey Lady.

            In spite of all the people interested in the ghost the library, has set up a ghost cam. The ghost cam gives a 24- hour view of the library and a review of the times the ghost has been spotted.  Go watch it and check it out, you never know you may have the chance to see TheGrey lady herself.

The Grey Lady has become quite famous and brought even more fame to the library. Ghost Hunters from Discovery Channel, along with students eager to see the ghost have come in to witness the ghost with their own eyes. Also, the library host ghost tours all year long of the library. The library originally started doing tours during the month of October, but notice how popular they were.

            So, if you ever find yourself visiting the small dreay town of Evansville, Indiana. Be sure to stop by the Willard library to check out some books, and just maybe a ghost. Just be sure to keep your kids quiet!

Works Cited

Martin, John. “Lady In Grey Skeptics Will See For Themselves.”newsbank.com. Americas

News, 25 October 2000. Web. 15 October 2013.

Michel’s, James.” We’ll Join Ghost Hunters Checking Out Library.”newsbank.com. Americas

News, 8 September 2000. Web. 15 October 2013.

Coulisse, Adam.” Paranormal activities \ Ghost hunters haunt Willard Library in search for Grey Lady, other specters.”Newsbank.com.24 October 2011.Web. 15 October 2013.

“Whos Looking?” Ghost. Willard Library. Web. 15 October 2013.

“Willard Library.” Welcome To Willard Library.2013Web. 19 Oct 2013.

Links for Further Research

Ghost Camera

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=13A15C813B6E4390&p_docnum=3&p_queryname=1

Gives a small summary of the ghost cam.

Haunting Tour

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=11CAFB671F5A88F8&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=1

This site talks about the ghost, her sightings and who she may be.

Willard Library

http://willard.lib.us

This is the libraries website, here you can learn about the library along with the ghost and the ghost tours. 

The Grey Lady

Author: Sheetal Choony

 The Grey Lady spotted at Willard Library

            The Willard Library is considered one of the most haunted libraries in the world. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this buzzing city has a rich history of spooky speculations. According to Willard Carpenter, the founder of The Willard Library, he stated that his library would be “a library for use of the people of all classes, races, and sexes.” In 1885, the construction of this library was finished, just two years after Willard Carpenter’s death. Most would think that Willard himself would be haunting the library. This is not the case! It has been reported that Willard’s daughter, Louise Carpenter, is the one said to haunt the library throughout history. Shortly after her father’s death, she had stated that her father was under too much pressure and excessively influenced to build this library. She even tried to sue the city council to claim her royalties. Eventually, she lost the court case and lost all rights to any of the library’s property and market value. Because of this reason, it is said that her ghost will continue to creep in this library until her name has been recognized.

            There have been many reports and sightings of her ghost around the library building. Most observers have reported the ghostly figure to sport out a grey veil and general grey Victorian-era clothing. Most librarians have stated that “The Grey Lady” lurks around the Children’s Area of the library, occasionally picking up books and propping them back on the shelves, despite her reported hatred and disgust for the library. Children are most likely to see the ghostly figures, but cases have reported that a child’s parents are unable to see her. Actual documented evidences involving pictures or movie clips have been up for controversial debate stating this legend’s legitimacy.

            One specific example that I remember from seeing all the articles is that of the janitor’s story. In 1937, the janitor of the library was there to shovel coal. It was the middle of the night, roughly around 3am, when he heard some suspicious noises. He shone his flashlight in the direction of the noise only to see a lady covered in grey. This has been reported to be the first sighting of “The Grey Lady”. The janitor quickly saw the ghost subside into a foggy mist and soon disappeared. He was so startled that that he dropped his flashlight and ran out of the library. It has been confirmed that he soon quit his job after this sighting stating that he would never return again! They Grey Lady may still lurk the ominous library hallways even today!

Works Cited:

Marimen, Mark, James A. Willis, Troy Taylor, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman. Weird Indiana: Your Travel Guide to the Hoosier State's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. New York: Sterling Pub., 2008. Print.

Norman, Michael. Haunted Homeland: A Definitive Collection of North American Ghost 

Stories. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2006. Print

Wolfsie, Dick. Indiana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Guilford, CT: Morris Book LLC, 2009.