The Top Five Most Haunted Places in Hamilton
- Dev Team
- 18 Aug 2015
5. The Tivoli Theatre James Street North
Home to the ghost of Ambrose Small, the great theatre magnate who mysteriously disappeared in 1919. Years later, they found a strange steamer trunk in the crawlspace of the Tivoli when they were opening areas that hadnt seen the light of day in ages. The steamer trunk had A. SMALL embossed in gold letters. When they opened it, inside was a skeleton, matching the exact dimensions of Ambrose (he was literally a small man!). A forensic team was called in from Toronto, but while they were en route, the bones dis- appeared. Nobody knows where they went. Some say they were “accidentally” thrown out with the trash! To this day, Ambroses ghost is said to haunt the old, dilapidated building. Countless people have encountered his ghost and described it right down to his bowler hat and “Salvadore Dali” moustache. Many other spirits haunt this old theatre, and this is why its number five on my list.
4. The Auchmar Estate Fennel & West 5th
This house of five gables was built in 1854 by Sir Isaac Buchanan and is considered the “Dundurn Castle of the Mountain”. It is home to many ghosts, some of which are so terrifying, they creeped out actors and crew involved in filming the TV show Blake Holsey High at the estate. The most prominent ghost — aside from Isaac Buchanan himself — is a young girl who haunts the entire home. Many people have seen her and heard her giggling and even speaking.
3. The Hermitage Ruins Sulphur Springs Road
A dark, tree-lined path leads you to the ruins of the Hermitage Mansion in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. The most prominent ghost here is that of William Black, the coachman for Col. Otto Ives in the early 1800s. When he was denied marriage to his love, Ives niece, he hung himself from the rafters in the original stables behind the mansion. His ghost haunts the place to this day. They say on moonlit nights you can see his spirit wandering from his place of death to where his body is buried… the cross- roads at Lovers Lane.
2. Dundurn Castle 610 York Blvd.
There are many ghostly possibilities at Dundurn Castle. Seven men hung for treason right across the street in 1814 during the “Bloody Assizes”. Cholera victims were transported to the plague sheds across the street where they died a lonely death in a new and strange land. Sir Allan MacNab and his family, including Sophia MacNab, seem to haunt the castle. Outside the room where MacNabs second wife Mary wasted away from consumption, it is said there is always a cold chill and a mysterious breeze that blows out the candles. There are mysterious drafts, objects moving around and on some occasions visitors have heard mysterious music and singing. Since this site has been con- tinuously occupied since prehistoric times, there may be spirits of all sorts wandering the halls of Dundurn at night.
1. Custom House 51 Stuart Street
This is by far the most haunted place in Hamilton! The old Custom House now houses the Workers Arts & Heritage Museum, and almost all of the staff and volunteers have had experiences there! Many of my own personal experiences have taken place at the Custom House, including my most profound. I believe to this day that I saw the Dark Lady, Hamiltons oldest and most known ghost, who has been haunting the Custom House for well over 100 years. She frequently makes her presence known to many guests that visit the building, and legend states that there are also at least 25 spirits that are trapped within the walls of the building.
A woman was attacked and murdered in the basement and then dragged up the servants staircase to the backyard where her body was buried. Another woman was mysteriously murdered where the old dumb waiter was (currently the elevator shaft). She was trying to send food upstairs from the basement, tugging on the ropes when they appeared to be stuck. She peeked her head in the shaft to see why it was stuck. What she didn’t know was that a stranger (or was he?) at the top floor was holding the ropes just before he cut them, causing the dumb waiter shelves to fall three storeys and crush her skull.
The spirit of a little boy haunts the second floor, commonly tugging on guests clothing and giggling. And to top it off, 15 men were buried alive in the basement tunnel back when the building was abandoned. They were riding the rails and decided to stop at the Custom House to seek shelter for the night. When travelling through the old tunnel, it collapsed and buried them beneath the building, leaving their their spirits to haunt that room to this day!
OK HAUNTED HAMILTON FANS! Ive shared over a years worth of spooky Hamilton places here in my column and now Id like to turn the tables on you! What is your most favourite haunted location in Hamilton? If someone were to ask you what is the most haunted building in the city, how would you respond? What story would you tell them, or which famous local ghost would you tell them about? Email me at info@haunted-hamilton. com with your favourite local haunt! Your submissions may be published in a future column!
SAVE THE DATE FOR HAUNTED HAMILTON’S 14TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL! Your Haunted Hamilton hostess, Stephanie “Spooky Queen” Lechniak is excited to announce that the 2015 Halloween Costume Ball will be held at Liuna Station on Halloween Night, Saturday, Oct. 31.
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