I’ll be seeing you in all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces, all day through.
–“I’ll be seeing you,” (1938), lyrics by Irving Kahal, music by Sammy Fain
Lake Worth Public Library
15 North M Street
While working on a research project on August 25, 1965 at the Lake Worth Public Library, Carol Bird spied an acquaintance’s cousin, Karl Kroeger, in the reading room.
“Now glancing up from his book he saw me and waved, then continued reading.” She told FATE Magazine. “He was merely an acquaintance and since he didn’t seem inclined to chat, I continued my own work.”
After that initial sighting, Ms. Bird continued to see Mr. Kroeger daily at the library and the ritual wave would take place after which he returned to his book. She thought this was curious, though, as he was in Florida well before “snowbird” season. Karl Kroeger was a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was among the legions of people who annually escaped the horrendous winter weather of the north for the sunny Florida climate.
When she later ran into Karl’s cousin on the street, she pointed out that she had seen him frequently at the library; only to be told that he had passed a year earlier.
When she stopped by the library the next day, Karl was sitting in his usual position in the reading room. He waved and went right back to his book. Carol Bird called her friend and told her to come to library immediately. When her friend arrived, they entered the reading room only to find that Karl wasn’t there.
Her friend teased her saying, “Your imagination is playing tricks with you. I think you need a rest. Maybe you’ve been working too hard through this frightfully hot summer.”
At the end of her account, Carol Bird posits, “Why did Karl Kroeger appear to me? Did he come in spirit to a favorite spot? And was I the only one capable of seeing him?”
A general search brings up nothing else on the matter of the Lake Worth Public Library being haunted, so perhaps Ms. Bird was the only one to have an experience. The library has had a long history. Local ladies began building a collection of books in 1912, a year before the town was incorporated. The library opened in this building in 1941.
Sources
- Engoren, Jan. “Lake Worth’s ‘quirky’ library celebrates 75 years.” Sun-Sentinel. 20 September 2016.
- Godwin, David, ed. True Ghosts 3: Even More Chilling Tales from the Vaults of FATE Magazine. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publishing, 2011.