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
North of Toronto is where you will find Magic Hill farm that will offer you haunted adventures. There are several attractions from the 150 year old Haunted Barn to the Black Cavern which is known to be the scariest of them all!
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.
While there is not an official list of Toronto’s Top 10 Tourist Attractions, given the difficulties measuring attendance at some venues compared to others, many lists and online surveys feature the same “must sees” for both visitors and residents. Here is Toronto Community News’ list of attractions, compiled from information from Tourism Toronto and a number of other tourism websites, and presented in no particular order.The attractions we list are located within the geographic boundaries of the City of Toronto:
• The CN Tower: Once the world’s tallest free-standing structure (that honour has recently been taken by a building in Dubai), the CN Tower dominates Toronto’s skyline and is an obvious magnet for visitors. Standing more than 500 metres tall, the tower receives approximately two million visitors annually. Address: 01 Front St. W.; visit www.cntower.ca.
• Toronto islands: Made up of Wards, Hanlan’s Point and Centre islands, the Toronto islands have been a playground for generations of residents and visitors. The islands can be accessed by ferry boat rides from the terminal at the lake just west of Yonge Street and feature numerous activities for visitors including an amusement park on Centre Island. Visit www.centreisland.ca.
• Ontario Place: Opened in 1971, the 96-acre facility south of Lake Shore Boulevard and west of Bathurst Street features water parks, a concert theatre, activities for children and the iconic golf-ball shaped Cinesphere theatre. Address: 955 Lake Shore Boulevard W.; visit www.ontarioplace.com.
• Toronto Zoo: Located on Meadowvale Road, north of Hwy. 401, the zoo opened in 1974 and is home to some 5,000 animals. The 710-acre facility receives about 1.2 million visitors annually. Address: 361A Old Finch Ave.; visit www.torontozoo.com.
• Black Creek Pioneer Village: This recreation of a Canadian pioneer settlement from the 1790s to 1860s is located in the Keele Street and Steeles Avenue area adjacent to the York University campus. Address: 1000 Murray Ross Pkwy.; visit www.blackcreek.ca.
• Casa Loma: Built by Sir Henry Pellat starting in 1911, Casa Loma took three years and more than $3 million to build. Today it stands as an imposing castle the city. Address: 1 Austin Terrace; visit www.casaloma.org.
• Ontario Science Centre: Opened in 1969, The Ontario Science Centre provides a wide variety of experiences for visitors young and old. Along with exhibits, there is also a domed IMAX theatre. 770 Don Mills Rd.; visit www.ontariosciencecentre.ca.
• Royal Ontario Museum: Now featuring the new Michael Lee Chin Crystal as part of its dramatic new facade, the ROM has been Toronto’s museum since 1914. The ROM features numerous displays and exhibits. Address: 100 Queen’s Park; visit www.rom.on.ca.
• Hockey Hall of Fame: A mecca for fans of the game from around the world, the facility covers all aspects of hockey’s history, including the honoured members of the Hall of Fame, and features numerous interactive exhibits. The Hockey Hall of Fame is also the permanent home of the Stanley Cup. Address: 30 Yonge St.; visit www.hhof.com.
• Rogers Centre: When it first opened as the SkyDome, the stadium drew crowds just to experience its retractable roof opening and closing. The stadium is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. The facility also features restaurants and a hotel looking onto the field of play. Address: 1 Blue Jays Way, visit www.rogerscentre.com.
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
For California resident Ted English, yesterday’s 200th anniversary of Toronto’s oldest building meant even more for him because it involved the celebration of family.
The western end of Toronto Island is home to the 200-year-old Gibralter Point lighthouse, and English is a member of the Durnan family, which has a long history with the island and its lighthouse.
“It means an awful lot,” said English, 79, who organized a reunion of more than 50 of his Durnan relatives, some of whom he had never met, to coincide with the event.
Completed in 1808, it’s the oldest working lighthouse on the Great Lakes and the second oldest in Canada. (The Sambro lighthouse in Nova Scotia began operating in 1759.)
The third keeper of the Gibralter Point lighthouse was English’s great-great-grandfather James Durnan.
