Oct 28, 2009 By Patty Yauger 2 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – The Connellsville Area High School baseball team will exchange its baseball uniforms for ghoulish costumes as it hosts a Haunted Library Event at the Connellsville Carnegie Library at on Halloween, Saturday. In addition to touring the library, attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about some of the city’s strange happenings over the years through a PowerPoint presentation compiled by baseball team members.

Local lore indicates the South Pittsburgh Street library does have the potential for ghosts to gather , especially on Halloween, said organizers.

In 1899, after receiving the finances from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a library, the then-Connellsville School Board purchased property, known as the Connell Graveyard, where it would be constructed.

However, in order for construction to take place, the remains of the buried were moved to what is now known as Chestnut Hill Cemetery.

Local funeral home director Vito Martucci believes that given that only rough wooden boxes were used and the resulting decomposition, it might have been very difficult to recover all of the remains.

“Depending on how long the bodies were buried, the most likely scenario would be that many of the bodies were decomposed beyond recovery,” he said.

Longtime librarian Julia Allen said that she has heard what she believes to have been footsteps on the second floor when no one but her was in the library.

“There have been several unexplained sounds and events that have occurred through the years at the library,” she said.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $9 if purchased in advance or $10 at the door.

Proceeds will benefit the teams’ 2010 Florida spring training camp trip.

Tickets can be purchased from any member of the Falcon baseball team.