Haunted destinations around Canada
A ghostly half-dozen to mark Hallowe'en
We loved Gadling's post on haunted houses in the US, and thought we'd take a look at haunted places around Canada. Here is our spine-tingling half-dozen. If you're not too spooked after reading this, check out our favourite haunted places around the world.
Battlefields are usually a good source of spectral activity, as confused servicemen roam in search of fallen comrades or their missing body parts. Gettysburg in the US is one of our top haunted sites around the world, but our pick at home is the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. This is where, in 1759, the British fought the French in a crucial battle for control of New France.
Many tourists have reported seeing ghosts in the tunnels beside the park, catching the smell of cannon sulfur and being chilled by a ghostly wind. Others have said they have met fallen soldiers on visits after dark.
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From 1813 until 1865 McBurney Park in Kingston, Ontario, was the final resting place of thousands and thousands of Irish and Scottish immigrants who had fled famine and poverty in their own countries only to fall victim to diseases such as cholera and typhus. It was also a burial ground for soldiers. Of the 10,000 bodies buried in the cemetery, only 1,000 or so have been removed and reinterred elsewhere. That leaves 9,000 or so souls that sleep beneath the city park and sometimes wander in search of their loved ones. The little ghost children sometimes take to the playground for a turn on the swings. Little wonder that McBurney Park is better known by locals as Skeleton Park.
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There are six ghosts in residence at the Bytown Museum in Ottawa including Duncan McNab, a commissary officer in the early 19th century, who, if reports are to be believed, has proved a dab hand at 21st-century communication. He once typed his name on one of the museum's computers. The builder of the Canal, Colonel John By, is also thought to be in residence and there's a playful little ghost dog too. If you're in the doll exhibit, listen carefully for the sound of children crying and keep a close eye on the dolls. They have been seen winking and moving. The Bytown Museum is considered to be one of the most actively haunted places in the country.
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In the early years of the last century, the MacDonald family of Caledonia Mills, Nova Scotia, adopted a little girl called Mary Ellen but got a whole lot more than a surrogate daughter. A child with her own alleged spectral baggage, fires would light themselves even when she was not present, doors would open and close, strange voices were heard throughout the house, at night animals in the barn would be let loose around the farm, and a big dog was seen several times. He appeared with Mary Ellen at times, but vanished when approached. Was it the "Fairies" or the "Little People" as the Scottish, Irish and French immigrants in the area thought or something more demonic? The remains of the farm still stand but we have no idea if Mary Ellen is there somewhere channelling poltergeist energy. It is advised not to take anything from the farm. Others who did not heed the advice and have taken a souvenir have had unexplained fires start in their own houses...
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Does the bride who fell down the stairs on her wedding day still reside at the Banff Spring Hotel in Alberta? Does Sam the bellman still "work" there 23 years after he died? What happened to the family who checked in to room 873 and where is the room now? The beautifully situated hotel in the Rockies has history as heart stopping as the scenery.
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The beautiful Vogue Theatre on Granville Street, Vancouver, was built in 1941 in the Art Deco style. This A-listed heritage building has two ghosts. One sits in the seating area, dressed in a white tuxedo and black bow tie. The other is known by its footsteps in the downstairs dressing room.
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