Haunted Book at UW-Whitewater Library

Among the countless ghost stories surrounding Whitewater, none is more infamous than the legend of the “haunted book” hidden inside Andersen Library on the UW-Whitewater campus. According to local lore, the massive antique volume is so dangerous that it has driven four readers to suicide, shattered the sanity of others, and forced librarians to lock it away in the library’s basement. The story is often woven into Whitewater’s broader paranormal mythology, tying the mysterious book to the infamous Witches of Whitewater, Morris Pratt’s Spiritualist legacy, and the city’s reputation as one of Wisconsin’s strangest supernatural hotspots.

The object at the center of the legend is an oversized antique Latin hymnal donated to Andersen Library after a local church closed. The tome has long been part of the library’s collection and can be viewed by requesting it through library staff, though there is no evidence it possesses any paranormal powers.

Over the years, the rumor became so widespread that the university hosted a public panel exploring the origins of the haunted book legend, featuring Wisconsin paranormal author Linda Godfrey alongside university archivists and faculty. Even the university’s archivist has acknowledged how often visitors ask about the cursed volume, making it one of Wisconsin’s best-known campus legends whether you believe the stories or not.

Reported Paranormal Activity

• Legend claims the haunted book caused four readers to die by suicide
• Reports say others who read it were driven insane
• Believed by many to be connected to the legendary Witches of Whitewater
• Rumored to have been locked away in the library’s basement because of its dangerous influence
• Said to be a cursed antique hymnal written in Latin that was donated from a closed local church