The Carnegie Free Library was built over the site of the former Connell Graveyard and rumors persist that some bodies remain under the site and the library may be haunted.

The Falcon baseball team at Connellsville Area High School has been inspired by this bit of history to create a haunted library experience on Halloween. From 6 to 10 p.m. baseball players, their friends and family will haunt the library and present a creepy PowerPoint presentation of Connellsville's mysterious past.

Admission is $10 at the door or $9 in advance from a baseball team member and includes food and soft drinks.

The creepy event will help raise money for a spring trip the team will take to Florida and to purchase new game hats.

John Malone, president of the Falcon Baseball Parents' Association and the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Free Library, told players and their families at a planning meeting Wednesday that plans for the library started in 1899 when a group of residents approached philanthropist Andrew Carnegie about building a library in Connellsville. Carnegie approved the plan, provided the library was near the high school, which was on Fairview Avenue. The Connellsville School Board purchased the Connell Graveyard to turn over to the Library Association.

The problem, Malone explained, was that the bodies had to be moved to a cemetery on Wills Road at the expense of living relatives. That cemetery is now called Chestnut Hill Cemetery.

Newspaper accounts from the turn of the last century recount objections from some relatives about exhuming and moving their deceased relatives' remains. "Rumors persist today that many of the bodies still remain buried on the library property and, thus, the library has been rumored to be haunted," Malone said. "Furthermore, according to local funeral director Vito Martucci, he believes that given the era in which this happened, there would have only been rough wooden boxes encapsulating the bodies, compared to cement vaults of today. Decomposition would have happened rather quickly, comparable to today's standards; therefore, depending on how long the bodies were buried, the most likely scenario would be that many of the bodies were decomposed beyond recovery," Malone said.

Library Director Julia Allen said she heard what she believes were footsteps upstairs when no one else was in the building. She said this incident occurred about 30 years ago, and other employees have also reported hearing strange sounds and one saw a person on a landing after hours.

Malone said paranormal groups have contacted the library about visiting and possibly holding an event.

Malone said the baseball players were inspired by this history and, in addition to providing scares, will share spooky tidbits of Connellsville history, including a triple ax murder that took place in 1932 on the North End. "It was never solved," Malone said. "Ten years later, an ax was found in the Yough River. It's not known if it was the murder weapon. Thirty or more years ago, a man was throwing a beer can at St. Rita's Cemetery and was struck by and killed by lightning."

Malone is proud of the library, which he calls "a treasure. When it was built, there were more millionaires per capita than in any city in the country. The library had its own orchestra. That's why there is an auditorium. One room has been restored to how it appeared when the library was new, including the stenciling," Malone said.

Allen said this is the first haunted library. "We've never done anything like this," she said. "We're looking for more activities for the library. We hope more people will come to the library."

"It will be a chance to learn about your community," Malone told the players, "make money to go to Florida and have fun."

The team will go to Bradenton and Sarasota, Fla. from March 24 to 30 for games against teams from other states. The junior varsity and varsity teams will play six games each and may have an opportunity to meet the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Falcons are raising money for the $18,000 trip.

The next event will be a Night at the Races at the Connellsville Moose at 6 p.m. Nov. 7. Admission is $10 and includes food and beverages.

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