{"id":16710,"date":"2015-01-07T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/regional\/historic-century-manor-haunted-hamilton\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T19:00:00","slug":"historic-century-manor-haunted-hamilton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/hamilton\/historic-century-manor-haunted-hamilton\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Century Manor | Haunted Hamilton"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

White-washed walls and peeling paint. Long spanning hallways, creaky corridors and silent, empty rooms.<\/p>\n

Boarded-up windows hide over a century\u2019s worth of history that sits there waiting to be told.<\/p>\n

Bare bones belonging to a striking building that has suf- fered the neglect of time. But all is not lost.<\/p>\n

Perhaps these rooms aren\u2019t so silent after all? They say that energy can trap itself in time, playing over and over again like a record stuck on loop. They can be happy, fond memories or sad, traumatic ones that play in perpetuity. And sometimes, this energy becomes an imprint in time so intense that it can leave a lasting impression, even 130 years later.<\/p>\n

THE ASYLUM\u00a0OVERLOOKING THE CITY<\/strong>
\nIt was the perfect setting overlooking a Victorian Hamilton high above the City\u2019s brow. A castle up in the clouds during a time when Canada was on the verge of an industrial transformation. The city below boomed, while a serene, lush green landscape as far as the eye could see on the edge of the escarpment waited to become the future home of the old Hamilton Insane Asylum.<\/p>\n

The Hamilton Asylum for the Insane was originally intended to be a hospital for inebriates, however it was quickly realized that the need for more beds to house mentally ill patients was on the increase. It was therefore decided that a complex of provincially-owned buildings would be built on the vacant, secluded escarpment property off West 5th overlooking the entire city. Construction began in 1874 and Ontario\u2019s 6th asylum officially opened two years later in March of 1876.<\/p>\n

In 1884, \u201cEast House\u201d (now known as Century Manor) opened as part of the old Hamilton Asylum as a reception hospital to house 60 patients that were acutely disturbed or mentally ill. Then from 1890-1921, the hospital was set aside for the detention of the Province’s criminally insane and housed 915 patients and employed 119 staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

More property was acquired to maintain a self-sufficient farm for the patients and staff complete with cattle, pigs, chickens, vegetable and fruit gardens. The asylum grounds had a chapel, it\u2019s very own fire hall and brigade, a power house, and an entire fleet of vehicles. It also had a bakery, butcher’s shop, greenhouse, cellars, a tailor’s shop, a sewing room & upholstery shop, a skating rink, and even a bowling lawn and tennis courts! The Asylum Ball was a highly anticipated annual event in the Hamilton community with an esteemed guest list of Hamilton\u2019s influential citizens.<\/p>\n

In that time, treatments were harsh and conditions weren\u2019t ideal. Electro-shock therapy, lobotomies and various other methods thought to help cure the insane\u00a0were performed regularly and in large doses. Whether the person was troubled coming in, or maddened coming out still remains a mystery, but it somehow became a spectacle to go and observe the \u201clunatics on the mountain\u201d. It became a regular outing for people to travel up the escarpment on a sunny, Sunday afternoon to go and watch, and sometimes even taunt, the patients that were on the grounds outside enjoying the fresh air. The asylum was also equipped with a large steam whistle that would blow in the event that a patient had escaped to warn the local residents to stay inside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

A HAUNTED PAST
\n<\/strong>Century Manor has long been reputed to be haunted. With a history such as this, you know it\u2019s bound to have ghosts! A close friend of mine told me about an experience she had while modelling for a photo shoot inside the old building. An old steel bed pan appeared in the hallway out of nowhere (they knew there was nothing in the hallway prior to this!) About 5 minutes later and from another room, they heard a loud, dragging steel sound coming from the hallway. Upon inspection, they saw that the steel bedpan had been completely moved.\u00a0I was speaking to a security guard at Century Manor a few months ago who told me that he is uncomfortable\u00a0with going inside the building because he once felt someone push him hard on the right side of his back (right through the Kevlar vest he was wearing too!)<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

THE GHOSTLY NURSES
\n<\/strong>Possibly one of the creepiest stories I have ever heard comes from the property on Century Manor. It was told to me directly about a decade ago by one of my father\u2019s former work colleagues, who at the time, was working as a security guard on the grounds of the old Insane Asylum.<\/p>\n

Underneath the property of Century Manor lies a system of old tunnels. My father\u2019s friend was hired to guard the entire West 5th property overnight, and on one particular evening he was making his rounds and ended up underground and inside the tunnels. He made a turn at one of the corners and found himself lost in a hallway with just one wooden door at the end. He heard voices coming from the other side of the door, so he walked up to it, quickly braced himself, took a few deep breaths, and swung the door open.<\/p>\n

There sitting at a table in the middle of a small, dirty old room were two women, dressed in old-fashioned nurses uniforms. They both slowly turned and stared him directly in the eye, until one of them spoke up and calmly said to the other, \u201cSee, I told you he would find us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The security guard was so frightened that he backed out of the room, slammed the door behind him and caught his breath. He gathered his nerves a second time and slowly opened the door to a completely empty room. The nurses had disappeared from the room with no other exits being apparent.<\/p>\n

These tunnels still exist under the property around Century Manor, and one of them even runs directly under Mohawk College and opens up into the \u201cThe Cellar\u201d, a restaurant\/pub complete with vaulted brick ceilings and long bridging archways!<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Learn from our past!\u00a0Don\u2019t sweep it under the rug!
\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve all questioned our belief in the paranormal at some time or another. If you\u2019re a believer, but still like to err on the side of reason, you can consider yourself a \u201chealthy skeptic\u201d like me. Whether you\u2019re a full-on believer, hard- core skeptic, or fall somewhere in between (which is where most of us do), what will it take to make you believe? Century Manor has turned naysayers into believers. Skeptics into seekers.<\/p>\n

