Rattling chandeliers, blood dripping down the walls, a crying bride in Room 473 — at TripAtlas.com, we’re getting ready for Halloween by taking a look at these famous haunted hotels in Canada. Some of these hotels have almost too much paranormal history that it leaves little room for skeptics and doubters — but you can be the judge of that.
Eerily, a few of these hotels have made it on TripAtlas.com’s Top 10 Spa Getaways in Canada Destinations and our Top 10 Amazing Dream Weekend Getaways in Canada. Maybe they’re not as relaxing or as dreamy as we thought. What’s even spookier — more than just a few of these are luxurious Fairmont hotels that were built along the Canadian Pacific Railway during the 1800s.
The Lady in Red is Dancing on the 14th Floor
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia
As one of the most distinguishable buildings in Vancouver and a typical Fairmont chateau establishment, today’s version was built in 1939. Amongst is grand architecture and its gargoyles, you may just find another one of its wonders: the lady in red. She has been described as an elegant lady in a red dress walking along an invisible ledge and wandering down the corridors of the 14th floor (or is it really the 13th?). Stranger still, the hotel’s elevator is known to make stops on the 14th floor at random, without being requested.
While in the East Coast of Canada I was fortunate enough to find a Value Village and a practically brand new Tarot card set with an information book. I was just in Chapters last week and I suddenly had the urge that I really wanted one?? Full Story »
Lower Bay Station, Toronto’s ghost subway station, will set the stage for a show featuring noises deep below the rumbling of the city. These sounds have also been associated with paranormal activity and ghost sightings.
A-9 — Lower Bay TTC Station, Installation entrance at Cumberland St. and Bellair St.
Last night hubby and I were running a bit late and didn’t end up going out for dinner until past 9:30pm! We headed downtown looking for a place that serves Steak & Seafood. I suggested the Keg Mansion because the food is good, there is a lot of history, the ambience is wonderful and it’s said to be haunted! My husband loved the idea too so we drove right over. Parking for customers is free so that was great and we were seated right away, but not before I got some information from the hostess. I asked her where the most activity was. She answered casually stating that we would find some if we went up the staircase to the second floor by the bar. I was like no I meant paranormal activity. She responded so did I! She told us that we could eat on the main floor and then go upstairs to see. She went on to tell us that the 2nd floor lady’s bathroom is another spot and that sometimes woman have been locked in the stalls becasue that is where Mrs. Massey died. She said to go up to the 3rd floor and take a peek too even though it is locked. I was so excited and I couldn’t wait for dinner to be over! The meal was very good and the room we were in was amazing with detailed wood work, stain glass windows, a fireplace encased with glazed colorful tiles. Every inch of the room had such hand craftsmanship that I couldn’t stop looking around. The feeling I was getting was very strong energy and I felt very alive! I wasn’t afraid at all and I kind of felt that the spirits there liked all the attention the Keg patrons were giving. After our meal we were left to venture about the mansion! It was so wild and such a trip. I went to the ladies room and instructed my husband to save me if I wasn’t back in 5 minutes lol Nothing happened, I didn’t see any ghosts at all, so I met him outside. I was very drawn to this oval like vestabule that overlooked the main entrance. I referenced Haunted Toronto by John Robert Columbo and found out that’s where one of Mrs. Massey’s maids had hung herself after finding Mrs. Massey dead. Then after our look around the 2nd floor we headed up to the 3rd. A couple of fellows were right behind us and talking about how the Keg Mansion is haunted. I was right up front in centre peeking in the locked glass door, it was dimly lit and I could make out a large painting and a couple other rooms. My husband was right behind me shining his cell phone over my head to help me see better. The two gentlemen asked if we saw anything… I responded nope. Even still just being in such a grand and charming home like the Keg Mansion was enough for me. Next time maybe I’ll bring my Ouija and go up to the middle of the 2nd floor, by the window, and have a seat at the built in cushioned bench. lol Anyways I rate the Keg Mansion 4.5 stars out of 5! I will be back and if you see someone with a Ouija there you’ll know who it is :D
For more information on the Keg Mansion please pick up a copy of Haunted Toronto
Canada Malting Silos located in the Toronto Harbourfront on the foot of Bathurst Street. Only one of two silos remain today. The silos were built in 1928 to store malt hops for the Canada Malting Company. Deemed an important work of industrial architecture, the concrete malting towers were a new innovation, they would prevent fire because grain elevators had been previously built out of wood. In 1944 a round office was added to original construction. Abandoned in the 1980s and set for demolition, the Canada Malting Silos were deemed a heritage site by the City of Toronto. They were to be converted into a music museum or theme park. Instead it just sits there inviting the curious into it’s very dangerous midst. Speaking of which… last night at approximately 1:00 a.m., we were enjoying the view of the city, and noticed a shining flashlight piercing the ebony sky from the highest point of the eerie malting plant.  We scrambled to find a flashlight and when we did start shining it towards them they responded with more light, along with a beam of red… I assumed it was from a video camera. I wonder what they found?  Flashes also lit up spots of the plant from many different cameras on various floors. I wonder if the culprits are going to post it all online? I have only walked around it’s outskirts and never ventured to enter because I have read up on it and have come to find that it’s dangerous so I keep away. I also feel a substantial amount of negative energy and you know me and negative energy… I just can’t stand it.Â
Haunted Hamilton is hosting an “overnight paranormal investigation and seance” at Fort Henry, and spaces are still available. Visit their website for more details and to book a seat.
