With Halloween being this weekend, everyone is busy getting costumes together, watching scary movies, and eating copious amounts of candy. If you're like me, a good haunting intrigues you. Attending a school with such a rich history as Baylor, it would come as no surprise that we would have a few spooky stories circulating about spots on campus that will send chills up your spine. Although I have heard rumors of Brooks, Mars McLane Gym, the basement of South Russel, and even Waco Hall being haunted, I want to focus on the one that I am most familiar with: Armstrong Browning Library.

Located on the far outskirts of campus, not many people have even set foot in Armstrong. I had heard before that there was supposedly a haunted library on campus but I never ended up getting over to look at it for myself — that is, until my English teacher took my class on a mini field trip last semester to see it. We were given a tour of the old building by a guide who was a little creepy herself. There's no denying that it's a beautiful building. Seriously, if you haven't been over there yet, I highly encourage you to go check it out. Filled with art, ever-changing museum collections, and a breathtaking ballroom, the library is filled with character and personal touches all the way down to the elaborate detailing on the floors.

While on the tour, we were told that the library was named after the Browning family. Robert Browning, a highly respected poet, his wife, (also a poet) Elizabeth, and their son, Pen, have many of their belongings stowed inside the library. Pen, an artist, has some of his paintings displayed on the walls of the stairwells while stained glass windows all around the building depict Robert's poems. However, the family member of most concern is Elizabeth. Upstairs, there is a whole room dedicated to her belongings. A lot of her furniture is set up much like how it would have been in her time. While on the tour, our guide mentioned that, in life, Mrs. Browning was known for being extremely materialistic and it was rumored that she was so attached to her possessions that she stuck with them in death. People have claimed to see her silhouette peering out from the second story window at night.

After the tour, I decided to bring my roommate to Armstrong-Browning so that she could see how pretty it was. While we were there, I told her how interested I was in the rumored haunting. After I brought up asking one of the employees if they had had any experiences, she encouraged me to do so. I asked the guy working the front desk in the foyer if he had ever had a paranormal experience or something he couldn't explain. He said that he had indeed had a strange encounter. He seemed to be a student like ourselves, so it was interesting hearing his perspective.

Now in the large entryway where his desk was located, there are the busts of the Browning family. Elizabeth's and Robert's face each other from across the room. One night he was getting ready to close up when he eerily felt as if he was being watched. He had me come behind his large antique desk and pull on a heavy drawer. After showing me how hard it was to open, he went on to say that that night the drawer had flown open without him touching it. When he snapped his head up to look around, he swears Elizabeth's bust was staring at him with a terrifying life-likeness. Needless to say, he got out of there quickly. He clued me in that other employees had much more dramatic stories but I haven't been back since that day.

Next time you're over in the direction of Waco Hall, if you're feeling adventurous, stop in to see Armstrong-Browning. Look around some and maybe even ask a worker for a spooky story of your own. Happy Halloween bears.