Ontario ghost story
Written by Sue Demeter-St.Clair
The witness originally wrote to us to share a possible UFO report at Christmas time 2014. In follow-up she shared the following experiences with the passing of a beloved family dog in March 2015.
“I wrote about seeing a strange light Christmas of 2014 and returned to the site to check updates when i saw the ghost and spirit section and thought i had something worthwhile to add, so here it is. i had 2 dogs and the beginning of March noticed one was getting tired and had problems keeping food down. We already knew she was ill. I made it a point to be with her and make her know she is loved.
Something caught my attention as i was leaning on the counter and I was shocked to see a black shadow over my dog. It was hovering over for 2 to 3 seconds and then vanished. I must have sounded shocked as my sister asked me what is wrong. I did tell her and said that I felt prompted to go and comfort the dog. The room was candle lit, no TV..pillow top mattress and clean sheet on the huge dog bed. I lay next to her and talked to her and told her how much she is loved and thanked her. I noticed she was a bit restless and appeared to be looking at something. Then she would settle and again get restless. It is now my conclusion that she was transitioning from this life to the next. I put my arm around her and told her it was ok to go. I was talking with my sister on the phone and telling her that I did not like the clinical setting and the final shot for my dog, so this is what I was discussing with her.
After I put my head down to sleep, I remember her getting up and going to the foot of the sofa.
When my daughter got home in the morning she had crossed over. I felt she passed with love and was happy she was at home.
Approx 2 weeks later, I was sitting on sofa and got tired and stretched out to sleep. I felt a tap tap tap on my arm. I lifted my head from sleeping to see my dog standing there, and the tapping was her tail on my arm. Always happened before. I hugged her and told her to not vanish, that my daughter had to see her. I knew she had passed in my dream. I yelled for my daughter and then i woke up in the morning with a feeling of “she was here”. My daughter was in Florida at the time and as i sat recalling this and absorbing it, my daughter phoned and told me she knows our dog was ok and she had the most beautiful dream of her wagging her tail.
That confirmed what i thought. There is life after life. I have never fallen asleep and dreamed I was in the exact same place dreaming. What are the odds of that?
The next phone call was the Vets office letting me know the remains were ready and she can come home. This dream ? and feeling i had when i woke preoccupied my head for the entire day. I could not, but more so, i did not want to shake it. ”
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A Haunting Remembered
The following report was sent into us in February 2015, but the experiences occurred decades ago and were never forgotten:
On December 27, 1980 my boyfriend, Daniel died very suddenly from a bleeding ulcer in his sleep at age 28. After his funeral December 31, 1980 he started appearing in my then rented townhouse (where he left me on Xmas eve around midnight) [this would be in the] Jane-Finch area of Downsview, Ontario. After the funeral I had 2 nieces and one of their friends who boarded with me who saw him and my dog would continually run up and down the stairs howling. We saw so many strange things happen I decided it was time to move.
The night before I moved his best friend came to pick me up to get me out of the house. He went to the top floor to my kids room to make sure everything was packed and ready to go. When he looked down the stairway he saw Danny on one of the landings and Danny said to him please look after her and the kids! It scared my friend so bad he came running down the stairs and told me Lets go, you wont believe what I just saw! He explained to me over coffee and I told him, “See I told you so but you didn’t believe me” Anyway lots of friends got me moved onto the truck and I was off to my parents, over a hundred miles away. He came to visit in my new apartment in Bayside, Ontario, at the foot of my kids beds. They woke up calling Mommy, mommy, Danny is here!!!! When I went in the room I didn’t see anything but got a feeling of something that made the hairs on my neck curl. The next day we went out shopping and when we came back my new tea kettle was charred black on top of my stove and the stove wasn’t even on!
Due to lack of my type of work in the community I decided to move back to the Toronto area, which ended up being Mississauga and my sister who was going through a bad marriage came with me with her younger kids. Nothing was ever seen or heard again till New Years Eve 1981 which was one year exactly to the day Danny was buried. I came home to an empty house, everyone had gone out for celebrations and I was spending at my other sister’s just a few blocks away.I came home from my sisters and tv, stereo were on full blast plus every light in the house was on. I turned everything off all the while my neck hairs standing up and got out! I went back to my sisters for a few more hours then once again decided to come back home. Again, everything was on full blast. I turned it all off once again. After the stroke of midnight that night I have never experienced anything else!!!! It has now been 34 years. My nieces, daughters and his best friend will always remember what happened I am sure and so will I.
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Ontario
Written by David van Hout
The district of Scarborough, in eastern Toronto, is home to many ghosts. Its haunted sites include a Native burial ground, a bridge, a restaurant, a school, and a movie theatre, among others.
TABER HILL PARK
Taber Hill Park is an Iroquois burial ground located on the east side of Bellamy Road, north of Lawrence Avenue East. The mound dates to 1250 A.D. and contains the bodies of about 472 people. Taber Hill was a spiritual site for the Iroquois people. Modern area residents have reported numerous apparitions of Aboriginal people, as well as the smell of fish.
THOMSON PARK
Thomson Memorial Park, at Lawrence Avenue and Brimley Road, contains a museum in which there are two haunted buildings: the white Cornell house, and the McCowan Log House. Also reputed to be haunted is the cemetery at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The shack at the back of the cemetery is known as the Sexton’s House, named after a former caretaker.
THE HAUNTED BRIDGE
There are a number of ghost stories associated with Old Finch Avenue, but the best known is that of a haunted bridge near Morningside Avenue. The site is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who was murdered there. If you visit Old Finch, check out the Hillside Church and Cemetery at Reesor Road, which some believe to be haunted. (However, the “strange sounds” reported there could very well be coming from the Toronto Zoo.)
SISTERS RESTAURANT
Sisters Restaurant is located at 4 Old Kingston Road. The building has been haunted by the ghost of a woman since the 1980s. Staff and patrons have reported poltergeist activity involving dishes and silverware.
R.H. KING ACADEMY
This school at 3800 St. Clair Avenue East is haunted by the ghost of a woman. Caretakers often report smelling her perfume in certain rooms after the school is closed.
THE HAUNTED MOVIE THEATRE
The Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Theatre is located at 22 Lebovic Avenue, near the intersection of Warden and Eglinton Avenues. The theatre is said to be haunted by three spirits: an adult man, a young boy, and a young girl. Reported poltergeists include moving garbage bins, and doors opening and closing by themselves.
THE GUILD
The Guild is a public park containing remnants of historic buildings. It is located at 191 Guildwood Parkway, at the foot of Galloway Road, overlooking the Scarborough Bluffs. The Guild Inn was built in 1914 by Harold Bickford. Over the years, the building served as a summer home, a boarding school, a “Guild of All Arts,” a training centre for the Women’s Royal Naval Service, and a military hospital. The property, now a “sculpture garden,” has its share of ghosts, including shell-shocked soldiers who stayed at the hospital following World War II.
SOURCES INCLUDE:
Brown, Ron. Toronto’s Lost Villages. Toronto: Polar Bear Press, 1997.
Colombo, John Robert. Haunted Toronto. Toronto: Hounslow Press, 1996.
Demchuk, David. “Toronto’s Haunted Hotspots.” Torontoist.com. October 30, 2012.
Reid, Brooke. “Sister’s Restaurant Haunted?” The Toronto Observer. October 26, 2008.
Taylor, Bill. “Checking Out the Spirits.” The Toronto Star. March 30, 2006.
The Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society. http://www.torontoghosts.org
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Written by David van Hout
The following is a list of the seven best ghost hunting spots in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. Note that these locations are FREE to visit.
- ALBION FALLS (HAMILTON)
Mud Street and Mountain Brow Boulevard, at the southernmost tip of King’s Forest Park
In 1865, a Hamilton woman named Jane Riley, rejected by her lover Joseph, came to Albion Falls and jumped to her death. The spot where she committed suicide is now known as “Lover’s Leap.” Jane’s ghost frequents the area. Her sobs can be heard at the base of Albion Falls at night.
- DINGLE PARK (OAKVILLE)
Dunn and Front Streets
Visitors to Dingle Park have seen the ghost of a little girl dancing barefoot on the rocks. It is believed that she drowned in the lake many years ago.
- FORT MISSISSAUGA (NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE)
Simcoe and Front Streets
Completed in 1815, this national historic site is not as well known as nearby Fort George. Visitors to Fort Mississauga have heard gunfire, as well as the bloodcurdling screams of men being “flogged” or beaten. Some even claim to have seen the ghost of a headless Aboriginal warrior.
- THE BEACH STRIP (BURLINGTON)
The sandbar between the Burlington Canal and the northern mainland
In 1830, a scowman named Jem Horner was unloading a barge when a wave hit the boat, sending him overboard. He began to pull himself up, but a second wave rammed the boat against the dock, crushing Horner’s left leg. A surgeon named William Case decided to amputate the leg, but Horner died that night. It is said that Horner walks along the sandbar, looking for his lost leg. His screams of agony are often heard late at night.
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (TORONTO)
University of Toronto campus, west of Queen’s Park Crescent
University College was built between 1857 and 1858. Two stonemasons, Ivan Reznikoff and Paul Diabolos, were in love with the same woman. In a fit of rage, Reznikoff went after Diabolos with an axe. He missed his target, but left a slash-mark on the door next to the roundhouse, which can still be seen. A few hours later, Diabolos murdered Reznikoff. Both professors and students have encountered the ghost of Ivan Reznikoff in and around University College. It seems that the stonemason is looking for people who will listen to his tragic story.
