People have inhabited what is now Ontario for over 12,000 years, so if you believe in ghosts, you can safely assume that there are tons of them among us today, especially in the very places where they transcended into the afterlife.
Ontario is full of historic landmarks with chilling backstories that date back hundreds of years, and even resident ghosts that drift through the hallways to this day.
From a spooky hotel to an eerie former prison, here are some of the places believed to be the most haunted in Ontario.
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Niagara Parks Power Station
This century-old landmark is said to have a resident ghost and if you’re brave enough, you can wander the halls and search for her yourself. The Niagara Parks Power Station told Curiocity all about its chilling history and the ghost that employees claimed to have seen over the years.
Way back in 1905, the founder of the Canadian Niagara Power Company William Rankine married Annette Kittridge Norton in Niagara Falls, New York. Sadly, William died of congestive heart failure not long after their wedding, roughly 116 years ago on September 30th. After trying unsuccessfully to contact her husband through mediums, poor Annette spiraled into a depression and disappeared.
After that, some former staff members apparently saw a “well-to-do woman in a fur coat moving around the thrust deck,” pictured above. According to the Power Station, “it is believed that this might be Mrs. Rankine looking for her long lost husband, William.” Spooky!
Where: 7005 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
Gibraltar Point Lighthouse
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The oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes sits on the Toronto Islands and it’s said to be haunted by its first lighthouse keeper to this day. According to CBC, people have heard eerie moaning sounds coming from the lighthouse and seen light shining from the inside, even though it hasn’t been used in decades. Back in the 1800s, it was considered one of Toronto’s best-known landmarks — today, it’s nothing more than a ghost of the city’s past. Literally.
Where: Toronto Islands – Hanlan’s Point Park
The Prince George Hotel
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Ghost sightings have been reported at this historic hotel in Kingston with a tragic backstory. The hotel was built for the Herchimer family back in 1809, and the youngest daughter Lily was believed to be having an affair with a sailor, said The Haunted Walk of Kingston’s office manager Jax Harripersad to Global News.
Lily lit a lantern each night as a signal for when it was safe for her lover to visit but one night, she fell asleep with the lantern still lit and a gust of wind blew the flame and set fire to her room. Lily died in the fire, and many people believe her ghost drifts through the hotel in search of her lost love.
“Some staff actually reported seeing the shadowy figure of a [woman] drifting through the hallway,” said Harripersad.
Where: 200 Ontario Street, Kingston
Mather-Walls House
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This Queen Anne-style Victorian house in Keewatin is so haunted that it was once featured on an episode of Creepy Canada. You can even tour the home from May to September to learn about its eerie history and do some ghost-hunting yourself.
Built way back in 1889, the home is believed to be haunted by its most recent resident Edna Walls, reports Kenora Miner & News. Employees have witnessed strange and even paranormal activity at the house, like objects mysterious going missing, the sound of people walking up and down the stairs, and even shadowy figures moving through the rooms. Halloween Haunt has got nothing on this haunted house!
Where: 1116 Ottawa Street, Kenora
Kingston Penitentiary
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Canada’s oldest maximum-security prison has a fascinating and freaky past. After 170 years in operation, the prison finally closed in 2013 and now offers guided tours. If you’re lucky, your trip through the former prison might come with a ghost sighting or two. Staff have reportedly seen some strange occurrences over the years.
One employee named Riley Mcmahon described her paranormal encounter with a well-known resident ghost in the Queen’s Journal. After giving her first tour, Riley said she heard the sound of keys jingling behind her, and spun around to see the shadow of a man walking towards her. She was later told by a staff member that it was the ghost of William Wentworth, the last staff member to die at Kingston Pen back in 1961. Talk about a spooky story.
Where: 560 King Street W, Kingston
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