Library staff, board members, and patrons have undoubtedly heard rumors and some have even had their own experiences regarding paranormal activity at the library – but is it truly haunted? Of course that depends on what you personally believe in, but we had the paranormal investigative team from Eastern CT Paranormal Society out twice in the summer of 2022 for overnight investigations and our director got to tag along. Keep reading to learn what they experienced!

But before we dive into that, let’s discuss what staff and board members have reportedly experienced at GSML. The stories go back decades to when the library used to have a night janitor! Previous and current staff have reported hearing doors open and close, voices, laughter, and unexplainable bangs, thumps, and knocks mostly coming from the second floor and attic. Several times, staff has closed and latched the attic door, only to come in the next day to find it wide open. More recently, one of the staff members witnessed this same door unlatch and open with her own eyes – there had been a baby gate resting against it which was knocked over in the process.

There was also an incident where staff came in on a Saturday morning only to find a fully-stocked metal bookshelf upstairs pushed over; it had been resting against a wall and no one had been upstairs the previous day. There have been several reports of one particular book being tossed into the middle of one of the rooms repeatedly, and occasionally a library book or two will be found on the floor in the middle of one of the rooms as if pushed off forcefully when staff opens the library for the day. One board member recounted seeing a shadow pass along the hallway wall when no one else was upstairs with her, and often lights will turn on overnight which staff had ensured were off before locking up for the day.

Despite all these claims, the supposed spirits hanging out at the library have never harmed anyone and often go quiet after they are asked to please behave (did you know you have to set boundaries with ghosts? We wouldn’t have believed it if we hadn’t experience it ourselves!).

When ECPS was here for the the first night of their investigation, there was not a significant amount of activity so they agreed to return for another night. However, some of their handy ghost-hunting gadgets (i.e. K2 meter, audio recorder, spirit box, flashlight, IR camera, thermal camera, photos and 4k full-spectrum camera) did pick up on presences in several areas and the ECPS team also heard voices and replies to some of their questions, smelled a distinct floral perfume at one point (no windows were open, no air fresheners are present in the library), and some team members experienced chills despite the air conditioning being off and it being a very humid July night.

The next investigation took place in late August of 2022 and there was more activity throughout the night. At one point, GSML’s director swore she felt a tug on the bottom of her pants while up in the attic with the ECPS team and the team received several responses to questions asked while using the spirit box in that location. There were several thumps, knocks, and tapping noises heard all night. The K2 meter went off frequently and the flashlight often lit up/turned off in response to questions. One member brought along an experimental tool, a ball that would light up in response to being touched, and it often lit up when the team was asking questions in various rooms.

Over all, ECPS reported several spirits being present including those of Guilford Smith (likely residual), Charles Smith (Guilford’s father), a young girl around 6 years named either Emily or Eliza, Mrs. Mary Ramsdall Smith (Guilford’s first wife), Anna Paton (Guilford’s second wife), and a servant who seemed to have run the household (presumably African American, although no historical records could be located on her).

The follow-up report the library received stated that “I am not surprised the library is an active location. Rest assured, benign spirits inhabit the library, most of them residual. The spirits that do interact are harmless but curious. If at any time the spirits frighten the library staff, they should just acknowledge the spirits and move on with their daily tasks.”

The library was given a score of Paranormal Level: Grade 2: “Objective findings include evidence of an EVP in direct relationship with a photo or video. The Spirit Box responds to direct questions with relevance to the history of the residence and/or the occupants (including the paranormal team).”

As a fundraiser, the library held a formal presentation with ECPS in October of 2022 to review the evidence and discuss their findings, as well as to present other local cases which they have investigated, including the Windham Inn. To this day, library staff and board members continue to experience suspicious activity but love the library (they report that it feels “homey”) and just remind any resident spirits that they are here as stewards of the building and preservationists of local history – so there is no need to be afraid to come explore the building! In fact, we think it makes GSML unique and gives us yet another reason to perservere with preserving its history.

We encourage visitors to come check out all that this little library has, whether you are a believer in the paranormal or not. Our first floor contains our circulating library materials, including a section dedicated to local history and geneaology, as well as two children’s rooms with toys and games. The second floor has museum rooms which display original furniture, portraits, and belongings of the Smith family, as well as historical photographs and documents pertaining to the Smith, Winchester & Co factory which was the first successful producer of paper making machinery in the country. Display cases house other invaluable paraphernalia relating to the history of South Windham. There is even an antique bathroom upstairs (no, it is not hooked up to our plumbing and is currently used as storage). There is also an ongoing book sale throughout the upstairs which is meticulously organized and frequently updated.

During the warmer months, the well-maintained grounds and the Victorian architecture of the building is a wonder in itself. The public is welcome to enjoy a picnic on our sprawling back lawn or herb garden, attend programs, browse local history displays, and explore all that we have to offer.