MASSACHUSETTS AREA PARANORMAL SOCIETY
("M.A.P.S.")
East Bridgewater Public Library
November 15th, 2009
The Washburn Public Library which proudly stands at 32 Union Street, East Bridgewater, MA, was erected in 1896 through the generosity of Cyrus Washburn. Mr.Washburn was a native of the town before residing in Wellesley,MA. On July 18,1894,ten thousand dollars in stocks were transferred by Deed of Trust to the trustees of the library consisting of: Benjamin W. Harris, Isaac N. Nutter, Benjamin W. Keith, George M. Keith and Robert Orr Harris. Mr. Washburn stipulated that the lot of land formerly occupied by St. Bridgets Church and the previous Crombie Tavern, be used as the site of the new town library upon his death. He later decided to have the library built in his lifetime. In 1896, Waldo V. Howard of Brockton drew up the plans for the structure. On Sept.22, 1897, the new brick building was dedicated,and the previous library which was then located at the Masonic Building had found a spacious new home.
Many remember the old saying, "You can't tell a book by its cover." This investigation by the M.A.P.S. team proved that statement to be true! We experienced many wonderful surprises once we entered the stately old Washburn Library. It was a foggy night and the energy was high as we met in the hallway of the East Bridgewater Library. The evening began as we welcomed our guests: International Psychic Medium,Dawn Carr, Library Director,Manny Leite,Town Historian,Margaret Alexander, her grand daughter, Abbie Haines and Library Trustees, Sandra Ockers and Susan Murray. With our equipment in hand, we emerged into a wonderful maze of books which were stacked neatly on shelves from floor to ceiling. Dawn immediately began revealing names and events from the past. Upon entering the Millett Room, she observed a woman in a white flowing gown floating in a figure eight pattern above our heads. She mentioned a nun who wanders up and down the staircase and also shared historic information about Francis Davis Millett,who passed on the Titanic.
As we continued throughout the dark hallways,we entered the attic area, and were able to set a motion detector in place and snap a few photos of the enormous attic. Many colorful orbs were found there and also in the Tower Room. The Mezzanine balcony served as a lookout point as we recorded EVPs,thermal temperatures and photographed the rooms below us. Each area seemed to have a real sense of history and purpose.
Dawn informed us of a woman whose name began with the letters....Ma. Earlier, a team member had sensed that a woman whose name was Marion had a connection to the building. She was delighted to find that at one time,a woman named Marion had a pair of boots on display at the library which mysteriously disappeared. Town Historian,Margaret Alexander revealed the story to us,just as a series of events began to unfold.
Lead investigator,Wayne Nye, had mentioned to team member Karen that he had seen Lorrie and Paul heading up to the attic area. Since Karen had just returned from the basement where she left Paul, she informed Wayne that the black figure he described following behind Lorrie could not possibly have been Paul. After confirming the fact that Lorrie was alone at the time,Wayne was both shocked and delighted with the thought that he had actually observed a black apparition following closely behind Lorrie. Could this sighting possibly have been the nun who Dawn had previously mentioned,perhaps a priest from St. Bridgets Church,or the energy of local townspeople frequenting what was once known as Crombies Tavern? A team member witnessed what appeared to be a black shadow in the basement,and Paul captured what resembled a black cloud in two of his photos which were taken in the same room.
In the hallway near the Historic Room, another team member saw a white figure who appeared to be upset or agitated and Psychic Medium Dawn Carr described to us the disgruntled figure which she had seen at the opposite end of the building. Strangely, our cameraman Wayne F. was taken ill during the investigation,and had to pardon himself before the conclusion of the evening. Dawn spoke of a man passing back and forth in the shadows of some book shelves. At that precise time and in that exact location, Wayne captured a huge orb! As the investigation winded down, we all felt the positive energy which filled each historic room. We were thankful for the many personal experiences we had that evening. This fabulous structure has touched so many lives in the past and continues to do so today. Our thanks to the East Bridgewater Public Library Trustees, and Director Manny Leite for allowing us the privilege of investigating the Washburn Public Library. It is a wealth of knowledge, history and a great asset to the community.