Williard Library: Basement Cam
Willard Library has been serving the river city of Evansville, Indiana since it opened its doors back in 1885. At over 110 years old, Willard is the oldest public library building in the state. Built with a grant by local philanthropist Willard Carpenter, it was formed to be "a public library for the use of the people of all classes, races, and sexes, free of charge forever."
The library, housed in a beautiful Victorian Gothic building designed by James and Merritt Reid, is nestled gloriously near the downtown area of this southwestern Indiana city of 130,000 people, providing a sharp contrast with the modern high-rises and six-lane freeways. Willard has been a true icon of the Evansville community for over 100 years and was inducted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
www.willard.lib.in.us
Queen Mary Ghost Cam
On July 10, 1966 during a routine watertight door drill, an 18-year-old man was violently crushed in doorway #13 in the depths of the Engine Room. Numerous sightings have been reported by both visitors and crewmembers, who describe a young bearded man in blue coveralls walking the length of Shaft Alley, often times disappearing by door #13. It is no coincidence that he was wearing a similar outfit that fateful day on July 10th.
The First-Class Swimming Pool, no longer in use, has been the location of many ghost sightings. There have been reports of women dressed in vintage bathing suits wandering the decks near the pool, the sound of splashing and a trail of wet footprints leading from the deck to the changing rooms. Although no drownings have been documented, this location has been described by experts as the vortex for the paranormal activity aboard the ship and allows ghosts from other realms an entrance to the Queen Mary.
The Queen's Salon, the former First-Class Lounge, has been the backdrop for many sightings, yet the details of the story rarely change. It seems that a beautiful young woman, in an elegant white evening gown is often seen dancing alone in the shadows. One of the most chilling sightings occurred when a little girl on a tour pointed out a "woman in white". Looking around, the tour guide saw nothing, however the little girl insisted and kept pointing to a corner of the room, the guide still did not see anything and continued on with the tour. The little girl continued to repeat her observation, not knowing that she was just one of many to make the same report.
The Queen Mary was painted a camouflage gray and transformed into a troopship and nicknamed "The Grey Ghost" during World War II. The Grey Ghost proved herself as an important member of the allied forces and Adolf Hitler offered a $250,000 reward and the Iron Cross to any submarine captain who could sink her. While performing a routine zigzag pattern, she sliced the British cruiser H.M.S. Curacao in half. Over 300 British soldiers went down with the Curacao. Forty years later, a television crew left their audio recorder running overnight in the exact location where the two ships have collided. As the tape played back the next day, incredible sounds of pounding could be heard. Others have claimed to hear voices and blood-curdling noises from the same area.
Many occurrences have been taken place within the confines of a number of first-class staterooms. There have been reports of running water in the middle of the night, the phone ringing at early hours of the morning and lights suddenly turning on in the middle of the night. Passengers have reported hearing heavy breathing and people tugging on the bed covers, only to realize that there was no one in the room with them. One such event happened early one morning as a tour guide was taking interior photographs. One picture, which captured the cabin's beautiful tinted mirror, was taken from across the room. When the photos were developed, the particular print featured the reflection of a tall dark haired man in the mirror. This would not be considered very unusual except for the fact that the man in the photo was wearing a 1930s-style suit, and did not resemble the picture-snapping tour guide in the least.
www.ghostsandlegends.com
Ordsall Hall Ghost Cam
Ordsall Hall dates back over 820 years. Throughout history it has been put to many uses - a family home, working men's club and church hall. The most important period of its life is undoubtedly as the family seat of the Radclyffe family who resided here for over 300 of those years.
The name Ordsall has Old English origins being the personal name ‘Ord’ and the word ‘halh’, meaning a corner or nook, which has become the modern dialect word ‘haugh’. This, indeed, describes the position of the manor for its boundary on the south side is a large bend in the river Irwell which later became the site of the docks for the Manchester Ship Canal.
www.salford.gov.uk
Plenty more to come...