Ghost Stories

I’ve written about Robert the doll and the Island of Dolls in the past. Today’s entry is about one located in the Quesnel Museum in British Columbia, Canada. Mandy is an antique porcelain doll over 90 years old with a ripped body, cracked head and wearing dirty clothing and was supposedly made in Germany or England around 1910 or 1920. She was donated to the museum in 1991 by a lady named Mereanda. What makes her so unusual is the powers some say she possesses. Her previous owner related to the museum all the strange things she is supposedly capable of. The donor would wake up to the sounds of a crying baby in the basement. Upon inspection, she found an open window and no baby. After Mandy was donated to the museum, the crying stopped. However, the museum staff and volunteers problems were just beginning. Lunches would mysteriously disappear from the refrigerator and be found in a drawer later. Objects such as pens, books and pictures would go missing. Some would turn up later. Oth...

I would like to share an experience I had in August 2013. Photo provided by Donald Ray I accompanied my son and a group of Scout age boys and couple of their parents on an overnight camp on Newcastle Island off the Coast of British Columbia. We had read how Newcastle Island is a hot spot for paranormal activity so we thought this would be a fun experience. One of the boys brought along an EMF ghost meter. One of the youth had seen a found footage movie that he believed to be true, about a group of college students filming a documentary about the paranormal happenings on Newcastle Island back in 2007. Apparently they were searching for the ghost of the notorious axe murderer, Kanaka Pete who was hung then buried in an unmarked grave on the far side of Newcastle Island near Kanaka Bay. The college students went missing that night, their video tape was later found and shortly afterwards severed feet in running shoes were discovered along the shoreline.  This is all true as I h...

Many flock to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to bare witness to its romantic setting. However, its beauty doesn't overshadow a local legend. The tunnel is located in the northwest end of Niagara Falls and was originally built to be a rail tunnel in the early 1900s. The only problem was the Grand Trunk Railroad went bankrupt after World War I and it was never finished. Even though the tunnel was abandoned it would never be forgotten. Over a century ago, a farm house located near the tunnel caught fire one night. A girl, clothes engulfed in flames, ran screaming from the house into the tunnel in the attempts of putting it out. Unfortunately, she collapsed and died inside the tunnel. There are variations to this story. One states an enraged father sat his daughter on fire in the tunnel after learning his wife was rewarded custody of their kids in a nasty divorce battle. Another story reports that a young girl was raped inside the tunnel and her body was burned to cover the evidenc...

The theme around the paranormal blogosphere has been haunted dolls as of late. I’ve written about Robert the doll and the Island of Dolls in the past. Today’s entry is about one located in the Quesnel Museum in British Columbia. Mandy is an antique porcelain doll over 90 years old supposedly made in Germany or England around 1910 or 1920. She was donated to the museum in 1991. What makes her so unusual is the powers some say she possesses. Her previous owner related to the museum all the strange things she is supposedly capable of. The donor would wake up to the sounds of a crying baby in the basement. Upon inspection, she found an open window and no baby. After Mandy was donated to the museum, the crying stopped. However, the museum staff and volunteers problems were just beginning. Lunches would mysteriously disappear from the refrigerator and be found tucked away in a drawer. Objects such as pens, books and pictures would go missing. Some would turn up later. Others were never f...

In Edmonton, Saxony opened its doors in 1966 displaying its fashionable Spanish style to welcomed guests. But like so many businesses, its grandeur began to crumble and the ownership transfer began. In the 1980s, the inn converted in to a strip club. Then, later, stripping was traded in for bingo. On December 21, 1990, a 46-year-old masseuse named Lorraine Wray was found in the bathroom of her massage studio (situated in a strip mall next to the inn) strangled to death. Now, the Saxony has returned to its inn roots operating as a Howard Johnson Hotel. Staff members have had problems with guests of the ghostly nature. One in particular has presented himself as the resident trickster. Lights have been known to flicker, footsteps heard in the empty stairwell, and knocks on doors have all been attributed to a spirit named Bob. TVs, microwaves and toasters also sporadically become unplugged. Does Bob have company? The scent of rose perfume has been smelled in the former Saxony. Spend th...

Much like the prisons here, gaols/jails in Canada were built to last and many are still standing. However, those dated back to the 1800s are being shut down for new and improved facilities. Cornwall Jail in Ontario housed its last "official" prisoner in 2002. During the war of 1812, the original courthouse was used as barracks and courts were held in St. John Church and local taverns. Fourteen years, it burned down and another move took place until new plans were drawn up. The new jailhouse was completed in 1834 and saw its share of well known prisoners such as Roger Caron, one of the boxing Hilton Brothers and a few Hell's Angels. Cornwall was meant to only house 50-60 prisoners at a time but known to sometimes contain more than 100. Only three guards were on duty at a time which meant activities such as exercise in the courtyard happen because the inmates could not be controlled. This may or may not have led to some of the suicides in Cornwall. Ten inmates were hung...

Many flock to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to bare witness to its romantic setting. However, its beauty doesn't overshadow a local legend. The tunnel is located in the northwest end of Niagara Falls and was originally built to be a rail tunnel in the early 1900s. The only problem was the Grand Trunk Railroad went bankrupt after World War I and it was never finished. Even though the tunnel was abandoned it would never be forgotten. Over a century ago, a farm house located near the tunnel caught fire one night. A girl, clothes engulfed in flames, ran screaming from the house into the tunnel in the attempts of putting it out. Unfortunately, she collapsed and died inside the tunnel. There are variations to this story. One states an enraged father sat his daughter on fire in the tunnel after learning his wife was rewarded custody of their kids in a nasty divorce battle. Another story reports that a young girl was raped inside the tunnel and her body was burned to cover the evidenc...

If you saw the 1996 movie Twister then you have an idea of what waterspouts are. One theory states they are responsible for an artist's death at Canoe Lake in Canada. As much as it is plausible, experts say the conditions just weren't right on that day in 1917. So, how did Tom Thomson die? Clues to how he lived may have the answer. Tom Thomson was born near Claremont, Ontario in 1877. He was one of ten children. After an unsuccessful attempt to fight in the Second Boer War, he went to business college in Chatham and later in Seattle, Washington. In 1907, he joined a design firm in Toronto where many future members of the Group of Seven also worked. He was given opportunities to travel throughout Canada, but the wilderness in Ontario provided much inspiration for him. He made several trips to Algonquin Park where he acted as a fire ranger and guide. Solo canoeing trips on Canoe Lake weren't unfamiliar to him. He set out on many. Unfortunately, the one on July 8th, 1917 wo...