Apparition at the Library
It began when Jim was meeting with an long-time friend, Bonnie Craig, in northern Massachusetts. He's been helping her family with a spirit rescue effort relating to one of their ancestors. It's still ongoing, so it's not appropriate for us to release any details at this time.
After a fairly long day of research and investigation they had decided to call it quits and just relax.
They were sitting at the kitchen table talking when Jim got what Bonnie calls "that look". It happens when he's picking up on something of a paranormal nature. Bonnie started to question him but he held up his hand, which she knew meant "don't talk to me right now".
A minute or two later, he asked her if there was a stone church in the area. Bonnie has lived there for most her life, but nothing came to mind, so she asked him if he could give her a better description. Jim said that he was getting the image of a small stone building that appeared to him to be a church. It was in a fairly dark area and very close to a road. The roof was pointed and entrance was more of an arch or pointed at the top. He also got the impression that there were some very narrow windows or slits on either side of the entrance.
Bonnie told him that what he was describing sounded a lot like the Shelburne Free Library. They agreed that if the image of the library was in fact what Jim was perceiving, there was probably a reason, and they decided to investigate.
When they arrived at the library Jim knew instantly that it was what had come into his mind, but he had no idea why. Bonnie told Jim that she'd wait in the car so that she didn't interfere with anything that might reveal itself. Jim stepped out of the car and took a shot from a distance. Then he walked toward the library, past it, and then walked past it again as he returned to the car, taking photos along the way.
As he returned the car, Bonnie stepped out, met him in front of the building, and took a couple of photos of her own. Then they returned to Bonnie's house, where they uploaded Jim's photos. At that point they realized that he hadn't set his camera for night photography, but in some photos there appeared to be two large orbs. The images had to be lightened, which gave them a greenish cast. The orbs then became very clear, and the photos seemed to indicate that they had moved along with Jim as he walked.
Next Bonnie's photos were uploaded. Her camera was a higher resolution camera than the one Jim had brought along, and she leaves it set on automatic, so it had adjusted itself to compensate for the darkness. When they saw her first photo they couldn't believe their eyes. It showed what appeared to be the figures of a man and woman in colonial dress. The male figure was translucent, possibly because it was directly between Bonnie and the front window of the library. The woman's figure appeared darker, because it wasn't in line with the window.
Looking more closely at the male figure, they could clearly see a three cornered hat, facial features, and long hair pulled back, in the style of the American Revolution era. The female figure wasn't quite as clearly defined, had medium length hair, and what looked like a shawl over a lighter color garment. Both appeared to be partial form apparitions.
Bonnie's second photo, taken only a few seconds later from a slightly different spot also showed the same figures, but in that photo they were less clearly defined. Only the head and shoulders of the male could be clearly seen and the facial features of the female could no longer be discerned. They appeared to be fading or dematerializing.
After seeing what Bonnie had captured they decided to review Jim's photos again, this time looking for the figures. Upon closer inspection of the two photos that Jim took from directly in front of the library they noticed a luminous area, roughly the same size, shape and location as the male figure, but not well defined. There was a slight difference between the two photos, with the luminous area appearing to slightly change shape and density from one photo to the next. There was also a small wispy area to the left of the male figure, in line with the column. It could be the face and part of the light garment of the female figure, but it wasn't formed enough to say for certain.
The two photos taken from beyond the library appeared to show something more discernable. Since they were taken when Jim was further from the library the flash strength was greatly diminished, so they were less visible than Bonnie's photos. They appear to show the anomaly becoming more of a form than a mist.
From the two sets of photos, taken by two different photographers, from two different angles, and at slightly different times, the entire sequence of an apparition was captured. It began with a luminous area, a mist or haze forming, the actual apparitions, and then partial dematerialization.
They were thrilled, but a lot of questions remained. Why was Jim drawn to the library? Who were the people whose images were revealed? What was their connection to the library? They also wondered whether the library might have built in the 1700's, the period that the costumes seemed to reflect.
Since Bonnie lived in the area she took the lead in the investigation. She visited the library during the few hours that it's open to the public, and asked the librarian about its history. She was surprised to learn that despite its ancient appearance, the library didn't exist in colonial times.