“It’s much more than a lighthouse,” said English, a former Toronto Island resident himself. “It’s a keystone of the whole family”
There is more than 170 years of Durnan history on the island, English said, and for some of his ancestors the lighthouse acts as a headstone.
“You walked over Durnans there,” he pointed out.
Yesterday’s celebration was co-hosted by Heritage Toronto and Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
Ceremonies began with a theatrical account of the lighthouse’s history by Shadowland Theatre. The crowd of a few hundred were then marched over to the landmark by fife and drum.
Behind limestone walls 2 metres thick rises an 80-step spiral staircase, and visitors were invited to climb to the top after the ceremonies.
Ray Skema, 53, was in the first group to make the ascent, and he said as a Torontonian it felt great to be up there.
“This is like the best time ever just to be in this historic building,” Skema said. “It was cool to be here for the anniversary and be part of the first 10 people to tour it.”
The building is said to be haunted by the ghost of John Paul Rademuller, the lighthouse’s first keeper.
City Councillor Pam McConnell said the Rademuller haunting is a great story for kids, but the building means a great deal to the city.
“It isn’t just a children’s story,” she said, adding it’s great to bring Toronto’s stories to people in a simple way. “It really is about the beginnings of our city of Toronto.”
Heritage Toronto unveiled two commemorative plaques at the base of the lighthouse.
The child’s canvas shoe, entombed for decades, has the grey, dead look of a flattened mouse. Holes in the toe and the heel are roughly stitched with red thread, and a scrap of dark cotton has been poorly sewn to the rubber sole.
I’m loath to touch this object, which my husband found within the plaster walls of the small house in Etobicoke we’re rebuilding, and long to throw it away. Yet there is mystery to it. Who did it belong to? Why was it hidden? Was it lost or put there purposely? If the latter, for what reason?
We’d found other discards in the course of construction. Whisky bottles from Gooderham & Worts fell out of the eaves. Vanilla extract bottles, mustard tins and an OXO mug were retrieved from beneath the floorboards.
Most often we found what we took to be remnants of workers’ lunches – milk bottles, the remains of a pork chop, magazines (we presume they were used to wrap food) including Canadian Motorist, Live Stories (sentimental tales for women readers) and a cowboy adventure periodical called Ace-High Magazine. They are all from June 1925 – we can imagine a family 83 years ago doing what we are doing this summer, building a house.
But there was something poignant and haunting about this shabby running shoe – its poverty, of course, but also the fact that a child, perhaps a 6-year-old, had worn the life out of it.
A visiting friend with some knowledge of folklore believed the shoe had a function. She was familiar with the centuries-old English superstition of secreting shoes during house construction for good luck. They have a name: “concealed” or “concealment shoes.”
A call to Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator of Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum, provides details. She gets inquiries from homeowners who have found shoes while renovating 19th- and early-20th-century houses. (In Britain, the practice is so common there’s a registry of concealed shoes.) The Bata, the world’s largest shoe museum, has one concealed shoe – a desiccated man’s work shoe – in its collection of 13,000.
Strangely, when she talks about the most common concealed shoe, it seems she’s describing the very one we found. “Typically, it’s a child shoe and it’s well-worn, extremely well-worn,” she says. “Who had the money to put a brand new pair of shoes in a wall? Often, it’s a single shoe, put in to keep away bad luck, though it’s morphed into a symbol of good luck.”
The metal aglets – sleeves on the tips of the laces – are a clue that our shoe dates from the Twenties or Thirties. Eventually, looking at a photo of it, Semmelhack can’t say definitively that the shoe is of that vintage or is indeed a concealed shoe, but it seems likely.
The shabby patch job is another hint. “It looks like the repair had nothing to do with making the shoe more wearable,” she says. “That makes it more likely it was repaired to function in an apotropaic role in the wall rather for the child to wear it again.” “Apotropaic,” she explains, is the term for an object used as a talisman to ward off evil, like a charm bracelet. By stitching the shoe, it became more of a vessel to contain bad spirits.
When she renovated her Danforth-area house, Semmelhack concealed a pair of her husband’s shoes with a note explaining why his Kenneth Coles were in the walls.
