Ghost Webcams: The Grey Lady of Willard Library

I have blogged before about my childhood obsession with finding everything ghost related on the internet (and filling my commonplace book). One of my favorite childhood hobbies was watching the Willard Library ghost cams excessively.

The Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana (incorporated in 1881) has fully embraced their ghost(s). They allowed websites to place cameras in the library so internet users could watch and capture possible paranormal activity 24/7.  These sites gave me a chance to ghost hunt from the safety of my computer chair and, although I could not watch at night (I was a teen with a bedtime after all), I was able to see what other users had captured during their “investigations.” The whole thing was wild to me. People from all over the United States and beyond were watching this library in my home state Indiana, waiting to spot something off. 

My husband told me recently our friends were moving to Evansville. Of course my response was: “Let’s visit. I can finally go to Willard Library.” I began to reminisce about the hours I spent on AOL looking for the Grey Lady of Willard Library. Lucky enough, these sites are still up and running.

Put up your metaphorical away message and take a trip with me down memory lane…

*BRB* Watching ghosts on Willard Library’s Ghost Cam. =-O

About the Ghost

The Grey Lady Ghost of Willard Library is believed to be Louise Carpenter, the daughter of the library’s founder. Some say she harbors resentment for the library, because her father left much of his estate to it. First seen by a custodian in the 1930s, the ghost was last seen in 2015 (arguably):

[…] two library staff members in the children’s department noticed a security camera showing a strange woman looking out a glass door. She turned to look at the camera, but then her image began pixelating on the video. (Source)

The ghost has been spotted throughout the library, even the elevator (spooky!). Some paranormal activity attributed to the ghost include: water being turned on and off, cold temperatures, the smell of perfume, odd noises (including the clinking of typewriter keys), hair and earrings being touched, new objects appearing, and objects being moved (Source).

The Web Cams

There are two different websites with Willard Library webcams (both linked on Willard Library’s main site). Both sites’ cams provide different angles and capture entities other than the Grey Lady. The first site is Library Ghost, which has cameras in three locations: (1) the children’s room, (2) the basement hall, and (3) the research room. The site is hit-and-miss now; sometimes the cams don’t work. This site also hosts a forum, but no one really moderates or participates anymore (Some robot posted about bathroom faucets 300 times. Maybe it’s the Grey Lady? She does play with faucets at the library).

The second site, Willard Ghost, has recent user interaction (last post was this month). The three camera locations in the library include: (1) the main room , (2) the children’s room, and (3) a stairwell.  You can capture shots of the ghost and submit them to the moderator, who then posts them on the site with comments. The site also shares audio captured on microphones placed in the library. 

These sites are not as active as they were in my childhood, but are still running! Take a few minutes (or hours!) today to catch a ghost, before these sites become ghost towns.

Sources

The Grey Lady Ghost, Willard Library

Tori Fater, “Why spooky ghost stories keep people coming back to Willard Library.” Courier & Press, 21 October 2017.

Further Reading

4 Creepy Haunted Doll Sites. Ghosts and Ghouls, 24 October 2012. 

Wagner, Stephen. “Ghost and paranormal webcams from around the world.” Thoughtco, 2 July 2018. 

“Terror and Tomes: Haunted American Libraries.” Notebook of Ghosts