The library was founded somewhere around 1850 by William and Captain Walter Wells. Originally the library had been run out of Captain Wells' home, not in the building where it now resides. Although the exact date is unknown, historical records show that Reverend Theopholis Packard, pastor of the church that the Wells family attended, spoke out against the library sometime in the early 1850's. Reverend Packard was opposed to the reading of novels, and he thought that the lending of such books would be detrimental to the community. He was quoted as having said, "Captain Wells is introducing improper literature into the town of Shelburne, in an improper manner, and it is my duty as a minister of the Gospel to put it down". Rather than give in to Reverend Packard's opposition to the library Wells family immediately left the church and thereafter attended another church in Greenfield, MA.
The current library wasn't built until 1898 using stones from the fields of surrounding farms. The small plot of land on which it now sits was purchased from one Rufus Dinsmore for the sum of fifty dollars. The building was built by George Burnham of Greenfield, MA and the masonry was done by West Riddell of Shelburne.
It's an interesting story, but it didn't appear to hold any clues to the identities of the spirits whose images had been photographed at the library. Having exhausted local resources, Bonnie turned her information over to Jim, who did some additional research.
Jim started with the assumption that the colonial outfits were probably significant, but they were long out of style when the library was built. He wondered if it was possible that they had something to do with the land itself, rather than the building that had been constructed on it. A check of historical records indicated that there were no military encounters in the area of Shelburne during the Revolutionary War. Dead end.
Still focused on the land, Jim then decided to see what he could learn about Rufus Dinsmore, the person from whom the land was purchased for the library site. There were no records that indicated that he was active in Shelburne politics or was in any way involved with the library. It doesn't appear that the land ownership was a key factor, since the library was built on one small parcel of what Dinsmore owned, and he didn't seem to have any particular interest in either that parcel or the library itself. Jim concluded that there was nothing to support the theory that the apparitions were related to events that happened on the land in Colonial times, or to the owner of the land prior to the construction of the library. Another dead end.
Jim then turned his attention to the builders of the library, thinking that it may have been a major achievement for them, or that they were somehow active with the library after they had helped to build it. No information was found about Burnham or Riddell that related to the library. Historical records indicate that the town had appropriated $2,000 for its construction. It would appear that both Burnham and Riddell were tradesmen who were paid for their work. It didn't seem likely that they would have a particular connection to the library, and they didn't live in a time when colonial attire was worn. One more dead end.
If there was nothing to tie the apparitions to the land on which the library sits, or to the people who built it, the only connections left to investigate were William and Walter Wells, the founders of the library itself, even though they were no longer alive when the building was constructed.
William Wells is mentioned as a resident of Shelburne and a co-founder of the first Free Library, but not much more was written about him locally. Other records show that he was born on December 22, 1795 in Shelburne and died on August 3, 1828 in Wolcott, NY. It appears that at some point he relocated to a rural area in northern NY, over 200 miles away. That explains why there were so few references to him in Shelburne records after his involvement in the founding of the library.
That left Captain Walter Wells. Genealogical research indicates that he was born on April 25, 1770 in Colchester, CT and died on November 30, 1853 in Shelburne, MA. He is listed as the proprietor of the old Wells Inn in Shelburen, MA. There was no mention of his military career in Shelburne records, other than the fact that he was always referred to as Captain Wells.
The American Revolution began in 1776 and ended in 1781, so he would have been too young (about ages six to eleven the time) to have served in the military. Likely his military career didn't begin until around the age of 18, which would have been sometime around 1788.
Research of United States military uniforms indicated that the uniform of a Captain between the late 1700's and the early 1800's included a three cornered hat which was known as a tricorn. The forward corner served as a visor, keeping the sun out of the eyes on sunny days and keeping the rain off the face on rainy days. Rain water was channeled along either side and ran off the rear corners, essentially keeping the soldier's head, face and neck dry.
Wells continued to use the title of Captain after leaving the military and becoming prominent in Shelburne politics. There were no references to him as Mr. Wells or Selectman Wells, so it would seem logical that his military career and attained rank were a source of pride for him. The other thing that clearly was important to him was the Shelburne Free Library, of which he was a co-founder. In fact, it was so important to him that he left his church rather than abandon the project.
Is it conceivable that Captain Wells might return from time to time to visit the library he founded, that more than one hundred years later is still in existence? And if he did manifest himself, would it be likely that he would appear in the uniform that represented his military career? We think that the answer to both questions would most likely be "Yes". While can't say for certain that our theory is correct, it's at least possible, if not probable.
We were unable to determine the identity of the female figure, but if the male apparition is that of Captain Wells, it's likely that the female figure would be that of his wife, Abigail (Tirrell) Wells, who would also have been involved with the early library, since it was run out of their home.
