In 1873, Frances Russell established Middletown, Connecticut’s Russell Library in memory of her husband, Samuel. Mrs. Russell purchased an Episcopal Church on the corner of Broad and Court Streets, spending $39,000 to remodel the building which opened on April 5, 1876.  Although the church was converted into a library, weddings continued to take place in the public meeting room. The very first wedding took place in 1896, and the groom was the son of the janitor, Wallace Pease. 

   An old bank next door became the children’s library and in 1983, both buildings were connected. Much of the architecture from the original church can still be seen throughout the building. All the renovations and additions seem to have awaken several spirits that now reside permanently in the complex. In fact, one paranormal group labeled it as the most haunted library in Connecticut.

   Director of Public Services, Mary Dattilo, claims there is nothing scary about the ghosts, they just like to interact with the public from time to time. The sound of whistling is heard in the basement that was part of the old church. The staff have also heard keys jangling even though none of them had a set on their person at the time. A paranormal group recorded a video of one of the drawers in the CD rack opening by itself. When asked if any of the spirits could make their presence known, the drawer opened in response. The ghost of a woman in dark clothing is seen wandering around the children’s room. The staff have caught glimpses of her as she moves about the shelves of books. They concluded that she may have been one of the early library directors.

   The tower at the back of the building was part of the church. Voices are heard in the tower even though it has been closed off for safety reasons. In the main reading room of the library, paranormal investigators asked if there were any of the Russell family present. A voice replied, “I am.” One of the team members stated that she needed the spirit to say their name. The reply was “and you are?” 

   Mary has had her own experiences as well. One night she was walking from the main lobby to the children’s department. As she came close to the main desk, she saw a librarian sitting there rapidly shuffling her fingers through an old card catalog drawer. She passed by a partition that separates the hallway from the desk and then realized that the library no longer had card catalog drawers, as all the book information was now on computer. She quickly looked around the partition and the desk was void of both the ghost and the ancient card catalog.  

   She has also heard her name called when she is the only person in the room. One time, she heard her name called very clearly while everyone else was at a meeting in another building. Someone once dropped their hand on her shoulder, when she spun around to see who it was, no one was there. A witness who saw the incident said they saw the hair move off her shoulder as if someone was moving it before laying their hand on her. Mary was not frightened by the experience, but rather chalked it up to one of the many ongoing paranormal incidents that transpire at the library. One of the more recent events she experienced was during a “Secrets of Russell Library” event.

“I was one of the performers and I was in the Hubbard Room. The audience had just left and I was alone in the room waiting for the next group to come in and I heard one lone person clapping, even though the room was completely empty other than myself.”

Every October there is an event called “Secrets of Russell Library” where actors are placed in every section of the library representing someone from the past. They tell the character’s story and then share some ghost stories that have been documented at the library. This is followed by a tour of the more private places that no one is usually allowed in. These are also places where paranormal activity has been documented. 

There are most likely many more stories that patrons could tell. It seems the ghosts of the Russell Library are not afraid to let themselves be heard or seen. The history of the building is quite fascinating in itself. Having a few lingering spirits only adds to the charm of the place.