The Carnegie Library of Homestead
Posted: 11.11.2024 | Updated: 11.11.2024
In many ways, the history of the wealthy is the history of America. No period in time is this more accurate than the Gilded Age. From John D. Rockefeller to J.P. Morgan, some of the wealthiest people in history lived and reigned during this time.
One such reigning robber baron was the enigmatic, controversial, and fascinating figure of Andrew Carnegie. He earned his fortune in unseen ways, and his works have had a fascinating – and ghostly – impact on the Pennsylvania town of Homestead.
Read on to learn just what issues plagued Homestead back then and which ghosts plague it to this very day.
Who haunts the Carnegie Library of Homestead?
By far, the most haunted building in Homestead, Pennsylvania, is the Carnegie Library. It’s a historic building established by a historical figure and is still a vital fixture in the town.
The rumors of a ghost haunting the library have been whispered since its early days, and in this article, we’re going to figure out exactly which ghost that is, as well as what led it to the library and Homestead.
After you’re done reading about the Carnegie Library of Homestead, be sure to book a ghost tour with Pittsburgh Ghosts to get even more in-depth knowledge of the town as a whole.
Library History
Pittsburgh has a nickname called “The Steel City,” so it’s only fitting that we cover Homestead’s history with the history of Andrew Carnegie, the most famous steel magnate. Having made his vast fortune in American steel, Carnegie was soon confronted with the truth that most of his Gilded Age billionaire peers had to face – they simply had too much money to spend in one lifetime.
Or, maybe even ten lifetimes.
The reason why you can’t go ten feet in the Northeast without running into a building named after Rockefeller or Vanderbilt is because of the philanthropic frenzy that resulted from these landbarons attempting to spend their money, boost their public image, and leave lasting legacies after they died.
Carnegie was no exception, and one of his many philanthropic endeavors was the Carnegie Library in Homestead. Designed to service the hometown of one of Carnegie’s steel mills, the library boasts a massive collection and even a music hall and athletic center.
It was constructed in 1898, and Carnegie hoped it would service the blue-collar workers of his steel mill while being luxurious enough to feel like a wealthy neighborhood library. Today, it’s the oldest Carnegie library still operating in its original building and is still funded through the original million-dollar grant that Carnegie set up in 1901.
However, despite his generosity, Carnegie may have been fueled by something a little more than just the philanthropic spirit. Keep reading to see what might have fueled him and what remnants of Carnegie can be found in the library today.
Hauntings In The Library
As you may have guessed, Carnegie himself is the number one most-reported ghost seen in Carnegie Library.
However, he’s far from the only specter haunting the bookstacks of the library. In his rise to power, Carnegie made many enemies; some claim many of them now call his library home. In fact, some say that the ghosts here are even some of those that Andrew Carnegie had killed, whether directly or indirectly.
Workers and visitors of the library have reported spotting shadowy figures appear and disappear at odd hours of the day. Book stacks will fall by themselves, carts will run into walls, and other items will shift around after hours. Many employees and locals report feeling some kind of ghostly or negative energy that permeates throughout the place.
Many of those negative energies may come from the deceased spirits of the many mill workers who worked for Carnegie over the years. Diverse as the mill workers themselves, their ghosts pick different spots. Some hang out in the music hall, with many reporting that they hear music when no one is down there.
Paranormal investigators have reported experiencing extreme shaking whenever they venture into the basement, and a general feeling of being watched and hearing disembodied voices are common phenomena for library visitors all over the building. Whatever is going on in Carnegie Library, it’s clear that Carnegie, his ghost, and the ghosts of his workers are as active as they were in their heyday.
A Guilty Conscience – The Homestead Massacre
Unresolved issues and grudges with Carnegie might explain why some mill workers have chosen to remain on this Earth as ghosts. But what about Carnegie himself?
The answer may lie in the history books. A complicated man, Carnegie regretted some of his actions in his youth, which earned him a great fortune. In fact, that guilt might have led him to build the library in the first place.
You see, Homestead is famous for more than just its impressive library – it was the site of a brutal massacre in 1892. His mill workers were occupying the mill and fighting for the right to unionize. Although Carnegie supported their fight at first, his mill manager, Henry Frick, felt threatened by the union and hired hundreds of guards and thugs from the Pinkerton Detective Agency to physically force the millworkers to give up their demands and exit the mill.
What followed resulted in a dozen deaths between Pinkerton guards and striking workers, and it resulted in a vast national backlash against Carnegie, the Pinkertons, and labor conditions in America.
“No grief in my life approaches that of Homestead” is what Carnegie said after the incident and it’s suspected that it might have been the reason for his charitable giving later in life. And, perhaps, it’s the reason his ghost has stuck around, whether as a form of afterlife punishment, a desire to atone, or sheer guilt at having been a part of such a vile part of American history.
Haunted Pittsburgh
Like the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh itself has a complicated and fascinating history. If you’d like to learn more about the ghosts that inhabit this mysterious city, be sure to book a ghost tour with Pittsburgh Ghosts. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Pennsylvania hauntings.
Sources:
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