If anybody can find a photo of Captain Wells, we'd love to see it so we can compare it with the image that Bonnie captured in her library photos.
After a fairly long day of research and investigation they had decided to call it quits and just relax.
They were sitting at the kitchen table talking when Jim got what Bonnie calls "that look". It happens when he's picking up on something of a paranormal nature. Bonnie started to question him but he held up his hand, which she knew meant "don't talk to me right now".
A minute or two later, he asked her if there was a stone church in the area. Bonnie has lived there for most her life, but nothing came to mind, so she asked him if he could give her a better description. Jim said that he was getting the image of a small stone building that appeared to him to be a church. It was in a fairly dark area and very close to a road. The roof was pointed and entrance was more of an arch or pointed at the top. He also got the impression that there were some very narrow windows or slits on either side of the entrance.
Bonnie told him that what he was describing sounded a lot like the Shelburne Free Library. They agreed that if the image of the library was in fact what Jim was perceiving, there was probably a reason, and they decided to investigate.
When they arrived at the library Jim knew instantly that it was what had come into his mind, but he had no idea why. Bonnie told Jim that she'd wait in the car so that she didn't interfere with anything that might reveal itself. Jim stepped out of the car and took a shot from a distance. Then he walked toward the library, past it, and then walked past it again as he returned to the car, taking photos along the way.
As he returned the car, Bonnie stepped out, met him in front of the building, and took a couple of photos of her own. Then they returned to Bonnie's house, where they uploaded Jim's photos. At that point they realized that he hadn't set his camera for night photography, but in some photos there appeared to be two large orbs. The images had to be lightened, which gave them a greenish cast. The orbs then became very clear, and the photos seemed to indicate that they had moved along with Jim as he walked.
Next Bonnie's photos were uploaded. Her camera was a higher resolution camera than the one Jim had brought along, and she leaves it set on automatic, so it had adjusted itself to compensate for the darkness. When they saw her first photo they couldn't believe their eyes. It showed what appeared to be the figures of a man and woman in colonial dress. The male figure was translucent, possibly because it was directly between Bonnie and the front window of the library. The woman's figure appeared darker, because it wasn't in line with the window.
Looking more closely at the male figure, they could clearly see a three cornered hat, facial features, and long hair pulled back, in the style of the American Revolution era. The female figure wasn't quite as clearly defined, had medium length hair, and what looked like a shawl over a lighter color garment. Both appeared to be partial form apparitions.
Bonnie's second photo, taken only a few seconds later from a slightly different spot also showed the same figures, but in that photo they were less clearly defined. Only the head and shoulders of the male could be clearly seen and the facial features of the female could no longer be discerned. They appeared to be fading or dematerializing.
After seeing what Bonnie had captured they decided to review Jim's photos again, this time looking for the figures. Upon closer inspection of the two photos that Jim took from directly in front of the library they noticed a luminous area, roughly the same size, shape and location as the male figure, but not well defined. There was a slight difference between the two photos, with the luminous area appearing to slightly change shape and density from one photo to the next. There was also a small wispy area to the left of the male figure, in line with the column. It could be the face and part of the light garment of the female figure, but it wasn't formed enough to say for certain.
The two photos taken from beyond the library appeared to show something more discernable. Since they were taken when Jim was further from the library the flash strength was greatly diminished, so they were less visible than Bonnie's photos. They appear to show the anomaly becoming more of a form than a mist.
From the two sets of photos, taken by two different photographers, from two different angles, and at slightly different times, the entire sequence of an apparition was captured. It began with a luminous area, a mist or haze forming, the actual apparitions, and then partial dematerialization.
They were thrilled, but a lot of questions remained. Why was Jim drawn to the library? Who were the people whose images were revealed? What was their connection to the library? They also wondered whether the library might have built in the 1700's, the period that the costumes seemed to reflect.
Since Bonnie lived in the area she took the lead in the investigation. She visited the library during the few hours that it's open to the public, and asked the librarian about its history. She was surprised to learn that despite its ancient appearance, the library didn't exist in colonial times.
The library was founded somewhere around 1850 by William and Captain Walter Wells. Originally the library had been run out of Captain Wells' home, not in the building where it now resides. Although the exact date is unknown, historical records show that Reverend Theopholis Packard, pastor of the church that the Wells family attended, spoke out against the library sometime in the early 1850's. Reverend Packard was opposed to the reading of novels, and he thought that the lending of such books would be detrimental to the community. He was quoted as having said, "Captain Wells is introducing improper literature into the town of Shelburne, in an improper manner, and it is my duty as a minister of the Gospel to put it down". Rather than give in to Reverend Packard's opposition to the library Wells family immediately left the church and thereafter attended another church in Greenfield, MA.