- THE SCREAMING TUNNEL (NIAGARA FALLS)
Warner Road
This limestone tunnel is 16 feet (4.9 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) long. According to legend, a young girl narrowly escaped a burning farm building nearby, and then died of burns inside the tunnel. Locals maintain that if someone stands in the middle of the tunnel at midnight and lights at wooden match, the girl’s scream will sound when the match goes out. Film director David Cronenberg used the tunnel in his 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone.”
DRUMMOND HILL CEMETERY (NIAGARA FALLS)
Drummond Road and Lundy’s Lane
This was the site of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814. Many consider it to be the bloodiest clash in the War of 1812. Drummond Hill Cemetery is haunted by not one, but two sets of different soldiers. The first consists of five soldiers dressed in the uniform of the Royal Scots, who limp across the former battlefield and then disappear. The other group consists of three British soldiers who make their way up the hill.
Further Reading:
Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: Ghostly Locales from Around the World. Castle Books, 2005.
Colombo, John Robert. Haunted Toronto. Hounslow Press, 1996.
Colombo, John Robert. Mysteries of Ontario. Hounslow Press, 1999.
Da Silva, Maria and Andrew Hind. Ghosts of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Dundurn Press, 2009.
Hauck, Dennis William. The International Directory of Haunted Places: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, and Other Supernatural Locations. Penguin Books, 2000.
Haunted Hamilton. .
Smith, Barbara. Ontario Ghost Stories. Lone Pine Publishing, 1998.
Thay, Edrick. Haunted Cemeteries: True Tales from Beyond the Grave. Lone Pine Publishing, 2004.
Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society.
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High Park Haunting
In April 2012 we received the following report:
“I was on a typical jog into High Park in the very early morning. After exiting street lighting and entering the woods at the north east corner of the park, I was confronted by a figure and an experience I really don’t understand. It was late Oct. or early Nov., it was chilly outside. When I slowed my run to a walk to adjust to the greater dark, I suddenly encountered a large man that was wearing nothing but a pair of red tartan summer shorts. I halted and watched as the figure walked slowly, mechanically, out of the bushes, halted, then craned it’s/his neck mechanically to look at me. There was only extreme dark where his face should have been–darker than the rest of the surrounding. I became fixated on trying to see the figures face and thereby interpret what this person’s intention or situation was–it was strange. I felt drawn in, hard to describe. I suddenly only saw images in my mind’s eye: images of this person and their life in the park; I saw him relaxing by the pool, hiking, smelling flowers, that sort of thing. Then I was back in real time–I had suddenly found myself off the path a number of feet, struggling to re-find the path. I just instinctively made haste out of the area and didn’t look back.
The rest of the jog was loaded with apparitions and strange dark shapes roaming the woods. I saw CROWDS of apparitions in some regions of the woods as I ran past in complete wonder and astonishment–a sort of shock settled on me in which I forgot to get scared, I was too intrigued! At some point I felt like I was followed–by two dark shapes that kept a distance just out of my field of vision so as to make out who or what they were–I could hear their foot falls following me at times–though the other apparitions didn’t make a sound. Their reactions were strange: it was like some were fixated on me–it was usually a rather rancid glare-to being completely oblivious or apathetic of my presence. I feel I watched one apparition vanish in the wink of an eye–he was a gentleman of about 35-40 years of age, dressed in casual modern clothes, short, neatly cut hair. It was at that point, having received multiple experiences, I finally felt a fair bit of terror, unable to explain what was happening–I fled the park by the brightest lit routes available.
Aside from the rich history and myriad of dramatic events that have happened in and around the park, a friend of mine turned me onto the fact that MANY people release the ashes of their deceased relatives in the park (albeit this IS illegal, not many people regard the law with ashes there, I understand) as it was the favourite place of many in their declining years in the city environs. My story appeared on the Canadian tv show “GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS” roughly 3 years ago.”
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Written by David van Hout
With a name like Salem Road, one immediately thinks of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, or the popular Stephen King novel, “Salem’s Lot”. Naturally, the Salem Road in Ajax-Pickering has acquired a “haunted” status. But are the ghost stories fact or fiction? You be the judge.
“Salem’s Lot” refers to a wooded area between Rossland and Taunton Roads, east of Salem Road. This was the site of a fire, in which a grist mill burned down and several people died. In the 1980s and 1990s, outdoor enthusiasts discovered the remains of a large dam built in the 1930s, an old bridge, and the stone foundation of an old house with a decaying chimney. Unfortunately, a housing development has taken over much of the area. Nevertheless, ghost stories continue to circulate about Salem’s Lot. The most popular of these stories concerns a pack of “phantom hounds” that race through the cornfields. Note that there are several “real” guard dogs in the area.
Much has been written about the hauntings at Salem’s Corners, a small farming community at Salem Road and Highway 7. The Salem Wesleyan Methodist Church was built as a wooden structure in 1849, on land donated by John Adamson, a carpenter. Brick veneering from Adamson’s brickyard was added to the church in 1880. The church closed in 1890 because there were three other Methodist churches nearby. Historian Milton Pegg writes: “There was some bitterness over the closing of this church since some of its members loved it dearly. One old gentleman came to the Church regularly for some time after it closed, and sat in his old pew on Sundays and worshipped his God alone and in silence.” Some say that the spirit of this man continues to visit the now-abandoned church.
Prior to the construction of the church, Salem Cemetery was established on Adamson’s property. William Brown was appointed caretaker in 1831. The cemetery was expanded in 1888, 1914 and 1939; it now covers both sides of Salem Road. There are many unsettling stories associated with Salem Cemetery. One purports that William Brown haunts the grounds, accompanied by his faithful dogs. (This is an interesting comparison point to the “p hantom hounds” of Salem’s Lot.) The most disturbing of all: In 1876, the body of a man was found in the field west of the cemetery.
The final stop on our tour is the Mount Zion Schoolhouse, located at 4230 Salem Road. Built in 1875, it now serves as a community centre. The building and grounds are said to be haunted by a former caretaker (much like the cemetery), as well as several children who attended the school. During World War I, many fathers and brothers were overseas, and it has been suggested that the caretaker became a father figure for the children, even after his death.
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Written by David van Hout
With a name like Salem Road, one immediately thinks of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, or the popular Stephen King novel, “Salem’s Lot”. Naturally, the Salem Road in Ajax-Pickering has acquired a “haunted” status. But are the ghost stories fact or fiction? You be the judge.
“Salem’s Lot” refers to a wooded area between Rossland and Taunton Roads, east of Salem Road. This was the site of a fire, in which a grist mill burned down and several people died. In the 1980s and 1990s, outdoor enthusiasts discovered the remains of a large dam built in the 1930s, an old bridge, and the stone foundation of an old house with a decaying chimney. Unfortunately, a housing development has taken over much of the area. Nevertheless, ghost stories continue to circulate about Salem’s Lot. The most popular of these stories concerns a pack of “phantom hounds” that race through the cornfields. Note that there are several “real” guard dogs in the area.
Much has been written about the hauntings at Salem’s Corners, a small farming community at Salem Road and Highway 7. The Salem Wesleyan Methodist Church was built as a wooden structure in 1849, on land donated by John Adamson, a carpenter. Brick veneering from Adamson’s brickyard was added to the church in 1880. The church closed in 1890 because there were three other Methodist churches nearby. Historian Milton Pegg writes: “There was some bitterness over the closing of this church since some of its members loved it dearly. One old gentleman came to the Church regularly for some time after it closed, and sat in his old pew on Sundays and worshipped his God alone and in silence.” Some say that the spirit of this man continues to visit the now-abandoned church.
Prior to the construction of the church, Salem Cemetery was established on Adamson’s property. William Brown was appointed caretaker in 1831. The cemetery was expanded in 1888, 1914 and 1939; it now covers both sides of Salem Road. There are many unsettling stories associated with Salem Cemetery. One purports that William Brown haunts the grounds, accompanied by his faithful dogs. (This is an interesting comparison point to the “phantom hounds” of Salem’s Lot.) The most disturbing of all: In 1876, the body of a man was found in the field west of the cemetery.
The final stop on our tour is the Mount Zion Schoolhouse, located at 4230 Salem Road. Built in 1875, it now serves as a community centre. The building and grounds are said to be haunted by a former caretaker (much like the cemetery), as well as several children who attended the school. During World War I, many fathers and brothers were overseas, and it has been suggested that the caretaker became a father figure for the children, even after his death.
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Written by David van Hout
The sites discussed in this article relate to both music and ghosts: Massey Hall, St. Mary Magdalene Church, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the former Ben McPeek Recording Studio.
Massey Hall, at 178 Victoria Street, opened in 1894. It was built and donated to the city by industrialist Hart Massey. Massey Hall was Toronto’s principal concert hall prior to the completion of Roy Thomson Hall in 1983. The backstage area of Massey Hall is haunted by a male apparition in old-fashioned clothes. The building is also haunted by “The Diva,” a former opera singer who sits in the audience and creates a loud noise when a soprano is on stage.