But in this particular case (and this is the first time I have ever said this), the ghostly lore and spooky reputation is all beside the point right now, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

There are more pressing matters with Century Manor, and unfortunately, ones that could have dire consequences for the building if not addressed immediately. I think the paranormal repute must and should take a back seat to the issue at hand, and at least for the time being.<\/p>\n

The spirits are there, waiting to share their story. It may not be an ideal story, but it\u2019s something to learn from and all the more reason why we should be sharing it.<\/p>\n

History repeats itself if we don\u2019t learn from our mistakes. Psychiatric treatment has come so far that Century Manor should serve as a commemoration of this, rather than sitting there as a vacant reminder that all things can crumble and fall under pressure without a little love, sensitivity and care.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be ashamed of our history! Celebrate what we have learned, identify how far we have come, and have a vision to see the potential for building a future that recognizes the value in learning from its past instead of trying to sweep it under the rug.<\/p>\n

Fear of \u201cDemolition by Neglect\u201d
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s time to step up Hamilton! Make your voice heard. Patricia Saunders, a retired psychiatric social worker, has made it a mission to advocate the need to preserve our heritage buildings. She is a wonderful woman who I have had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions, most recently at one of the Friends of Auchmar meetings.<\/p>\n

She vocalizes a common fear that we are all thinking… \u201cDemolition by neglect\u201d. The unfortunate habit that the City has gotten itself into when it allows a perfectly useful heritage building to sit unappreciated, unmaintained (or just barely), and unused.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sad fact of the matter because eventually and over time, the weather takes a toll and the building pays the ultimate price.<\/p>\n

Thrill seekers of the wrong kind contribute to even further deterioration when they break in and vandalize and trash the historic structure as well. The City loves this. It expedites the process of the building falling into disrepair, until it reaches a point where, oops, we have to tear down this building because it is just too far gone or has become too much of a safety concern. This almost happened with the Hermitage Ruins in Ancaster this past summer 2014, until enough interest was brought to the table to save the crumbling structure.<\/p>\n

Some of Hamilton\u2019s other buildings didn\u2019t get off so lucky, unfortunately. The Belvidere Mansion (also known as Bellevue), was an almost identical home to Whitehern and used to stand at the top of the Jolley Cut at the foot of Upper Wellington next to Sam Lawrence Park.<\/p>\n

Want a little bit of spooky trivia? Did you know that the Belvidere Mansion was the very first reputedly haunted building that Haunted Hamilton ever investigated? The photographs that I took during our visit there 15 years ago are the last remaining interior pictures of Bellevue! What an honour, but what an incredible sadness that comes with that sentiment.<\/p>\n

Bellevue couldn\u2019t stand the test of time, and in the autumn of 2000, a businessman by the name of Clair Sellens (who had owned the house and property since 1971) secretly razed and levelled the entire building in the\u00a0middle of the night. WITHOUT even giving the opportunity for any heritage group to come in and try to salvage some of the irreplaceable items that were still in great condition within the home.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

It was a devastation felt across the entire City. And even though some tried, nothing was done to stop the wrecking ball from demolishing one of the first homes on the Hamilton Mountain.<\/p>\n

So here we are, 15 years later, dealing with the same issue. I was 21 then, I am going on 36 years old now. And sadly, not much has changed. Yes, Hamilton has a plethora of historically significant structures that HAVE been saved and re-purposed (kudos to the entrepreneurs who have successfully achieved this!), but what about the buildings that hold such a fascinating and noteworthy history that shouldn\u2019t be forgotten?<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

If we let Century Manor slip further away from us to a point where it no longer stands, it will be a choice that we ourselves, and generations to follow will live to regret. Because it is still just that, a choice. Let\u2019s make the right one!<\/p>\n

Make it a museum!
\n<\/strong>Something that many Hamiltonians don\u2019t know is that there is currently an incredible collection of artifacts from the old Hamilton Asylum, many dating back to 1876 when\u00a0the asylum was first built. The small but fascinating collection used to be kept in a single room in the 1930s-era Hickory House which was one of the older buildings on the sprawling property before that too was torn down.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The Museum housed many items and devices that were actually used in treatment, including electro-shock therapy machines, surgical tools, hand-cuffs, bath tubs, cold dunk tanks, wheelchairs, and even a Utica Crib, a horizontal, casket-like cage used to lock patients up in.<\/p>\n

Century Manor would be an ideal location to house a museum dedicated and solely devoted to Psychiatric Care in Ontario (or even Canadian) history. And in all honestly, it seems like a no-brainer to me. The fact that it is a living, surviving building actually still standing from the original asylum… you can\u2019t replace something as genuine and authentic as that. We\u2019ve already lost so much of our past this way. Let\u2019s not miss an opportunity like this Hamilton. And to those who have the means to help make this happen, please don\u2019t let the City carry another burden of losing something so historically significant.<\/p>\n

Thank you!<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a final and completely separate note, I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for the recent honour of being awarded GOLD by The Hamilton Spectator\u2019s Readers\u2019 Choice Awards for Favourite Local Author for my \u201cHaunted in Hamilton\u201d column in urbanicity Magazine. How unexpected, but very much appreciated! And a special Thank You to Martinus Geleynse for giving me the opportunity to express my passion and voice in a unique way. After all, what better way to get people engaged in their local history, than through a good ghost story!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"White-washed walls and peeling paint. Long spanning hallways, creaky corridors and silent, empty rooms. Boarded-up windows hide over a century\u2019s worth of history that sits there waiting to be told. ...","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":16711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8066],"tags":[451,19,2523],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CenturyManor_bkirsht.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16710"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26881,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16710\/revisions\/26881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}