Peoria Public Library

Local stories say this library was built on top of a cursed ground. The story says Mrs. Andrew Gray lived in a home here around 1830, before family and financial hardships led to a foreclosure, and Mrs. Gray cursed the property and all of its future owners. Some believe her curse came true for all the owners of the property. The library was built in 1894, very close to where Mrs. Gray's house stood, and the first three library directors died under mysterious circumstances. In 1966, the library was demolished and a new one was built in its place, but many of the ghosts are said to still reside here as a result of Mrs. Gray's curse. Reports say staff members have heard their names being called when they are alone in the stacks or they feel cold drafts. Apparitions of a former library director have also been seen in the basement doorway.