St. Mary Magdalene Church, located at 477 Manning Avenue, is an Anglican church that was built between 1888 and 1908. The church and grounds are haunted by an elderly lady dressed in grey. Healey Willan (1880-1968), the world-renowned composer and organist-choirmaster, was one of several people to have seen “The Grey Lady. The following quote from Willan appears in F.R.C. Clarke’s biography, Healey Willan: Life and Music: “Ghosts are quite common. We have one at St. Mary’s – an old girl who used to be the charlady … I’ve seen her frequently in the church when I have gone in to practise at night. She doesn’t bother me, so I don’t bother her. As a matter of fact, I’m rather fond of her, you know – I believe she likes plainchant.” Willan also believed that his home on Inglewood Drive was haunted.
McMaster Hall, located at 273 Bloor Street, was built in 1881 to house the Toronto Baptist College. In 1887, the Toronto Baptist College became part of McMaster University, named after Senator William McMaster. McMaster University moved to Hamilton in 1930, and the building was sold to the Ontario government. The Royal Conservatory of Music bought McMaster Hall in 1963. The second and third floors are said to be haunted by a woman in red.
Ben McPeek was a well-known composer of radio and television jingles. In 1969, he converted the basement at 131 Hazelton Lane into a recording studio. The ghost of an old woman in a long, flowing dress looks out the second-floor window. She is believed to be one of the two sisters who lived in the building during the Second World War.
Further Reading:
Clarke, F.R.C. Healey Willan: Life and Music. Toronto: UT Press, 1983.
Colombo, John Robert. Haunted Toronto. Toronto: Hounslow Press, 1996.
Hauck, Dennis William. The International Directory of Haunted Places: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, and Other Supernatural Locations. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.
Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society. http://www.torontoghosts.org
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What Lies Beneath
Written by David van Hout
Please note that if you are planning on visiting any of the locations listed within this article, most Ontario cemeteries are officially closed at dusk meaning visiting after closing (usually 8pm) is trespassing and therefore illegal. We strongly encourage visitors to be respectful of their surroundings and municipal by-laws. I disrespect those who go and conduct investigation at grave yards t should be illegal in all Canada.
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What Lies Beneath: Niagara’s Haunted Cemeteries
The Niagara region of Ontario has a long tradition of hauntings. In fact, it’s widely regarded as the most haunted part of Canada. Niagara’s history seems to come alive in its cemeteries, from Butler’s Burial Ground in Niagara-on-the-Lake to Oakwood Cemetery in Wainfleet.
There are two haunted cemeteries in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The first, Butler’s Burial Ground, is located at the end of Butler Street, along a dirt trail on the southwestern outskirts of town. The cemetery is named after John Butler (1728-1796), the founder of Niagara-on-the-Lake. He was the leader of an elite corps known as the Butler’s Rangers. So notorious were the Rangers that their coffins surfaced within months of burial. It’s not unusual to see misty figures or hear chilling sounds at Butler’s Burial Ground. Paranormal researchers have captured *orbs on film and EVPs on tape.
*(see webmaster’s note at the bottom of the page)
St. Mark’s Cemetery was established in 1792, but previously used as a First Nations burial site. During the War of 1812, St. Mark’s Church was used as a hospital by the British. The American forces, who occupied the town in 1813, dug rifle pits and trenches in the cemetery, some of which can still be seen. There have been reports of ghostly soldiers (some with an amputated arm or leg), strange lights, disembodied screams, the commands or officers, and Native spirits. St. Mark’s Cemetery is located on Byron Street, east of King Street, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Niagara Falls’ Drummond Hill Cemetery is one of the most haunted cemeteries in North America. It was the site of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814. Drummond Hill is the highest point in the city of Niagara Falls, and it’s named after Gordon Drummond (1772-1854), who led the British troops to victory in the Battle of Lundy’s Lane. Drummond Hill Cemetery is also the resting place of Canadian heroine Laura Secord (1775-1868).
Drummond Hill Cemetery is said to be haunted by not one, but two sets of different soldiers from the War of 1812. The first group consists of five soldiers dressed in the uniform of the Royal Scots, limping across the former battlefield. The second group consists of three British soldiers in red uniforms, making their way up the hill. Drummond Hill Cemetery is located on Buchner Place, near the corner of Drummond Road and Lundy’s Lane.
Fort Erie has the distinction of two haunted burial grounds. The McAffee Cemetery on Thompson Road, south of Niagara Boulevard, is named after Samuel McAffee, a local farmer and preacher. According to local tradition, McAffee helped rebel leader William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861) escape to the United States after the failed Rebellion of 1837. It’s said that McAffee disguised Mackenzie as a woman and rowed him across the Niagara River to Buffalo. However, historians have pointed out that the man at the oars was probably David Douchman, McAffee’s hired hand.
In the late 1890s, settlers in the Pleasant Point area reported strange phosphorescent lights floating and bouncing over McAffee Cemetery. Horses are said to have shied and reared in passing the site. Some even claimed to have seen the apparition of an old man (perhaps Samuel McAffee) holding a lantern, wandering the grounds.
The so-called “Coloured Cemetery” is located on Curtis Road, east of Ridgemount Road, in Fort Erie. The earliest headstone at the cemetery dates to 1813. Following the death of landowner High Rose in 1845, a quarter acre was set aside as a burial ground in accordance with his will. The property was sold to the Dennahower family in 1864. The “Coloured Cemetery” is believed to be haunted by a black soldier from the War of 1812.
Oakwood Cemetery in Wainfleet is legendary for its infamous “Hopkins’ Tomb”. Samuel Hopkins was an Irish-born Port Colborne businessman whose colourful career included a trip to California in 1849 during the gold rush. He oversaw the construction of the large twin-columned mausoleum where his remains would later be sheltered.
Three accidents were linked to the so-called “curse” of Hopkins’ Tomb following an incident where three individuals tried to break into the mausoleum. The first of these individuals died in a car crash, another lost an arm in an accident, and the third lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. The apparition of Hopkins’ dog has been seen on the steps leading to the mausoleum. Some even claim to have seen the ghost of Samuel Hopkins himself, especially on the night of the spring equinox. Oakwood Cemetery is located on Lakeshore Road West, at Quarrie Road.
For more information on these cemeteries and other hauntings, I suggest the following sources:
Colombo, John Robert. Mysteries of Ontario. Toronto: Hounslow Press, 1999.
Da Silva, Maria and Andrew Hind. Ghosts of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2009.
Lessard, Arlene. “The History and Horrors of Hopkins’ Tomb.” Alive and Well, November 1981.
Ray, Ab. “Restoration of Old Cemetery Recalls McAfee Ghost Legend.” Niagara Falls Review, October 27, 1954, http://historic.library.forterie.ca
Thay, Edrick. Haunted Cemeteries: True Tales from Beyond the Grave. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 2004.
Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society, http://www.torontoghosts.org
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In early 2010 researched received a report of the sighting of a monkey in the Pickering Beach area. Initially, we approached this as a cryptozoology investigation, as there was no precedent for the ghost of a monkey. The initial report is as follows:
My most recent sighting of this odd ghostly experience was December 22 2009 while walking my dog at the former cottage area of Pickering Beach, (now Ajax), Ontario. On a daily basis and sometimes twice a day, I take my Labrador Retriever for a walk along the lakefront of the old cottage town of Pickering Beach; this has been a routine of mine for several years now. On this average day I was just strolling about the Lakefront and on my way back I cut across Paradise Park, as I always do, to Ebony Street in order to make my way back up to Pickering Beach Road. On this day Rex my dog took a large and sudden leap and I veered to my right towards a large house and he started to bark quite out of the ordinary. I pulled Rex back and as I did I saw, as I have before, this strange long hairy tail (something like that of a cats but much longer) wrapped about the mid section of a tree on this property, then it just vanished. I continued to walk while Rex was barking away and looked again to the other side of the tree and there I saw the image of a monkey, a small round-headed little thing peering from the opposite side of the tree; this throwing a sheer shiver down my spine. It was seemingly chattering away directly at me but I couldn’t make out the exact sound other than a faint ‘chtch, chtch, chtch’ noise. This monkey sprang from the tree and ran across in front of Rex and I across the street towards the park into the ditch and back again to the property where it vanished towards the back of the house. This took a few short seconds, swift and agile as one would expect a monkey to be, the entire time this faint image looking right at us in a rather playful way however with it’s teeth showing making it quite scary! As soon as I would see this monkey It would be gone, it vanishing to the back of this grey house and Rex calming down almost immediately. In describing this ghost monkey I would say that that without a doubt this is nothing that is real, no actual living animal as it’s a faint image but enough that I can state for certain what it looks like and can identify it as a monkey. This has been an experience I have had 6 times before including my wife and one of her friends too. I have mentioned this odd sighting of course to the odd person but never wanted to go as far as place this in writing for fear that people think me insane. However my eyes and the eyes and experience of others have come in contact with this too – can we all be wrong in seeing this ghost monkey?
All local zoos were contacted and none were missing any monkeys, recently or for at least two years. It municipal area restricts ownership of monkeys, but since not everyone is law abiding, a search was done to see if they are in fact available for purchase. One seller was located in Sudbury. Primates are generally considered inappropriate as pets and it would be extremely unlikely that someone in the area had one that got loose. Additionally, the only likely monkey who could survive unsheltered in this climate would be the Snow Monkey, or Japanese Macaque.
The only North American free range Snow Monkeys known are located in Texas. No monkeys have been reported missing among any local shelters or police departments. After further discussion with the witness, we began investigating this as an actual apparition of an animal.
A cursory visit to the site revealed it to be nearly beachfront. There is a large park between the actual beach of Lake Ontario and the homes in the area.
