When “Stranger Things” is over, head to the library to satisfy the need for weird and eerie

As the hit Netflix series Stranger Things draws to a close, you may be wondering how you will ever fill the void for the weird, the eerie and the downright odd. We have four words: go to the library.

In season one, Jim Hopper heads to the Hawkins Public Library to dig into coverage of a mysterious research facility. It was 1983 and scrolling reels of microfilm and scanning cryptic headlines was de rigueur for uncovering mysteries – methodical and time intensive. Today, of course, the same investigation would take seconds. With digitization, rich indexing and article-level metadata, even novice researchers can surface decades of reporting quickly and reliably.

But some things never change. If you crave the creepy and mysterious, the library archives are still the place to go. Where else can you find stories about haunted bridges, witch doctors and avant-garde theater all in one searchbox?

Newspaper Archives: A Goldmine of Oddities

To prove our point, we followed Jim Hawkins’ lead on digging for answers and checked “all the big ones,” by tapping the ProQuest solution U.S. Major Dailies, which includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, as well as hundreds of local and regional newspapers.

A simple search on the term “strange things” delivered a smorgasbord of irresistible stories and some memorable cultural moments:

• • The source of “ailments”
    Austin Daily Statesman (1891–1902); Austin, Tex., 20 Nov 1891
    The front page of an 1891 edition of the Austin Daily Statesman tells the tale of “Maggie,” who sought help from a “witch doctoress” who claimed to cure her various (and unnamed) ailments. When Maggie said she wasn’t cured, the doctoress produced three toads, two lizards, a small snake and a scorpion, insisting the creatures had been pulled from Maggie’s body.
  • Tara Bridge or Terror Bridge?
    Minneapolis Tribune (1867–1908); Minneapolis, Minn., 16 Oct 1893
    A haunting on a rural bridge in Tara, Iowa, made it to the pages of the Minneapolis Tribune. A train station manager first reported seeing a phantom train light and rushed back to prepare for an unscheduled arrival, but no train came. It was one more eerie happening in the bridge’s grim history. Beyond regular ghostly train sightings, stories include a railroad worker decapitated during construction and a mother who allegedly leapt to her death after throwing her children onto the tracks. Safety tip: Once on the bridge, keep moving. If you stop your car the mother’s ghost will drag you to your death.
  • Like something right out of Stranger Things
    Hartford Courant (1887–1922); Hartford, Conn., 28 Feb 1910
    Reporters from the Hartford Courant interviewed hunters who described seeing a creature that was a combo of fox, wildcat and wolf. (No details about what it was wearing, but we’re picturing it in a waistcoat and ascot.) Later, a calf was born with a head resembling a human face. We’re trying not to picture that.
  • But is it art?
    Newsday (1940–); Long Island, N.Y., 07 May 1962
    Theater critics at Newsday were unimpressed with the performances at an avant-garde theater: Men wrestled while wrapped in brown paper, women sat for five minutes coughing and a fully clothed girl in a raincoat was dunked in a bathtub. These “Happenings” were billed as a new art form combining sculpture, expressionist theater and dance.
  • A Nova Scotia meteor or something else?
    The Globe (1844–1936); Toronto, Ont., 17 Sep 1887
    The Globe reported strange lights along the Halifax coast, sparking speculation about meteors and mysterious phenomena or possibly a neighbor kid with a flashlight. Residents described glowing streaks over the sea, fueling both scientific curiosity and colorful descriptions like “tremors and fearful explosions” along with “a luminous body, looking as large as an elephant with a long tail attached.”

You’ve Got the Inspiration: Write Your Own Episode

Every news story we read sparked an idea for our own fictional TV show called “Even Stranger Things.” Check this out:

Episode 1: “The Reptile Remedy.” In a dusty Texas town, Maggie seeks a cure for her mysterious ailments from a local healer with a flair for the dramatic. When the “treatment” produces a parade of toads, lizards and a snake, the townsfolk must decide: miracle, hoax or something far weirder slithering beneath the surface?

Inspired? Do a little newspaper searching and write your own episode. Forewarning: it’s kind of addicting.

Not Weird At All: Why Librarians Value Digitized News

• • Broad coverage: Newspapers offer essential primary sources for history, politics, arts, business, science and more, supporting research across disciplines.
  • Context and insight: News archives reveal how events unfolded, helping researchers understand issues within their original era.
  • Multiple viewpoints: Regional, national and international reporting provides firsthand perspectives and a fuller picture of events.
  • Teaching support: Instructors and librarians use reliable news coverage to track changes over time and build media literacy skills.

Discover The Strange Stories Behind The Headlines

Explore landmark headlines and local perspectives across centuries in the news and other primary sources from ProQuest. Whether you’re investigating mysterious phenomena, cultural trends or everyday history, ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Global, Global Newsstream Collection, and ProQuest Digital Collections help libraries deliver unique and sometimes even stranger stories.

Jodi Johnson

Product Marketing Manager for History and Social Change, Social Science and Performing Arts portfolios. With a profound appreciation for history and a background steeped in the arts, she fuses creativity and scholarly insight to offer compelling narratives and to delve into the historical significance behind them.