I love old stories of previous Marion citizens and few were more colorful than the pipe smoking Grandma Cline. Her great, great grandson, Bruce Cline, who currently lives in Carbondale has released his latest version of “History, Mystery and Hauntings of Southern Illinois.” In the book, Bruce sites a story which is retold here:

Marion Carnegie Library located in Marion was opened to the public in 1916. The library stands on the site of the former “Grandma Cline” residence. The home was built in 1854 by Isaac Campbell. This property was acquired in 1914 for the sum of $5,003.17 from Sarilda Cline and her heirs. The Grandma Cline house was removed and the new library was constructed on the site. The library was constructed in 1915 with a grant of $18,000 from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Librarians and patrons of the library have reported paranormal activity for many years. Dena, one of the librarians even thinks she knows who is haunting the library. The ghost is none other than my direct descendant, Grandma Cline (her real name was Sarilda Jane Cline, but was better known as Grandma Cline). Grandma Cline was born in February of 1826 and died in March of 1917. She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion, IL.

Librarians and patrons at the Marion Carnegie Library have reported various paranormal activities in the old section of the library. These activities include cold spots, unexplained noises, books and chairs that move about on their own, the scent of lilac perfume and despite a strict no smoking policy, the smell of pipe smoke. Activities such as these are fairly normal at haunted locations. The one item that caught my immediate attention was the smell of pipe smoke.

According to my great, great grandma’s obituary in the March 3, 1917 edition of the Marion Daily Republican, “Mrs. S. J. Cline, better known as Grandma Cline, died Saturday morning at 4:15. Grandma Cline was a unique personage and was loved by all who knew her. She was very fond of her pipe and during the time that she lived with her son, J.M. Cline, was often seen smoking.”

It is our belief that the smell of pipe smoke is a ghostly residual of my great, great-grandma, Grandma Cline.

The Marion Carnegie Library is located at 206 S. Market Street in Marion, Illinois.

Note: For those of you who enjoy interesting stories, I recommend picking this book up, it is available on Amazon.

(Story courtesy of History, Mystery and Hauntings of Southern Illinois, Bruce L. Cline, posted by Sam Lattuca on 01/07/2015)