(aerial photo of Pickering Beach—1984)
There are two paved roadways between homes and water. When we visited, the area was generally snow covered with many footprints—human, dog, cat, and what appeared to be squirrel. Nothing that looked like monkey tracks was apparent.
Pickering Beach was at one time a cottage area for upscale Toronto families. Established by lawyer James Tuckett in the 1920’s, it was a vacation site for the Corbets, Eatons, and Loblaws, among other prominent families. The cottages have largely been replaced by large homes and the area is now part of the Town of Ajax. Prior to becoming the beach resort, the area was cow pasture with a few trees and a small apple orchard.
During witness visits to the park, we located a memorial bench placed by the Corbet family. At the witness suggestion, we contacted Christian Corbet, family patriarch and renowned artist, with questions regarding his experience at Pickering Beach and his relationship that led to placing the bench. The Corbet family built the first permanent home at Pickering Beach in 1950 (demolished 2005). Mr. Corbet was extremely helpful. He was born at Pickering Beach (the only known baby to have been born there) and raised by his paternal grandparents. His Grandmother Alice Charlotte (Gould) Corbet had cared for the monkey during the latter years of its life and Christian knew the monkey well.
Mr. Corbet’s Great Grandmother Priscilla Foden Gould (1891-1977) was was regarded as having psychic abilities and could see auras. She also was a believer in reincarnation. Not all of the family was supportive of this thinking, but to have the element in the family heritage may be relevant. The monkey Chico was purchased at the Toronto SPCA on Christmas Eve in December 1933 as a companion animal to a cat. Alice Gould wanted this ginger coloured cat for Christmas and Chico was offered as a bonus as it was a companion to the cat and came from the estate of a deceased Toronto resident. The monkey became a became a gift for Alice’s brother Alfred Ernest Gould (1924-2001). Priscilla Gould continued to care for the monkey, named Chico, after her son Alf went to fight overseas with the RAF in World War II and the monkey remained in her possession until the monkey’s death.
Above: Alf Gould and Chico. Photo Credit Copyright, Corbet Family Archives by permission of Christian Corbet
Alice and her brother Alfred were twins born to Priscilla and Fredrick James Gould in March 1924. Alice died 17th January 2004 at Ajax, Ontario.
Alice Corbet was a huge part in establishing a new local school at Pickering Beach. As School Board Trustee, she fought for equal rights for women and equality among races. Alice Corbet is regarded as the first fully elected woman School Board Trustee on Ontario and most probably in all of Canada.
Chico was a wonderful pet until about 1943. He was often dressed in clothing and would play poker and other card games and chatter pleasantly, he was a part of the family. After he bit Alice’s hand in the 1940’s, his temperament changed and he became rather mean and unpleasant. By the 1960’s he required regular caging and was on a chain when outside. He also had a fondness for eating onions and patting the family cat when it lay next to its cage. Chico regularly escaped and would run across the road toward the local school often chasing people he was not fond of!
Above: Old School Section #1, one room schoolhouse. Picture here from l-r is Alfred John Corbet and Alice Charlotte Corbet nee Gould ca. 1950.
Chico died January 1971 and is is buried near where the family cottage was situated in Pickering Beach. Current Pickering Beach area construction has not disturbed the gravesite and it is believed that Chico is still resting undisturbed. Grandfather Corbet (Alfred John Corbet. II 1922-1989) built a true coffin and Chico rests with a pillow and a blanket after a family funeral.
(Alice Gould Corbet and Chico) Photo Credit: Copyright, Corbet Family Archives by permission of Christian Corbet
Most investigators and enthusiasts believe in the DPH (Dead Person Hypothesis, a phrase coined by Dr. Eric Ouelett, PhD) which is the idea that apparitions, poltergeists, etc. are the result of human beings who have died and whose “spirit” or “energy” remains. Could this be true for animals as well? If so, is it all animals or just those closely related to humans, like this monkey would be? If investigated like general ghost reports (i.e., using DPH) then the actions, location, and history would support the idea of a “ghost monkey”; Chico being an extraordinary animal with close paranormal ties and a turbulent life who returns to his favourite places.
Many thanks go to our original witness and to Mr. Christian Corbet for the wonderful support for this investigation. If you have seen Chico please send your report to PSICAN via the reports page or admin@psican.org
“What you cannot see, you cannot say does not exist” –Christian Cordell Corbett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickering_Beach,_Ontario
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Cardell_Corbet
Telephone conversation with Mr Christian Corbett, January 2010 with several follow-up emails.
Telephone Contact with Bowmanville Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Bergeron’s Animals, the Toronto Humane Society, Humane Society of Durham Region, RCMP, Durham Regional Police Service, February 2010
http://digitalheadbutt.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/cominatchalikeamonkey.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Macaque
http://www.pada.ca/ (Pickering Ajax Digital Archive)
http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11096030
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Written by Sue Demeter-St.Clair
Why is it do you think that timepieces often play a role in both fictional, and actual reports of ghostly encounters? Is it that clocks in general whether they be the grand, and classic grandfather clock, or a modern day wall clock, or even a simple watch are symbolic of something much greater that truly captures our imaginations, or is it that time itself is important in the mechanism of these events? Perhaps both?
I often think of a report that I investigated here in Ontario involving an antique clock. In that case it involved a young woman who inherited a stunning grandfather clock from her mother. Her mother had sadly passed on after a brief illness that had seen her confined to her living room during the day in the same room as this magnificent clock that had been passed down to her from her own Mom.
The clock had apparently stopped working some years before, but oddly enough began working again on the day this young woman’s mother passed on…. over 10 km away in hospital! The young woman who did not recall it working ever was shocked when she, and another family member entered her mother’s living room to see, and hear the old clock ticking, and its pendulum swinging! They took this to be a sign that their Mom was now with her own mother, and at peace.
I thought it was a lovely affirmation that life does go on…..
Another very similar report we received is as follows in the witness’ own words:
“On January 11th, 2008, my Aunt died in our home. One week prior to her death, a clock on our mantle began chiming every half hour. She died at 7:36am, and the clock did not chime again. The last chime was at 7:30am. The clock was purchased not working but because of it’s beauty. It had sat on my mantle for 15 – 20 years never chiming. In fact, the clock could not be wound. A similar clock I had given to my aunt, was moved to our home when she moved in with us approximately 4 years ago. It was on a china cabinet across from the mantle. It had never worked, as well. As I pointed to it one evening describing to a nurse what was happening with the chiming clock it began to tick loudly! My sisters and I assumed the clock chiming was a sign from my mother, who had died a year earlier, that she was there with my dying Aunt. Although it was scary, it was also comforting. When I asked my Aunt what she thought of the chiming clock she grinned and said it was magic!”
I often say that these types of experiences are just a natural extension of the human experience.They are beautiful, and they do bring comfort.
Our thanks go out to the witnesses who kindly share these experiences with us. If you have had a similar experience we would love to hear about it. Please contact us at admin@psican.org Your privacy will be protected.
Update March 2013
I received the following account from a reader in response to this article:
“I read your article on the chiming mantel clocks and their possible relationship to ghosts. I wanted to add my story to your report.
We have a a gold clock on our mantel that had stopped chiming about 10 years ago. We took it for repair at that time and were told it could not be fixed. It was a clock I had bought for an anniversary present for my parents many years ago.
My Mom and Dad were married Jan 11 1958. My dad died on May 6 2006 in our house on the sofa of a heart attack. The sofa is in the same room (living room) as the clock on the mantel. After the undertakers took his body away I noticed the lamp next to the sofa flickered.
As time went on we have noticed the clock starting to chime about once a year on different occasions. One year it was on a morning when i was going to the hospital for a test. Recently, it chimed on Christmas eve 2012. Then this month (January 19) it started chiming again almost every 15 minutes and continues thus far. On Jan 19 when it started chiming, i looked out the window and saw a bird poking his head out of our bird house.
I feel like it could be my dad coming to visit or an angel. It brings comfort to us when it chimes because we think of my dad.”
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Orangeville Apparition
We received the following report in March 2010:
“This happened many years ago on the night before fishing season opened. My friend and myself were collecting dew worms in a park near a forest. My friend went inside to obtain containers leaving me alone. I heard my name being called, first from a small standing of trees, and as I approached the voice, I then heard my name called again from the opposite side of park. It sounded ghostly. As my eyes shifted towards the new source, something caught my eye. I looked back and then I saw her. A woman, clothed in some type of see-through dress, as I could see her naked body. Her body was illuminated, and appeared to be the source of a white light. She had long dark hair that was blowing in the wind, but her face had no eyes. Her arms were extended to me as if to embrace me, and her dress flowing under her in the nonexistent breeze. It felt like a large cable attached to my chest which started pulling me towards the woman. I stumbled forward and started approaching her. Then I had a strong feeling of death and there was a weird smell as well that I remember. At that point i panicked, turned around shouting my friend’s name. As I looked back she was sinking into the ground. I was so totally shaken my body could barely support my legs. Later on I thought it might have been marsh gas, but the image of the woman was crystal clear.”
