MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Huntingdon College has been recognized as one of the most haunted college campuses in the country. Its most known ghost, the Red Lady, isn’t the only spirit that lingers on the grounds.
Frank, also known as the library ghost, has taken claim to the Houghton Memorial Library. The original portion of the building is nearly 100 years old. He is one of the colleges more mysterious ghosts because he has no back story.
Encounters with Frank date back to the 80s. Students said they would see a foot poking out from behind the shelves. But later, when someone would check, no one would be there. Staff members said they would leave a room, only to come back to their items rearranged.
Eric Kidwell is the director of the library. He’s heard a lot about Frank in the 35 years he has worked there. Kidwell said he’s had faculty tell him they would close a door, and moments later, that door would be found wide open.
“The doors in the original part of the library are solid oak doors,” Kidwell said. “They are heavy. A draft is not going to move a door.”
Frank is known to spend most of his time on the top floor of the building. To get there, you have to take a slim, winding staircase. Only one person can enter or exit at a time.
Kidwell said students don’t enjoy being up there alone. Books would fall off of shelves unexpectedly. Items that were put away would be found out of place.
Frank is known as a benevolent spirit. Kidwell said he is harmless. But, a harmless haunting is still enough to leave students spooked.
“Whenever I’m alone on the top floor, I always feel like I’m being watched,” Clara Casalino, a junior at Huntingdon, said. “I feel like an aura in the building, but I never actually see anything there.”
Casalino said even after she leaves the library, she has felt someone near her as she walked home.
“But it’s really scary, walking from the library to your dorm when you’re alone,” Casalino said. “You never know if something is going to pop out at you, or you’re being watched.”
Kidwell said he is often asked if he would consider bringing in a paranormal investigator. His answer is simple: no. He said its the mystery that adds to the magic.
“You know, I enjoy the uncertainty,” said Kidwell.
College students have 24/7 access to the library. The director says if you’re looking to run into Frank, the best time to do so is at night, alone.
