The Ghost of the Gray Lady
Willard Library's Ghost
It’s Spooky Season! I couldn’t miss the chance to write about a familiar ghost in my hometown: Willard Library’s Gray Lady.
Willard Carpenter donated the land and funded the building of this magnificent library. Construction began in 1881 and finished in March of 1885. Willard died in 1883, so he didn’t live to see his project completed, but he provided for it in his Will. This endowment is one of the theories behind the haunting. More on that in a bit.
The first documented sighting of the Lady was on a frigid morning in 1937. The custodian would go in at 3 a.m. to get the furnace stoked to warm the building up in time for opening. With only his flashlight to maneuver in the pre-dawn darkness of the basement, he made his way to the furnace. Before he got there, he found his passage blocked by a woman. She stood before him, resplendent in a gray Victorian-style dress and veil. The custodian froze and stared back at the spectre, watching with growing fear as she gradually faded away.
The staff of the library quietly told each other their own sightings of the Gray Lady, but refrained from making it public. Not all experiences were sightings, but books falling from the shelves, the smell of perfume, abrupt blasts of cold air, objects moved from where they were left. One library Director instructed the staff never to mention the Lady and to deny the sightings to any patrons who asked about it. Well, of course, one did. A staff member told the patron that if the Gray Lady had ever inhabited Willard, she was long gone. The book Betsy’s Wedding immediately crashed to the floor.
In the 1970s, a well-known psychic of the time, Lorraine Warren, came to Willard to explore. She was drawn to the Story Pit, a gathering area in the Children’s Library for storytelling. She claimed she envisioned a sad and sorrowful woman gazing into a pool of water; a woman who was not connected to the library itself, but to the land it was built upon.
A Children’s Librarian from the 1980s, Margaret Maier, had the most experience with the Gray Lady. She stated that when remodeling was being done, the Lady decided to follow her home, being chased away by the loud sounds of the renovation. Margaret wasn’t pleased with her house guest and when the work was done she asked the ghost if she could please return to Willard, which she did.
For many years, there has been a live Ghost Cam in the library which can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection. Viewers are encouraged to spot the Gray Lady and submit snaps of it. In 2000, the Ghost Cam was rated by EarthCam among the best 25 online webcams. The site received a million views in one day.
You can access the Ghost Cams, placed in various areas of the library, as well as info about the paranormal investigations here: Ghost Cams and More!
The last in-person sighting that I know of was August 6, 1997. A library employee working in the stacks looked up to see a woman staring at him. Her image was not clear, she was translucent, and was wearing a long gray dress. He left the area.
What are the main theories about the identity of the Gray Lady? The most popular theory, and the one I heard when I was younger, is that she’s Willard Carpenter’s daughter, Louise Carpenter. Louise had been in a very unhappy marriage. When her father died, she was divorced but was left with the responsibility for her husband’s gambling debts. (I’m not sure why.) Thus, she was highly disgruntled that her father left a large portion of his estate to fund the library rather than his family. She filed suit to overturn the Will, but was unsuccessful. Louise had died by 1887.
The woman described by the Lorraine Warren as standing by water is unidentified and there is no evidence any body of water was ever on the site of the library.
In January of 2000, The Discovery Channel aired a segment about the Gray Lady on Real Ghost Hunters. The story of Willard had become known in the paranormal investigation communities after several groups spent time in the library measuring electromagnetic fields, observing, and filming. The library was also listed on the Haunted US website.
I’ve spent many, many hours sitting in the second floor genealogy library, not only researching my ancestors, but hoping with fingers-crossed I’d get a chance to see the Gray Lady. Disappointingly, I did not, but I do have the t-shirt!
If you find yourself driving through southern Indiana, stop in to Willard. Maybe the Gray Lady will appear to you! Links below.
Willard Library downloadable Ghost Packet: Ghost Packet
Willard Library Fact Page: Fact Page
Love it and love Willard. I, too, have spent many an hour in the genealogy room. But I tell you, the basement where the kids' area is gives me the creeps! Thanks for this wonderful post.
How cool, thank you for sharing. Maybe I'll get there one day (a couple branches passed through Indiana).