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Uxbridge Hoofed Entity
We received the following report in February 2010
” I was in my early teens in the mid 1980’s. I experienced the same “being” twice in two separate locations and times. The first time was in the woods, near Uxbridge, camping with scouts. I, and another kid, heard a strange deep breathing like a bull outside the tent. The “being” became agitated and circled the tent banging the side of the tent. The being sounded as though very tall and walked on two hooves. The second experience was the same deep breathing sound at my aunt’s house. I first thought my uncle was playing a joke on me.I soon realized the lung capacity of this breathing far exceeded that of a man. The sound was in another room at first. Next, I heard what sounded like hooves on the old wooden floor moving towards me. The noisy steps stopped in the doorway to the room I was in. The deep breathing continued and my heart was now racing. I thought that would be the end of it but then the steps continued rapidly to where I was laying on the floor. The two massive hooves came to rest straddling me in my sleeping bag. The “being” was pulling at my sleeping bag trying to uncover my face.I felt as though I was being partially lifted from the floor from the force. I was terrified and fought with everything I had to avoid seeing the face of the intruder. I screamed with everything I had and after a few seconds the “being” retreated. I heard three rapid steps as it departed beyond my head then it vanished.”
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We received the following beautiful account that illustrates that our love really does go on after death particularly when that love is between human and dog.
On April 22nd, 1999 I lost my best friend. Rosie was an eleven year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever that had been struggling with health from three months of age.
Throughout our eleven years together, Rosie proved time and again to understand every aspect of our family routine. She allowed by children, when they were too young to know better, to crawl all over her, stick their little fingers in her mouth, steal her food and she was always so wise and gentle with them. As my children grew, Rosie had memorized their school bus schedule and was the look-out at the door long before I was. When items were lost, Rosie could find them. When hearts were broken, Rosie could mend them.
In her tenth year, digestive problems overtook Rosie and her health became difficult to manage. The details are not pleasant, but it will suffice to say that one night, at one o’clock in the morning, Rosie came to me as I slept. She placed her cold nose on mine just long enough to wake me up. When I sat up and saw my dear friend, I realized that she had been overcome with bloat. It was not the first time, but something in her eyes and her distressing breathing told me it might be the last. I took Rosie into my sleeping children’s rooms. Gently I awaken them and said “Give Rosie a hug, she needs to go to the emergency with me right away”.
Innocently, each of my children gave Rosie a hug and kiss and then tumbled back into bed and their sleepy bliss.
I rushed Rosie to the emergency veterinary clinic. This time, they could not decompress her. Her heart was failing. I had to make ‘that choice’. It was inevitable. I could not let my friend suffer any longer. Her tail was wagging as we put her down.
I sobbed there with her on the floor for hours. She was my friend.
At three a.m. I drove home in a state that peaked with emotion. The sky was ethereal. I was connected to the next world because of Rosie. As I pulled into my driveway, my eyes focused on the neighbours house. The woman that lived their had been struggling with breast cancer for ten years. There was an absolute truth that came to me in words at that moment in the middle of the night. “Maria is leaving today”. I heard these words, not in my head but in my heart. As I stood there in the silent night, I looked up to heaven and I simply nodded.
The next morning I heard that Maria had died shortly after I had pulled into my driveway. I knew that Rosie had told me so.
Months passed. I was awakened by my jack russell terrier who had to relieve herself in the middle of the night. I staggered to the back porch. It was foggy and 1 a.m.
As my jack russell ran down into the yard and out of sight, a dark chocolate coated dog emerged from the fog and silently moved towards me across the back deck. Her head was down, her demeanour timid, but it was my Rosie.
My breath caught in my throat. My eyes opened up and released months of sorrow. I gently bent over and reached out a hand. She came towards me. I cupped my hands around her ears and rubbed them as I had a thousand times before. She loved it.
My husband came sleepily into the kitchen and asked what I was doing. I whispered” Its Rosie. Can you see her? Please don’t scare her away”. He nodded that he could see her and stood silently while she and I connected. When she felt that she had communicated what she had come to, she quietly backed into the foggy yard and was gone.
I awakened with tears streaming down my face. I asked a friend of mine who is a psychic what she thought. She told me that Rosie was one of my guardian angels. I believe her. I believe that Rosie is in a wonderful place now and I believe that she wanted me to know that.
When it is my time to pass, I am sure that Rosie will be waiting for me on the other side.
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The Spirit Of A Beloved Family Pet
“I have a very odd story to report. I recently was home visiting my parents. In my mother’s elaborate flower garden in the backyard are buried our two beloved dogs. Each one has a little plaque adorning their graves with their names and birth and death dates. Whenever I am home during the warmer weather I always make a point of going by the garden each time I visit and say a little “hello” to the doggies.
One afternoon my mother and I were sitting in the backyard talking, enjoying the lovely day. I had my feet folded underneath my seat and all of a sudden I felt a familiar feeling of a dogs’ nose pressing up against the bottom of my foot, as if it was trying to get my attention! It pressed pretty hard, I could feel the sensation of a dog’s nose against my foot.
Both of our family dogs were very small and had a habit of of trying to get your attention this way. I was pretty shocked by the whole incident but didn’t mention it to my mother because I didn’t want to upset her. When it happened I immediately looked underneath my chair and saw nothing around that could have caused
this. I did not imagine this. Maybe one of our pets was saying hello to me. Anyway, it was a very unusual experience.
Thank-you for reading my story about my “encounter” with my deceased pet dog. It was a very nice experience for me. I grew up with pets and whenever I go home to visit I always say a private hello to them. Our family cat is buried in our front garden and the two dogs are in the backyard flower garden. It is very special and not morbid at all. Pets are members of the family too.”
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The Spirit Of A Beloved Family Pet
“I have a very odd story to report. I recently was home visiting my parents. In my mother’s elaborate flower garden in the backyard are buried our two beloved dogs. Each one has a little plaque adorning their graves with their names and birth and death dates. Whenever I am home during the warmer weather I always make a point of going by the garden each time I visit and say a little “hello” to the doggies.
One afternoon my mother and I were sitting in the backyard talking, enjoying the lovely day. I had my feet folded underneath my seat and all of a sudden I felt a familiar feeling of a dogs’ nose pressing up against the bottom of my foot, as if it was trying to get my attention! It pressed pretty hard, I could feel the sensation of a dog’s nose against my foot.
Both of our family dogs were very small and had a habit of of trying to get your attention this way. I was pretty shocked by the whole incident but didn’t mention it to my mother because I didn’t want to upset her. When it happened I immediately looked underneath my chair and saw nothing around that could have caused
this. I did not imagine this. Maybe one of our pets was saying hello to me. Anyway, it was a very unusual experience.
Thank-you for reading my story about my “encounter” with my deceased pet dog. It was a very nice experience for me. I grew up with pets and whenever I go home to visit I always say a private hello to them. Our family cat is buried in our front garden and the two dogs are in the backyard flower garden. It is very special and not morbid at all. Pets are members of the family too.”
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“The paranormal experiences in my family are endless but the ones that stick in my mind are recent.
My mother-in-law Sandy, just passed away last autumn after a long battle with Parkinson’s. A day or two after her passing, strange, spooky and sometimes annoying, things started happening.
The first thing to occur, was the car horn going off for no reason whatsoever. My spouse and I would go outside to find a locked car with no signs of forced entry and with the horn stuck on. I had to push it a few times in order for it to shut off. I thought it was nothing more than a minor mechanical problem but not 30 minutes later the same thing happened again but this time it was the other horn button. We then started wondering if Sandy was doing this.
When Sandy was alive and healthier, she was a big practical joker. But for the last six years, she was trapped in a body where she could hardly move or speak. When she passed away, I think she felt there was some unfinished business and wasn’t ready to move on just yet.
One morning, while I was showering, and my spouse was sleeping, I had one of those feelings where I just knew that someone else was in the bathroom with me. I opened the curtain and didn’t see anything, so I just continued showering. Thirty seconds later the water got ice cold. Thinking I ran out of hot water, I got out. I was shocked to see that the hot water tap on the sink was open full. It wasn’t on earlier and my spouse swears that she was sleeping the entire time and never came into the bathroom.
Our four year old didn’t understand what death was, but she would often wakeup saying that grandma came into her room last night and talked to her until she fell asleep.
On another occasion, I was awakened at three in the morning by what sounded like shampoo bottles being knocked into the bathtub. They were falling one right after the other from a large, stable ledge. My spouse didn’t believe me at first, but the very next night she was awakened by the same sounds.
By this time we were getting used to the strange things happening and the only way we would deal with it was to joke about it. Whenever something weird would happen, our retort would be “Go back to sleep Sandy”.
The last thing to occur, happened while we were watching TV one evening. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a partial outline of a figure descend from the ceiling, sit on the stool near the TV for a while and then get up and leave the room.
If this was Sandy, we haven’t heard from her recently. We think that she came to our house because she always hated her home in Rockliffe Park. She also had a fondness for her grandchildren and had a special bond with the youngest one. Maybe she’s moved on now or just taking a break. Only time will tell.”
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A Ghost Called Margaret
“I should first start with a little bit of a background . I have been a sound engineer for over 20 years. The first part of my career was spent living out of suitcases. My old girlfriend at the time, who I had known since high school, lived in a small bachelor apartment while I was out on the road. We will call her “K”. One of the musicians I was working with at the time asked myself and “K” if we wanted to share a house with him and a student friend of his. It was a nice attached home in downtown Toronto.
As I stated earlier “K” and myself had been together for a longtime. I have always been interested in the para-normal, UFO’s and other strange phenomena. “K” did not have the same interests in these things as I did. In fact she thought it was ridiculous. After living in the house for a few months I started to hear and feel strange things.
