Named for head librarian Emily Fowler after her 1971 death — staff have reported her apparition in the stacks since a 1979 police officer's account, corroborated by multiple paranormal investigations.
502 Oakland St, Denton, TX 76201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Public library; free admission. Ticketed paranormal investigation events are occasionally offered by Denton Historic Preservation and partner organizations.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Single-story public library building with accessible entrance
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1949 · O'Neil Ford 1969 addition · Emily Fowler — head librarian 1943–1969 · First standalone library building in Denton · Named after Emily Fowler upon 1969 expansion
Emily Fowler succeeded Bess McCullar as Denton's head librarian in 1943 and held the position for 26 years. During her tenure she oversaw the library's transformation from a room in the basement of the county courthouse to a freestanding building on Oakland Street, which opened July 30, 1949. The building at 502 Oakland Street became the central branch for Denton Public Library.
In 1969 a major expansion was completed, designed by Texas architect O'Neil Ford. The addition quadrupled the library's usable space and became the primary public-facing facility. When Fowler retired that same year, the city named the expanded building the Emily Fowler Library in recognition of her quarter-century of service. Fowler died on October 28, 1971, at age 72.
The library has continued to operate at the Oakland Street location as the Emily Fowler Central Library, the flagship branch of the Denton Public Library system. The O'Neil Ford addition remains intact as part of the building.
Sources
The first documented account of paranormal activity at the Emily Fowler Library appeared in the Denton Record-Chronicle in 1979, nearly a decade after Fowler's death. Police officer Richard Wiggs reported encountering what he described as Fowler's apparition in the history section while he was there researching genealogy. Because Wiggs had known Fowler personally, he described the figure as immediately recognizable. The account was treated as newsworthy enough for publication and has circulated in Denton lore ever since.
In the decades following, staff members have independently reported several distinct phenomena: hearing their names called from somewhere in the stacks when no patron is visible, seeing a figure step out from between shelves and then disappear before reaching the end of the aisle, and the repeated locking of a staff bathroom door from inside when the room is confirmed empty — a mechanical anomaly that persisted even after the lock was replaced.
Book carts rolling across the floor without apparent cause, books falling from shelves at odd moments, and items disappearing and reappearing correctly shelved have all been described by multiple staff over different periods.
Paranormal research groups conducted investigations of the library in 2007 and 2008. Investigators documented the northeast corner, near study tables, as producing the most consistent readings, including photographs of 'orbs' at those tables and reports of sensing a presence there. Investigators described an impression of multiple spirits including a librarian figure and possibly a child, though they cautioned against treating such impressions as evidential.
Notable Entities
The Emily Fowler Central Library is a functioning public library. Visitors can browse the stacks — particularly the northeast corner, identified by paranormal investigators as a 'hot spot' — and the history section where a 1979 police officer reportedly encountered Fowler's apparition. Staff have been known to share accounts on request.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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