HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1901 Parmly Billings Memorial Library, now a museum where staff report a child spirit called Priscilla
2822 Montana Ave, Billings, MT 59101
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Regional history museum; check the website for current admission and donation policy.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic two-story building with a tower; main exhibits on accessible floors
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1901 · Parmly Billings Memorial Library · Regional History Museum · Billings Founding History
The building at 2822 Montana Avenue opened in 1901 as the Parmly Billings Memorial Library. It was given to the city of Billings by Frederick Billings, the railroad figure for whom the city is named, in memory of his son Parmly, who had died at age 25.
The library served the growing city for most of the 20th century. By the late 1960s the collection had outgrown the building, and a larger library opened in 1969. The Parmly Billings Memorial Library moved to its new home, leaving the 1901 structure empty.
In 1971 the Western Heritage Center opened in the building. It operates today as a regional history museum, collecting and interpreting the stories of the Yellowstone River Valley and the northern High Plains. Its exhibits and 'Hoof-It with a Historian' walking tours cover ranching, the railroad, downtown commerce, and the everyday history of the region.
The museum is housed in one of Billings' oldest public buildings, with its original tower and attic intact. Those upper spaces feature in the building's long-running ghost stories, which local and regional outlets have recounted for years.
Sources
The most frequently cited story at the Western Heritage Center is Priscilla, a child spirit. Both library staff in earlier decades and museum staff since have reported small, child-sized footprints in the dust of the building's attic, along with the sound of a child's laughter on the winding steps of the tower.
Other reported figures include an elderly woman in a long dress, sometimes described as appearing to float just above the floor, and an old man seen sitting near the downstairs fireplace; some staff have speculated he resembles Western artist J.K. Ralston. A man in a red shirt has been reported on the building's front steps.
Phantom typewriter sounds are a recurring report from times when no one is working — a detail that fits the building's long stretch as a library and office. A regional paranormal team has investigated the center, and the stories appear regularly in Billings-area Halloween coverage, including the Billings Gazette's roundup of the city's supposedly haunted places.
The museum does not market itself as a haunted attraction; its programming is historical. The ghost accounts are staff and visitor anecdotes that have accumulated over the building's century-plus of public use.
Notable Entities
Tour the regional history museum housed in the 1901 Parmly Billings Memorial Library. Exhibits cover the people and places of the Yellowstone River Valley and the northern High Plains. The tower stairs and attic, tied to the building's ghost stories, are part of its historic fabric.
The center runs guided 'Hoof-It with a Historian' walking tours of Billings history districts. These focus on local history rather than the paranormal; check the website for the seasonal schedule.
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