One night when I was out to dinner with “K” she asked me if I had noticed anything strange happening around the house. I told her that I had and she said “I think we have a little visitor in the house”.
This surprised me. She said she started to notice strange sounds like the front door opening and someone walking up the hardwood floor and proceed up the stairs to the second floor. But on investigation there would be no one upstairs. After dinner when we got home we asked our student roommate “M” if he had experienced anything strange in the house. He said he was a little embarrassed to bring it up, but he had.
He too had heard the front door opening and footsteps into the house, in fact there was a night recently he had heard “K” and myself leave for the evening, shortly thereafter he heard the front door open and someone walking up the hallway. He was in the basement and came upstairs thinking that we had returned . When he got to the top of the basement stairs he tried to open the door but the door would not open. This door does not have the lock on it.
“M” first thought that we were playing at joke on him. He said he called out our names but there was no reply. Then he thought someone had broken into the house not knowing that he was in the basement. Armed with a baseball bat “M” tried the door again. This time the door opened. After walking around the house and finding the front door locked there was no one there.
“K” also told me that when she had come home after visiting me in the Quebec city where I was working for Christmas and New Year’s, that she found all of the towels from the upstairs bathroom were piled in the middle of the living room floor and no one had been in the house. This was just the start.
At first I thought it was sounds coming from the house next-door. The person who live next-door was an elderly Chinese gentleman who lived alone. When I heard the noises during the day I would go next-door to see if the old gentleman was home. Most of the time he wasn’t there, and his floors and stairs were carpeted. The footsteps seem to come from a younger person walking on hardwood floors. The sounds would happen day or night. It generally never happened late night when you might think something might spook you. In fact nothing would happen for months at a time and then over the course of two or three weeks a bunch of things would happen.
Every once and a while when you are walking upstairs ,you would get the impression that someone was trying to run past you and beat you to the top of the stairs. Then we started to notice that quite often while you are sitting on the main floor, reading or watching television that you would get the impression that someone was peaking around corner at you. When you looked in their direction they would duck away. We never felt threatened. It was almost as if it was playing a game with you.
One afternoon around four or 5 p.m. I was standing in the kitchen talking to “K” who had just got off work. The stereo was on in the next room. From corner of my eye I saw a hand come through the doorway three times. Like someone dancing in the other room. I ignored this thinking it was one of the roommates joking around . Then it happened again. The first gesture caught my attention, the second gesture I turned and looked, the third gesture I focused on a semi transparent hand. The hand looked to be the hand of a young girl. With one step backwards I could see through the kitchen doorway and around the main floor of the house. There was no one there.
After a few years “K” moved out and so did my two other roommates. I then got two new roommates. “J” was a university professor. “R” was a bit of a globe traveler who just needed a place to stay between trips abroad. One afternoon when “R” was in town with his girlfriend “Y”, I was walking up the stairs to the bathroom on the second floor to get ready to go to work. When I got to the top of the stairs the hallway was dark because the three bedroom doors were all closed, the only light was coming through the bathroom window into the hallway. I saw the silhouette of a woman or girl walking out of the bathroom. Thinking it was “Y” I asked her if she needed to use the bathroom because I needed it to get ready for work. The image came out of the bathroom turned and walked up the hallway and dissipated. At this point “Y” opened the bedroom door and asked me if I was talking to her.
I did not want to alarm her at what I had just witnessed. So I said to her I just wanted to know if she needed to use the bathroom because I needed to get ready for work. She said no thank you and turned that went back into the bedroom. At this point in time with having three bachelor guys under one roof we did a lot of entertaining. In fact it was “R” who nicknamed the entity or spirit “Margaret”. Sometimes when we would have guests over watching television or playing cards Margaret would start acting up. “R” would would basically say to me “Don’t say anything”.
Guests would ask us what the noise was coming from and we would just say next-door. Then one day we had a Sunday brunch with friends and colleagues that we all worked with. As the evening progressed “R” and myself felt that some of our guests had a little too much to drink so if we knew they were driving we would hide their car keys. Some of the guests slept over. The next morning “R” and myself were up early to head off to work, one of the guests had just woken up. We told her that there was a fresh pot of coffee on and when her boyfriend woke up they could leave at their leisure and just make sure the front door got locked.
The young woman went into the kitchen, got herself a cup of coffee, and started to clean up the dishes from the day before. At this point she noticed the little hand waving at her through the kitchen door. She was absolutely terrified. After backing her way around the kitchen to see through the kitchen doorway she saw no one there. She then ran to the front room to wake-up her boyfriend who was asleep on the sofa. He thought by her reaction that something terrible had happened in the middle of the night.
She wanted to leave the house immediately but her boyfriend said he had to use the bathroom first. She would not let him close the bathroom door. I later saw this woman that evening and she was furious with me that I had not told her about Margaret.
One summer morning I had been sleeping with a new girlfriend in the guest bedroom in the basement where it was nice and cool. My girlfriend got out of bed and went up to the kitchen to get something to drink. She immediately came back downstairs and woke me up, asking me if my other roommate “J” always got up first thing in the morning and smoked in the living room.
This surprise me because I knew “J” did not smoke at all and he was in bed with the flu. I ran upstairs to see who was in the house. There was no one in the living room and I could not smell smoke. I went back downstairs and asked my girlfriend what she had seen. She said she did not get a good look at who ever it was because she was only wearing a T-shirt and she was embarrassed. She said the person was of slender build and had long hair and she could smell smoke.
Things seemed to quiet down for while and then one evening I was standing in the front hallway by the front door talking to a cinematographer friend of mine about a music video that we were about to work together on. Then we both heard a women’s voice say “Ian”, like someone was trying to get my attention. My friend turned to me and said “I’ll let you go, talk to you tomorrow.”, and left. I then walked through to the kitchen to where “R” and his girlfriend were at the table working on their taxes. I asked them if they had called me. They said they had not said a word. I then called my friend on his cell phone and asked him if he had heard someone called my name, he said yes.
I had asked the landlord about the history of the house and he told me that he had lived in the house for a longtime before us. I asked him if anything strange had happened to him while he lived in the house. He laughed and said no. He eventually asked me if I wanted to buy the house, because he was going to sell it. “R” and myself discussed the idea but decided the timing was bad because he was going to Australia and I was going on a six-week tour in Europe. I lived in that house for eight years so moving was a real pain. It’s surprising how much stuff you can collect. My girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I were moving in together to a new house. Her sister offered to give us a hand in moving.
She had never been in the house and did not know it’s history. She was not in the house for more than a minute before she walked into the kitchen, turnaround, looking quite startled and said “Who is the girl I just saw in the kitchen?”
She left the house immediately. My wife also had been temporarily locked in the upstairs bathroom by Margaret for a short time. On the very last night I was in the house moving out the last odds and ends by myself, “Margaret” really started acting up. I was dying to call some of my more skeptical friends to come over and give me at hand. You could hear her banging around upstairs and when I was outside, she’d peak through the windows at me and then duck away. After I had the van all packed up I walked around the house talking out loud to Margaret telling her that I was leaving and she should leave to, because everything must move on.”
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Gibraltar Point Lighthouse – Toronto Image Credit: Marc Fitkin
The parks system at Toronto Island is truly one of the most spectacular in the city. Everything from the Centreville amusement park — with it’s Haunted Barrel Ride– to a small community can be found here, and on a warm summer’s day, it is probably one of the most interesting walks one can take. The island also contains some sites of historical significance, including a blockhouse that protected the harbour during the War of 1812 between the Americans and the British (Canadians), the ballpark where Babe Ruth smacked his first professional home run against the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, and the infamous Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.
It is not often that you run into a historic site that has a plaque telling of a ghost (especially in Ontario!) but here is one of the very few exceptions to that rule. The plaque states that the first lighthouse keeper disappeared mysteriously and that the site is rumoured to be haunted.
Image Credit: M. Didier
The story goes that Mr. John Paul Rademuller was the first lighthouse keeper, and that during those temperate years shortly following the war with America, Mr. Rademuller was a brewer of bootleg beer. Two drunken soldiers made their way to the lighthouse to partake of the illegal brew; however, when Rademuller refused them his custom, they clocked him over the head and killed him. To cover their crime, they dismembered his body and planted poor old John Paul all around his lighthouse.
The story goes that on dark and stormy nights, John Paul Rademuller can be seen trekking up to light his beacon. On other nights (or in other stories), his spectre (apparition) can be seen looking for his lost limbs. To add some credence to this story, lighthouse keeper George Durnan unearthed some bones near the structure in 1893.
Update: June 17th, 2003 While looking through a wonderful (but old) book about various documents pertaining to the City of York (Toronto) entitled The Town of York 1793-1815: A Collection of Documents of Early Toronto put out by the Champlain Society for the Government of Ontario via University of Toronto Press – 1962, we find that there is mention of Mr. Rademuller’s murder and that there was no “conviction” for it. Also, we find out the Mr. Rademuller was originally a member of The Royal Household (ie: the Royal staff in London) and worked in the Duke of Connaught’s household before coming to Upper Canada to start a German school. When this failed, he was given the post of lighthouse keeper because of his previous service to the crown.