(Newsflash: The Sun building will be listed for sale, publisher Kin-Man Lee tells staff. It’s too big and he doesn’t want to be a landlord. So … )
Hurry!!! Primo!!!! Won’t last!!!!
KING STREET CUTIE!!!!!
Sidesplit, 300,000 square-foot red-brick jewel in the heart of red-hot Olde York.
Historic, original 1970s Box of Brick style, with STUNNING addition and makeover in Late 20th-Century Revival.
Steps to TTC. In fact, be careful or be schmucked by a streetcar. Perfect location for flipping bird at drivers during sudden transit strikes.
Parking for 190, plus 351/2 baths, including toilets for 94, urinals for 21, and showers for 15 very, very close friends.
Let’s party!!! Spacious living-dining. Finished basement. Three full kitchens. Water coolers, which have heard some amazing tales.
No bedrooms as such, but comfy couches galore and countless stairwells to curl up in.
Comfort Room, to entertain a special someone or unwind after cleaning 351/2 washrooms.
Let the sun shine in!! Or gawk at the stars, and I don’t just mean Liz Braun. Skylights soar above Gone With The Wind central staircase.
SWEEPING VIEWS
Stock up on Windex. 232 windows in assorted shapes and sizes, and you keep the vertical blinds.
Light fixtures stay, including some wires we’re not sure what the hell they are.
Picturesque 3.92 acres, with sweeping views of the lake, CN Tower, financial district, Betty’s bar, Zoulpy’s deli and Fire Station 333.
Newer roof.
Security PLUS! Sixteen cameras. WHAT!!!?? (Not in the comfort room, Mikey.) Steely men in uniforms also available.
Zoned commercial, but we can fix that. Mayor Miller luvs us.
PLUS!!! a ton of other bonuses!!!!
Wall-to-wall carpet, potted plants, pot-lights, any pot left in the entertainment department, and 50 tons of Goss presses, for that busy modern family with heavy printing needs.
One of a kind haunted room!!!!
Everyone who has ever occupied a certain second-floor office has been fired. Rare opportunity for business owner with problem employee. Or family with problem child.
Other spirits abound, with names like Rimmer, Big Red, Shaky, Mac, Moneypenny, the Moaner, the Baron.
Did we mention the murals?!!
Kick back with a brew and feast your eyes on the history of Toronto parading across your very own Front St. wall.
Or the Donato masterpiece in the breakfast nook, lampooning many celebs.
Andy says it’s worth $4.5 million in today’s market.
But, for you, FREE!!!! If you buy this property before Canada Day.
Shows like a model!!!! Fully equipped photo studio. SUNshine Girls not included.
DEDICATED HORDE
A dedicated horde of parking officers on King St. You can bloody well have ‘em for all we care.
Also: An oasis in the city!!! A jungle of ferns and small trees, some real, some suspiciously shiny.
Umpteen framed photos of Joe Carter celebrating his 1993 World Series-winning homer.
Stacks of old newspapers and any journos found slumbering therein.
Several dust-coated but collectible IBM typewriters. Museum quality.
I think I recognize John Downing’s pawprint on one of them.
Income potential!!!! You could house Kitchener in the basement.