The current library wasn't built until 1898 using stones from the fields of surrounding farms. The small plot of land on which it now sits was purchased from one Rufus Dinsmore for the sum of fifty dollars. The building was built by George Burnham of Greenfield, MA and the masonry was done by West Riddell of Shelburne.
It's an interesting story, but it didn't appear to hold any clues to the identities of the spirits whose images had been photographed at the library. Having exhausted local resources, Bonnie turned her information over to Jim, who did some additional research.
Jim started with the assumption that the colonial outfits were probably significant, but they were long out of style when the library was built. He wondered if it was possible that they had something to do with the land itself, rather than the building that had been constructed on it. A check of historical records indicated that there were no military encounters in the area of Shelburne during the Revolutionary War. Dead end.
Still focused on the land, Jim then decided to see what he could learn about Rufus Dinsmore, the person from whom the land was purchased for the library site. There were no records that indicated that he was active in Shelburne politics or was in any way involved with the library. It doesn't appear that the land ownership was a key factor, since the library was built on one small parcel of what Dinsmore owned, and he didn't seem to have any particular interest in either that parcel or the library itself. Jim concluded that there was nothing to support the theory that the apparitions were related to events that happened on the land in Colonial times, or to the owner of the land prior to the construction of the library. Another dead end.
Jim then turned his attention to the builders of the library, thinking that it may have been a major achievement for them, or that they were somehow active with the library after they had helped to build it. No information was found about Burnham or Riddell that related to the library. Historical records indicate that the town had appropriated $2,000 for its construction. It would appear that both Burnham and Riddell were tradesmen who were paid for their work. It didn't seem likely that they would have a particular connection to the library, and they didn't live in a time when colonial attire was worn. One more dead end.
If there was nothing to tie the apparitions to the land on which the library sits, or to the people who built it, the only connections left to investigate were William and Walter Wells, the founders of the library itself, even though they were no longer alive when the building was constructed.
William Wells is mentioned as a resident of Shelburne and a co-founder of the first Free Library, but not much more was written about him locally. Other records show that he was born on December 22, 1795 in Shelburne and died on August 3, 1828 in Wolcott, NY. It appears that at some point he relocated to a rural area in northern NY, over 200 miles away. That explains why there were so few references to him in Shelburne records after his involvement in the founding of the library.
That left Captain Walter Wells. Genealogical research indicates that he was born on April 25, 1770 in Colchester, CT and died on November 30, 1853 in Shelburne, MA. He is listed as the proprietor of the old Wells Inn in Shelburen, MA. There was no mention of his military career in Shelburne records, other than the fact that he was always referred to as Captain Wells.
The American Revolution began in 1776 and ended in 1781, so he would have been too young (about ages six to eleven the time) to have served in the military. Likely his military career didn't begin until around the age of 18, which would have been sometime around 1788.
Research of United States military uniforms indicated that the uniform of a Captain between the late 1700's and the early 1800's included a three cornered hat which was known as a tricorn. The forward corner served as a visor, keeping the sun out of the eyes on sunny days and keeping the rain off the face on rainy days. Rain water was channeled along either side and ran off the rear corners, essentially keeping the soldier's head, face and neck dry.
Wells continued to use the title of Captain after leaving the military and becoming prominent in Shelburne politics. There were no references to him as Mr. Wells or Selectman Wells, so it would seem logical that his military career and attained rank were a source of pride for him. The other thing that clearly was important to him was the Shelburne Free Library, of which he was a co-founder. In fact, it was so important to him that he left his church rather than abandon the project.
Is it conceivable that Captain Wells might return from time to time to visit the library he founded, that more than one hundred years later is still in existence? And if he did manifest himself, would it be likely that he would appear in the uniform that represented his military career? We think that the answer to both questions would most likely be "Yes". While can't say for certain that our theory is correct, it's at least possible, if not probable.
We were unable to determine the identity of the female figure, but if the male apparition is that of Captain Wells, it's likely that the female figure would be that of his wife, Abigail (Tirrell) Wells, who would also have been involved with the early library, since it was run out of their home.
If anybody can find a photo of Captain Wells, we'd love to see it so we can compare it with the image that Bonnie captured in her library photos.
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