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Hamilton Smokey Entity
“As a young adult, I worked for an environmental activist organization in Hamilton, Ont. It was fairly common practice to go out and have a few drinks after work to wind down. In those days, I was in the practice of walking everywhere including the long walk from downtown to my home up on the West Mountain.Unlike many other unremarkable nights, I found myself growing increasingly apprehensive as I approached the escarpment. For reasons I could not understand at the time, I felt drawn to certain objects along my journey that offered a sense of relief from this mounting anxiety: a flower petal here, a shiny rock or a lone tree there. In this way I progressed along my path towards the stairs that would lead me home. I believe these were the stairs at the top of James street? Going out of my way would have added an hour or so to my journey and being an impoverished young idealist, taxis were out of the question.As I approached the bottom of the imposing flight of steps to the top of the escarpment, I saw something that filled me with both wonder and dread. I should state that I am not a religious person in any way shape or form but the sight of this “entity” made me fear for my very soul.It was a large cloud of black smoke, perhaps twenty to thirty feet in diameter which seemed to move purposefully and in no way related to the light summer evening breezes. I was aware of what I would describe as a malevolent sentience and I broke out into a cold sweat, frozen in place watching this cloud move. I could feel a sort of electricity in the air, similar to being under the northern lights but much more intense. I could not be sure that “it” was aware of me or not but I believed that if it were, I would not be here to relate this story to you. This entity was some distance off, perhaps fifty metres or more and would stop, change direction and speed in ways that smoke or mists cannot.Once it had passed the bottom of the stairs to the point where I felt I could make a run for it, I broke into a fevered sprint. I raced up the almost fifteen-hundred steps which are as near to vertical as a staircase can be before being called a ladder and continued on for another three or four blocks until I no longer felt the presence of this malevolent thing.Certainly, the adrenaline caused by fear and trepidation played a significant role in my seemingly super-human endurance but even this is not enough to convince me of how I was able to manage such a run. I was a heavy smoker and drinker, despite my predilection for walking, I did no sort of exercising whatsoever and world class marathon runners challenge themselves by training on these stairs up the Niagara escarpment. I was barely winded. To this day I believe that I had help of some sort, the same sort of help that directed me towards those objects that gave me the strength to carry on towards this entity.”
The witness also shared the following information in regards to this experience:
“Some time later, I took an interest in the paranormal and accompanied some co-workers to a psychic retreat in the US called Lillydale. Upon my arrival there, I saw this same black, smoky figure although this time it was a great distance away and I had no fear or impression that it was aware of me at all. I spoke with one of the resident psychics who suggested that negativity can call forth such things but she would not elaborate on it any further.I’ve heard mention of black smoke apparitions and when I saw movie trailers for the movie “The Grudge” many years later, I was astonished at how accurate the depiction of a smoky black entity was to what I had witnessed. Of course the movie was awful, but they got the black smoky apparition that moves with a sentient purpose almost spot-on.I don’t presume to understand these events any more than I care whether anyone else believes me. I know the truth of what I saw and felt that night and for some reason, I thought your readers might might appreciate the story.”
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Ontario Guardian Angel
We received the following account in July 2009:
“My then thirteen yr. old son and I went up to my room to lay down, as he was feeling ill from the effects of his Fatty Liver Disease. This disease had been recurring since he was around eight yrs old. He would become very lethargic, very feverish, constant vomiting and diarrhea, this would last for anywhere from a week to a month.
I put him in our bed so I could watch in case he vomited while asleep. He turned to the right side of our room where my husband’s dresser sits. This dresser has a big mirror that sits atop it. My son said, “Hey look mommy, do you see her? She’s in the mirror.” I replied that of course I did, but could he explain what he saw.
He told me that in the mirror was a beautiful lady in white with wings and she was looking at him. I said “Honey, she’s just your guardian angel. No need to be scared.” And we went to sleep.
The very next night, I again, took him up to our room to lay down and he once again said, “Look mom! Can you see her now?” And when I turned to look into the mirror, I was completely taken aback because I saw a lady in white and she was smiling and glowing! I, however, also saw, a man dressed in what looked like brown top and brown pants and shoes, standing somewhat behind her, off to her left.
I asked my son if he saw the man too, but he said, “No, just the angel lady.”
I panicked and started to cry and to my regret, I bolted from the room, with my son in hand!
She never appeared again, but to this day, since that event, he has never come down with the Fatty Liver Disease problem again. He is now 17 yrs. old and he still remembers our ‘experience’ , although, he has no recollection of a man in brown, as I do.
I believe she was my son’s Guardian Angel, trying to let me and my son know that he would soon be over this illne;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Ontario
A close up of the babies in the very old photo found within the “haunted” trunk.
The following account of a “haunted” trunk was shared with us in November 2008
I’ve read the stories on the Toronto Ghosts web-site and while I know your Toronto Ghosts site contains stories of “haunted” places, I’d like to share a story with you regarding a possible “haunted” object.
Since I was small I’ve experienced things most people do not, such as “seeing” people walking around in my bedroom at night, distinctly hearing “voices” when no one was around, yet the information, things I couldn’t possibly know, given from these “voices” turns out to be accurate. I’ve been able to somehow receive information regarding certain family members and situations that I had absolutely no way of knowing, situations which have not yet occurred, but then do in fact come to pass exactly as I have predicted, especially regarding deaths, illnesses, accidents and pregnancies.
Due to all these experiences, it lead to me reading at a very early age countless books on the occult, metaphysical, and all things ghostly.
Now that I am older I am far more comfortable with this so called ability. I don’t scare from what I see or experience as easily, and I strongly believe that death is simply a transition, and that our soul carries on after our body dies, and that our loved ones can and do communicate with us after death.
However, as a child it was a different story. The experience I’d like to share with you is regarding an old trunk.
I was all of 5 or 6 when I first experienced this. I didn’t know where the trunk came from, and hadn’t even given it any thought when I was a kid, it had simply been mine for as long as I could remember….and I hated it, hated the “feelings” I got from it.
It’s a big black metal trunk with a latch to lock it, but my parents never had the key for it. The inside of the trunk is covered in what looks like faded printed wall paper. I would keep baby dolls, barbies, doll clothes and other toys in this trunk. The trunk sat in my bedroom closet on the floor. I was lucky as a kid, I had a huge double door closet, along with my own good sized bedroom.
It wasn’t until just recently in my life after doing some research, that I discovered that the trunk is called a “steamer trunk”, since it was used by people who traveled on steamer ships. It dates back to the late 1800s to early 1900s.
I remember as a child, laying in bed at night and because of my fear of things I used to “see” I slept with two bedside lamps on in my room.
I’d be laying in bed trying to fall asleep and I would hear what I can only describe as muffled voices coming from within my closet. Of course I’d get out of bed to go tell my mom or my dad, and they’d investigate only to find nothing, telling me that it was simply my imagination or that I was dreaming. I would argue with them that it wasn’t a dream because I had been wide awake when I experienced it! I’d get back into bed and within minutes of my parents leaving the room, I’d hear the voices again. It would sound like muffled chatter, laughter and sometimes I’d hear faint music. There were times I’d hear the voices from within the closet, and I would lay in bed staring at my closet unable to move from fear, and would see the closet doors slowly opening, it scared the hell out of me and I’d run to my parents again, only to be reassured again that it was my imagination.
Sometimes I’d be brave and approach the closet, whip the closet door open only to hear the muffled sounds stop, yet I would get a very eerie, negative sort of vibe from the trunk, and I didn’t like it, it truly scared me.
It felt like something negative was connected with the trunk, not necessarily evil, but more of a bad, negative feeling, like something bad happened. I did not like it. I remember telling my mom “the trunk is evil”, to which my mom would reply “how can a trunk be evil”? Of course I could not give her a good reason, even as a kid I knew it didn’t make sense, so I would simply reply with “well I don’t like it”.
One night it happened again, only when I opened the closet doors it didn’t stop, and the muffled voices appeared to be coming from within the trunk! I threw the lid back and the noise stopped, and of course all I found in there were my toys. The very next morning I told my parents about it, and my dad suggested that the trunk be moved into the storage closet in the hallway, which I happily agreed to, so my dad moved it right then and there.
While the trunk was stored in the other closet I no longer experienced the muffled noises from within my bedroom closet.
Years later, when I was probably 16 or 17 I got to thinking about the trunk and the experiences I had with it, and tried to believe I was simply young and had a wild imagination, part of me told myself it was simply my imagination, but then another part of me argued that I knew damn well that I had experienced it. I had decided however, that I wanted to use the trunk to store some of my stuff in, so I had my dad move it back into my closet.
I still felt negative “vibes” but never again experienced hearing the muffled sounds.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I got talking with my parents about my experiences as a kid, and that old trunk that my mom said, “well, maybe it’s haunted, we don’t know the history of that trunk”. I asked my mom, “what do you mean you don’t know the history of the trunk” I had always assumed the trunk was my parents and then it became mine. My parents then informed me that years ago when I was only young, probably 2 years old; when they were Superintendents’ of an apartment building, part of their job was cleaning apartments after tenants moved out, so that the apartment could be rented. It was during this time, an elderly lady from within the building moved out. My parents went into her apartment to get rid of any items left behind, such as unwanted furniture etc, so that they could clean the apartment and mop the floors. All that was left in the elderly ladies apartment was the trunk. In it was an old, large framed, antique black and white photo of two babies, and a dress. (see photos within this entry – close-up photo is posted to the top) My parents tried and tried locating the lady to contact her, but could not find any forwarding address, and did not know where she moved to.
