It’s Halloween! What better way to celebrate than with some ghost stories? Here are CityNews.ca’s Top 5 Haunted Buildings in Toronto.
5. Old City Hall
Judges’ robes mysteriously being pulled, footsteps heard walking down deserted hallways, moans from empty holding cells in the basement - these are among the many unexplained occurrences that have been reported from Old City Hall. So what (or who) is disturbing the building? One theory is that it’s the ghosts of Robert Turpin and Arthur Lucas, the last two men sentenced to hang in Canada. Although tried for separate crimes their lawyer, Ross MacKay, believed both men to be innocent. Whether it’s the spirit of disgruntled criminals or just an old creepy building is up to you to decide.
4. The Royal York Hotel
The Royal York Hotel has been a fixture on Toronto’s cityscape since 1929. When it opened it was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth. It has welcomed more than 40 million visitors over the years and is still one of the nicest buildings (inside and out) standing in this city. Could it be haunted? According to John Robert Colombo’s book Mysteries of Ontario, the eighth floor has the spirit of an older man with grey hair walking the halls at night. And a report on The Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society website mentions the ghost of a former employee who hanged himself in the staircase leading up to the roof.
3. Keg Mansion
Go for the steak, hang with the ghost. Literally. The best-known haunting at the Keg Mansion (located on Jarvis St. just North of Wellesley St.) is that of a maid who hanged herself when the Massey Family owned the house. Supposedly you can still see her hanging from a rope in the front entrance some nights. Other reports include the sound of children running and playing in the kitchen and upper floors and some creepy sightings in the women’s washroom. As long as they don’t affect the food I think the ghosts add a nice ambiance to the restaurant. Bon Appétit!
2. The Guild Inn
A recent article on blogTO reminded me how much history the Guild Inn has and just how terrifying it can be. Located on top of the Scarborough Bluffs it was originally built to be the summer home of Colonel Harold Bickford. Over the years it has been a missionary college, museum, military hospital, a hotel and now an abandoned building. With such a sordid past it’s no wonder there are reports of paranormal activity. Loud noises at night, random temperature drops, door handles rattling and visions of a young soldier with one blue eye and one brown. Spooky.
1. The Old Don Jail
The Old Don Jail housed a lot of evil in its time. Many hangings took place at the indoor gallows (including the last two men to hang: Arthur Lucas and Robert Turpin) and inmates were not always treated well. Last year human remains were found in an unmarked burial site on the grounds. All this leads to a lot of stories - ghost stories. The one I’ve heard over and over is that of an angry female inmate. Supposedly she hanged herself in her cell one night and has haunted the jail ever since (and she’s angry). Other stories I’ve heard have mentioned cold spots or spots where people feel anxious for no reason. All I know is that the building gives me the chills whenever I’m around it and that’s why it’s number one on my list.
Have stories of your own on these or any other buildings in Toronto? Send them to brian.mckechnie@citynews.ca and I’ll post them in the story. Happy Halloween!
Photo Credits: Old City Hall photo by Brian McKechnie, Keg Mansion photo courtesy Wikipedia, Don Jail Photo courtesy Wikipedia
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 »
I realized that I posted product widgets of the US version of Amazon. My bad, sorry! I am going to update them all shortly. I am going to start with the prize first. I believe that this book is a definite must for any Toronto paranormal fan. It looks to be priced the best too!
I had to do a little Christmas Shopping last night and I went to the Worlds Biggest Bookstore, on Yonge & Dundas, http://toronto.ibegin.com/retail/worlds-biggest-bookstore, and I was happy to find that they have paranormal books for sale on the second floor. Also on the second floor, near the downward escalator, you will happen upon a ghostly display which includes at least 3 books from John Robert Columbo himself. True Canadian Haunting Stories, More True Canadian Ghost Stories and an alien book (that I should have picked up too) for $9.99 each (plus tax). They are also having a sale.. buy 3 books and get the 4th free so I received the cheapest book free for $9,99. I also picked up a Ghost Hunting Chronicles hard cover book for $14.99 (plus tax) that seems to be a great paranormal guild to ghost hunting. For my forth book I found The Midnight Hour by John Robert Columbo for 19.99 (plus tax). Chapters Indigo would be another great store to check for paranormal books. I unfortunately didn’t make it to the location in the Eaton’s Centre, but I checked their site online and they had a good selection. They are also having the 4 for 3 sale too! http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ I buy myself the best Christmas presents! Both locations are having the sale until December 24, 2007. HMV, on Yonge Street, had tons of DVDs for really reasonable prices. I purchased 28 Days Later & Shawn of the Dead for $20 plus tax. I buy myself the best presents lol!
Apparently the Haunted Toronto book, by John Robert Columbo, has become quite the smoking hot commodity. Amazon.ca was selling them used for around $342.00 US, but it’s down to $80 now! I was very lucky to score mine on Ebay for only $19.99 US last month! but I’m sure there are a lot of other places that one might look in order to obtain their own. If you would like your own copy just keep an eye out for one both on and off line. Thrift shops are a great place to look for vintage and used treasures. And don’t forget to check the online classifieds like Kijiji and Craigslist.Â
While reading Haunted Toronto, written by John Robert Columbo, I came across a section featuring a haunted lighthouse that is located at the southwestern tip of the Toronto Islands. I was really chilled with the events that Mr. Columbo entailed.
I have been to the Islands dozens of times and always felt something eerie, heavy and dark there. It contradicted the beauty that surrounded me so I always shook it off, but when I learned of the lighthouse, all the pieces feel into place and made sense. The gruesome tale involved a caretaker and soldiers that were in search of lager, but the only thing was that the caretaker did not want to give it up. Well I’m sure you can probably guess what happened next, but for those who want every juicy detail then might I suggest that you read the book or search about the lighthouse on the net. I found a site that is dedicated to the lighthouse and it’s history…
I attempted to go to the lighthouse this fall but the ferry was on a reduced schedule and only dropping off and picking up those from Ward Island. We tried to walk, but we didn’t even make it to Centre Island. I was very disappointed, but I guess I will re-visit in the spring.
I was very lucky today because I happened upon a copy of Haunted Toronto by John Robert Columbo for only $19.99 US on Ebay! I saw a copy on Amazon for over $675!! I am really looking forward to it! Speaking of Ebay I have seen a lot of haunted items listed on there. The scariest was a possessed clown doll that would walk the halls of the seller’s home, so much so, in fact, that it’s shoes were worn. Very spooky! Go ahead and take a look for yourself and search the word “haunted” next time your on Ebay… I dare you.
5. Old City Hall