Most often concealed shoes are placed in chimneys or over doors and windows – “areas of the house considered susceptible, or weak, where something could come into the property,” says Josephine Hickin, shoe heritage development officer at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in England.
She adds that shoes are one of the few personal items that retain the shape and, according to some beliefs, carry the spirit of the owner. The concealed shoe is connected with the animist notion that the shoe is “protected by the spirit of the owner. And children are believed to have a stronger spirits than adults.”
Traditionally, shoes have been symbols of authority also linked to fertility – remember the old tradition of tying old shoes to the car bumper of newlyweds – and good luck.
The study of concealed shoes began in 1957 when June Swann, keeper of the boot and shoe collection at the Northampton Museum, and a fellow curator each received a half-dozen shoes for identification. Most had been hidden near chimneys. Swann could find no literature on shoes concealed in houses. She wrote in a 1996 article in Costume Society Journal about how her curiosity was piqued especially by the discovery of a pair of child’s boots in the thatched roof of a cottage in Northamptonshire. “I had this vision of a tiny child on the thatched roof,” Swann, now 79 and retired, told the Star, “and I wondered, `What kind of family does this?’ … Not being superstitious, it took me a long while to convince myself that all my finds were (put there deliberately).”
Since then, the Northampton Museum has become a repository of concealed shoes. It has a collection of 246 of them and a database recording some 1,700 hidden shoes found around the world. Some are from Ontario – including a pair of brown boots, from 1830 to 1845, discovered in a house in Palgrave, and six ankle boots, dating from 1870, from a house in Kincardine.
Most of the shoes in the index are from Britain, but concealed shoes have been reported in Germany, France, Australia and the eastern U.S., especially the New England states. While a few date from the 15th century, the practice appears to have grown more common after that, peaking in the 19th century and then falling away after the 1930s.
Almost all are thoroughly worn, most beyond repair, and suggest working-class owners; nearly half are children’s shoes. Some have been found with knives or other sharp objects, chicken bones or cat bones and may be linked to some kind of ritual sacrifice. (We also found a pair of skate blades in our walls.)
Swann notes in another article that the study of concealed shoes is incomplete, in part because of the “reticence of the finders of footwear, which is usually in a disgusting condition,” and because tradesmen working on old houses will discard shoes, not knowing their significance.
We know, from searching property records, a farmer named William Golding owned our Etobicoke house in the early 1920s. But by 1925 it belonged to Thomas Bruce, whose name appears on the magazine labels. and who was a stock keeper and salesman for Hyslop Brothers, a bicycle manufacturer at Victoria and Shuter Sts. Golding may have left the house unfinished – some dwellings in the area were built as cottages – and Bruce may have put in the plaster walls.
Following the Northampton Museum’s recommendation, we will likely return the shoe to the walls, not out of superstition, but in the spirit of continuity. And we will adopt a new perspective on the shoe as suggested by Elizabeth Semmelhack, who says, “Think of it as a symbol of a new beginning for those people. They have a child and want to keep bad luck at bay.
This past Friday I experienced quite the series of unusual events. I am not a very superstitious person and I personally look forward to those special Fridays. I always enjoy a good scary movies or to delve further into the paranormal… I really appreciate the supernatural on those days. Well, I usually do all of those things anyways, but even more so on the 13th. On this particular Friday the 13th my husband and I were driving west on the 401 when it really started to rain, monsoon like, and my husband mentioned what day it was. As soon as he did an 18 wheeler nearly side swiped us. If he didn’t slam on the breaks we would have been toast. I do admit I screamed like a little girl! My heart nearly jumped out of my throat. First the crazy rainstorm and then the near death experience. OMG what was going to happen next!!!??? Well then we had to stop for gas so when hubby was pumping the octain our car started to roll. I was a bit shaky from the prior incident that I was a bit delayed in popping the emergency break on. My husband said I wanted to watch a horror movie, however, I did not want it in 4D lol! I wonder if people who believe that Friday the 13th is negative actually amplify it’s detrimental effects. It’s as though my husband was tuning in the bad vibes to actually cause almost harmful things to occure. Thank the Lord I was there to cancel the negative energy! We were very lucky to walk away without a scratch.
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
5. Old City Hall