Update April 2010
The following photos were sent in by the owner of the trunk. She would appreciate any feedback, thoughts, and/or impressions. You can send these in directly to PSICAN via admin@psican.org (please put Haunted Trunk in the subject header of your email) and we will forward these on to the owner.
The babies in the frame
My mom thought one of the babies in the pic looked a lot like my dad when he was a baby, and thought it was sad that no one wanted the babies picture so she kept it. They also kept the trunk and gave it to me. My mom still has this picture hanging in their house. I’ve never experienced any “vibes” from the picture.
The back of the frame
The photo is in a large ornately styled metal oval shaped frame, with concaved glass. The back of the frame is metal, appears to be the original backing to it, and when you take the picture out, the photo itself is made of thick cardboard like paper. Doing research, I’ve discovered that the photo too is most likely from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
I still have that old trunk and don’t feel scared from the so-called vibes that I get, but it’s more of a very sad, heavy feeling. I would really like to find out the history of the trunk but I guess I’ll never know. Thanks for letting me share my story.
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The Haunted Great Lakes
Since their discovery, the Great Lakes have spawned a rich legacy of myth, folklore, legend and tales of unexplained phenomena. American Indian mythology, for example, is steeped in stories surrounding the lakes.
In more recent times, stories of haunted lighthouses, ghost ships, phantom lights and sailor superstitions are common. But do these reports amount to more than wild imagination? Maybe, maybe not.
“Are they history, as such? Certainly not; they’re not verifiable,” said Frederick Stonehouse, a maritime historian who has written 13 books. His publishing credits include “Haunted Lakes,” a 1997 book that explores tales of Great Lakes ghosts, superstitions and sea serpents.
Stonehouse, who considered using a pen name to write “Haunted Lakes” to protect his reputation, said that while the stories do not represent serious history, they do occur within a historical framework. “They clearly are a part of the Great Lakes and the oral history of the Great Lakes,” he said.
Strange phenomena reported years ago still are reported today, in an updated fashion. An example is ghost ships.
On Sept. 18, 1679, the sailing vessel Griffon and its crew of six disappeared after leaving Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, headed for Lake Erie. Sailors since have claimed to have seen the ship sailing again on the lakes.
Several other ships that have sunk or been lost have been sighted again as ghost ships. These sightings are often considered by sailors to be a harbinger of an impending storm.
The ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank off Whitefish Point on Nov. 10, 1975, with 29 crewmen. It is by far the most famous Lake Superior shipwreck. It was reportedly sighted by a crew on a Great Lakes commercial vessel in 1995. “You can’t say whether or not they’ve seen it, but it’s kind of neat to have this same thread showing up again,” Stonehouse said.
Ghosts also are haunting new places. A sport diver exploring the wreck of the steamer Emperor near Isle Royale in 1988 reportedly saw the ghost of a crewman lying on a bunk who looked back at the diver.
Stonehouse said he neither believes nor disbelieves in ghosts but tries to keep an open mind about the unexplained. The Marquette historian is currently penning a sequel to “Haunted Lakes.”
Originally published to Marquette Mining Journal By John Pepin
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The Haunted Great Lakes
Since their discovery, the Great Lakes have spawned a rich legacy of myth, folklore, legend and tales of unexplained phenomena. American Indian mythology, for example, is steeped in stories surrounding the lakes.
In more recent times, stories of haunted lighthouses, ghost ships, phantom lights and sailor superstitions are common. But do these reports amount to more than wild imagination? Maybe, maybe not.
“Are they history, as such? Certainly not; they’re not verifiable,” said Frederick Stonehouse, a maritime historian who has written 13 books. His publishing credits include “Haunted Lakes,” a 1997 book that explores tales of Great Lakes ghosts, superstitions and sea serpents.
Stonehouse, who considered using a pen name to write “Haunted Lakes” to protect his reputation, said that while the stories do not represent serious history, they do occur within a historical framework. “They clearly are a part of the Great Lakes and the oral history of the Great Lakes,” he said.
Strange phenomena reported years ago still are reported today, in an updated fashion. An example is ghost ships.
On Sept. 18, 1679, the sailing vessel Griffon and its crew of six disappeared after leaving Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, headed for Lake Erie. Sailors since have claimed to have seen the ship sailing again on the lakes.
Several other ships that have sunk or been lost have been sighted again as ghost ships. These sightings are often considered by sailors to be a harbinger of an impending storm.
The ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank off Whitefish Point on Nov. 10, 1975, with 29 crewmen. It is by far the most famous Lake Superior shipwreck. It was reportedly sighted by a crew on a Great Lakes commercial vessel in 1995. “You can’t say whether or not they’ve seen it, but it’s kind of neat to have this same thread showing up again,” Stonehouse said.
Ghosts also are haunting new places. A sport diver exploring the wreck of the steamer Emperor near Isle Royale in 1988 reportedly saw the ghost of a crewman lying on a bunk who looked back at the diver.
Stonehouse said he neither believes nor disbelieves in ghosts but tries to keep an open mind about the unexplained. The Marquette historian is currently penning a sequel to “Haunted Lakes.”
Originally published to Marquette Mining Journal By John Pepin
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Queen’s Park Toronto
Just call it a haunting experience.
The chills start when you descend through the clutter and junk into the damp vault.
Something invisible hangs in the air. You expect a clawlike skeletal hand to reach out and tap you on the shoulder.
It sends shivers down your spine.
We’re in the “vaults” at Queen’s Park — a sinister and little known part of the building — definitely not on the itinerary for tourists.
My guide is Speaker Steve Peters. He has his own apartment in this 115-year-old rambling neo-gothic building and knows most of its nooks and crannies.
This being the season of ghosties, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night, he’s giving me and Sun photographer Ernest Doroszuk a tour of these hallowed, haunted halls. There are reportedly four — and maybe five — spirit inhabitants.
Deep in the bowels of the building, the vaults are ground zero for wraiths. This was once the place where movies were stored before they were screened by provincial censors, but it’s not porn ghosts or forbidden movie sex romps that haunt the place. This is where an asylum for psychiatric patients was located, before it was demolished to make way for the Legislative building.
The hauntings go back to that time, says Peters.
“One of these stories is that of the three women ghosts, one of them has supposedly been witnessed in this area, out in the hallway, hanging on a coat hook,” he explains.
“We have no real physical evidence, but for many people it is synonymous with the early days of the asylum and the three women ghosts who are reputedly inhabiting us here at Queen’s Park,” he explained.
Three women — former inmates — are said to haunt the building. One of them has long white hair, while another has a checked dress thrown over her head. A third hanged herself in the basement.
The most recent ghost sighting was in the Lieutenant Governor’s suite.
There were two independent sightings of that spectre.
In 2006, an aide to then Lt.-Gov. James Bartleman saw a man leave the vice-regal washroom, walk past a reception desk and into the historic Music Room. What makes the sighting all the spookier is that months later, a cleaner — who speaks very little English and was unaware of the earlier sighting — saw a man in a swallow-tail suit in the same part of the L-G’s suite.
The cleaner was able to identify the ghost from one of many portraits of former lieutenant governors that hang in the suite, although the Lt.-Gov’s office has been reluctant to identify which one.
The vice-regal suite is currently under renovation, but Peters was able to sneak us in for a brief glimpse. Our footsteps echoed eerily through the vast elegant emptiness.
Peters points out these rooms were not originally occupied by the Lt.Gov. In 1937, former premier Mitch Hepburn sold Government House — also known as Chorley Park– and the Lt.Gov took over these rooms which had previously been used by the Speaker. The Speaker moved to an apartment one floor up.
“The most recent ghost sighting was within the quarters of the Lt.-Gov’s suite and reference was made that it was a man dressed in red,” points out Peters. And that, he says, ties in with another ghost legend around here.
A military man in red is said to haunt the main staircase.
He has appeared several times, scowling and frowning.
“We are not sure of the origins of the individual, but there have been a number of reported sightings of this soldier, dressed in red, coming down the main staircase here,” says Peters.
Many of the portraits of former Lt.-Govs. depict individuals dressed in red uniforms, points out the MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London.
Staff who’ve been around here a long time are familiar with the stories. A surprising number of them have encountered the ghosts of Queen’s Park — although they are reluctant to talk on the record about the apparitions.
Even some journalists — often here late at night — have felt the presence of supernatural beings.
Then again, it could just be the ghosts of political careers they’ve encountered. I’ll pass on the movie review board, but certainly hope I encounter the spirit of that other provincial agency — the LCBO — this evening. Martini, anyone?
Originally published by the Owen Sun Times with the headline It’s not just current politicians haunting Queen’s Park By Christina Blizzard November 3rd 2008
Steve Ramsey- Calgary – Alberta
. Wow, I am going to try this. Thanks for the information. I get especially dry in the winter months and hope this will help. Me too– on days when my skin is feeling tight/dry I put the smallest drop (like a grain or two of rice)and rub it into my face– works wonders. Better than any cream out there! I finally got around to trying it last night. WOW my skin feels amazing. My face has not itched at all today and my skin feels so smooth. Loving this. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Olive oil sounds like a good idea but I amnot so sure about castor oil as it may increase the speed/density of hair around the face. Many people use it for faster hair, eyelash and eyebrow growth so I would suggest that you are careful when using it. I ‘d read that too– and was worried. I’m a hairy lady … BUT the good news is that there has been NO extra hair growth beyond what I typically have(and where it typically should be). … my eyebrows, which had begun