Sorry, not included: Incidental bald columnists.
Or the Headless Argo photo. Already gave that away to a friend of the Headless Argo.
Or the fish tank in Paul Godfrey’s old office. It’s gone. Sprang a leak, a day before the kitchen served Seafood Chowder Surprise.
Or the best damn newspaper staff in the country.
This whole deal will take months, maybe years. Terms negotiable. We’ll rent back, or we’ll move out.
I stumbled upon another paranormal show on the Woman’s Network that’s called Ghostly Encounters. It features people that have had experienced the metaphysical, telling their tale and the show somewhat depicting it. It’s a good show, but I still love Discovery’s A Haunting better ( it’s back on at 10pm on Friday nights!!!). For more information please click HERE
In a day when ghost investigation has become a subject for reality television and those involved are more like cartoon characters than serious researchers, it’s prudent to take a look at a real Ghost Hunter. Hans Holzer has authored 160 books about the paranormal. Born in 1920, he has spent many years of his life investigating the ghost phenomenon throughout the world. Hans was the first academically trained researcher to define ghosts and ghostly activity for Parapsychology and his book, The Ghost Hunter (published in 1963), set the standard for understanding and investigating that area of the paranormal. Holzer earned his Phd from the London College of Applied Science and has helped establish many of the protocols used by Parapsychologists today. He’s taught Parapsychology at the New York Institute of Technology and has a wealth of hands-on experience when it comes to ghost hunting. After attending one of his lectures back in the 1970s, I found Hans to be fair, objective and serious about the investigation of paranormal events. More importantly, he’s a wonderful Mentor that has helped many people interested in ghost research to get started on the right path.
Holzer is one of the first paranormal researchers to appear on television and create a positive impression. I recall seeing him in a number of specials, shows and news documentaries aired during the 1960s. This was a time when the media was especially skeptical about anything involving ghosts. His work on the paranormal investigation of historical sites in New York City, for example, was filmed, shown on television and received an excellent response from viewing audiences and the news media alike.
Anyone that is a fan of Leonard Nimoy’s ‘In Search Of’ series of the 1970s will recall seeing Hans on the show. Holzer’s book, The Ghosts That Walk in Washington, became a classic read on Washington, D.C. ghosts and an excellent written account of his famous Woodrow Wilson House ghost hunt. Hans frequently works with Mediums and isn’t afraid to embrace alternative ideas and methodologies. His book, Ghosts, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and become a definitive work on the subject. Hans says of that book, “It’s an encyclopedia of all the ghost cases that I have been involved in.”
Beyond the fact that Hans Holzer stepped up and made the investigation of ghostly activity a legitimate area of study, I appreciated his work because we both have something in common. Hans became interested in the paranormal when he was eight years of age. I became interested in UFOs, ghosts and the paranormal when I was nine years of age. That makes a difference. It gives you time to formulate ideas, study the work of others and develop a healthy respect for objectivity, as opposed to becoming a true believer, skeptic or debunker.
I am happy to see that Alexandra Holzer, daughter to Hans Holzer and Artist, Countess Catherine Buxhoeveden, has taken on the task of writing about what it was like growing up in that family. Her book, Growing Up Haunted: A Ghostly Memoir, is a delightful collection of stories and behind the scenes facts about her famous dad and mom, as well as their children. Among other things, the book delves into what it was like for Hans to take on a world set against the belief that ghosts were anything more than loose floorboards, overactive imaginations and drug induced or psychotic fantasies.
It’s easy for anyone to enter an allegedly haunted environment with a camera crew in town, check a few meters, run a digital recorder for possible EVPs and try and debunk the place. It’s another thing to take on the same task armed with the knowledge, well-rounded skills and a serious desire to objectively unlock the secrets of the unseen world. Hans Holzer has set the standard for ghost investigation and provided an excellent example for the rest of us to follow. For more, visit http://www.UFOguy.com
http://www.ufoguy.com
Bill Knell is a popular Speaker, Author and Consultant with eclectic interests. Best known for his Paranormal Research and Seminars, Bill also excels in the area of personal, business and financial advice and management. Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Omni, the L.A. Times, Toronto Star and NY Times; seen on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Fox Television and many Cable Networks; heard on Mancow, Bob and Tom and Howard Stern; consultant to films like Independence Day, Men in Black, the Fifth Element and World of the Worlds.
