Library Wants Your Waukegan Ghost Stories

May 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Waukegan, from its history to geography, appears to offer fertile haunting grounds for ghosts. Jolliet and Marquette set up camp there back in 1673, on their way to discover the Mississippi River. Since then, beer barons, shepherds, pork packers and more have lived—and died—in Waukegan, taking up residence in humble homesteads to sprawling lakefront mansions. The lure for many of them was the town’s once-bustling rail commerce. Now, that same rail yard gives off an eerily deserted quality.

Down by the harbor, recreational boats still sail in and out in good weather. But at one time, that port welcomed nearly 1,000 cargo ships a year, disembarking sailors and other worldly characters to later re-board, or not. And the ravine. Even the benign morning light reveals all manner of spectral possibilities.

Do you have a Waukegan ghost story to tell? We want to hear it! The Waukegan Public Library plans to call forth the many lost souls of Waukegan at the next Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival, Friday, October 29. Join us as nationally acclaimed storytellers spin spooky tales using the yarns you provide.

To contribute a Waukegan ghost story, please call or email Elizabeth Stearns at (847) 623-2041, ext. 250, or elizabethstearns@waukeganpl.info. Responders who provide a featured tale will win two free tickets to the festival and admission to a pre-show party with the storytellers.

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For 112 years, the Waukegan Public Library has provided the community with opportunities to learn, gather, be informed and entertained. The main library is located in downtown Waukegan at 128 N. County Street, just north of the County Building; the Hinkston Park Branch is located at 800 N. Baldwin, in the Waukegan Park District Field House. The library houses one of the largest collections of materials in Lake County. Free parking is provided at the downtown branch in the City of Waukegan parking garage, at the corner of County and Clayton. For more information, call (847) 623-2041, or visit www.waukeganpl.org.