The Ghost File

The California State Library has a long and storied past which delves deep into the State’s rich history. Established in 1850, the California State Library was created to house documents and print titles which would be useful for aiding in research by the State Legislature and the departments that make up the State Government. Throughout the history of the California State Library, at least since the completion of the Library and Courts Building in 1928, there have been rumors of a haunting. A man in glasses seen leafing through books, a judge still presiding in the fifth-floor courtroom, footsteps, shadows, and moving books are some of the paranormal claims associated with the State Library.

The Ghost File online exhibit explores the history of the Library and Courts building, its builders, and pivotal library staff legacies. Included in this exhibit are brief explorations of some of the more curious items held within the California State Library’s collection.

While ghosts and the supernatural are beyond our, or perhaps anyone’s, ability to prove, we hope the reader will enjoy this “history with a twist” and the journey that these items allow their imagination to take.