Six Haunted Places in Ontario and Québec Where History Might Still Hang Around

Places you'd expect to see ghosts (if you believe in that sort of thing) and places you might be surprised to experience something mysterious and unsettling...

Oct 31, 2024

All week we've been sharing scary stories from across the country. Thanks to everyone who’s commented and shared their own experiences!

Today will hang out with some hauntingly frightful tales from central Canada.

Here are six mysterious stories from Ontario and Québec that will make you want to keep a light on tonight...

Salem Cemetery – Ajax, ON: Eternal Patrols

Salem Cemetery in Ajax, Ontario, sounds ominous enough on its own, but just wait until you hear the stories.

Established in 1831, thanks to a land donation from John Adamson, the cemetery gained an unexpected long-term guardian: its caretaker, William Brown.

Generations later, locals still claim to see William’s ghost patrolling the grounds, flanked by spectral dogs.
Adding a layer of mystery, in 1876, a body was discovered in a field just west of the cemetery. Coincidence? Maybe.
But those driving by at night swear they spot phantom hounds racing through the nearby cornfields.
And if that’s not enough, there’s an old tale of an elderly man who continued to worship alone in the Salem Wesleyan Methodist Church after its 1890 closure. Hauntingly devoted, indeed.

Aeolian Hall – London, ON: A Ghostly Encor

Built in 1884, London’s Aeolian Hall has hosted everything from classical concerts to unexplained tales.

When Clark Bryan bought it in 2004, he didn’t expect the place to come with an ethereal soundtrack.

Random fire alarms.
Elevators moving on their own.
And musicians unable to hear each other’s instruments

All signal some ghostly tampering.

Musicians have reported getting poked by unseen hands, and one famous country artist swore off the venue after a particularly unsettling encounter.

But the real showstopper?

Bryan claims he saw an apparition in a red military jacket appear nightly at 2 a.m. for two straight weeks.

Prince of Wales Hotel – Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON: Molly’s Watch

Built in 1864, the Prince of Wales Hotel boasts a history as grand as its name, hosting royalty like the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and even Queen Elizabeth II in 1973.

Yet Room 207 holds a darker claim to fame. The room is said to be haunted by Molly McGuire, a woman tragically killed by mistake during the War of 1812.

The story goes that while waiting for her husband, a British soldier to return home to their house that used to stand on the land now occupied by the hotel. An American soldier mistook her for an enemy fighter, charged into her house and shot her dead.

Guests report:

Hearing footsteps
Lights flicking on and off when the room should be empty.
As if Molly’s spirit is still waiting and watching for her husband to return.

Imagine the Queen’s morning tea interrupted by a visit from Molly—now that would be a royal affair worth seeing.

Dorea Institute – Franklin, QC: Haunting Reminder

The Dorea Institute in Franklin, Québec, once a reform school for boys, is steeped in sorrow.

This place, with its eleven-plus buildings including schools, dormitories, and a daycare, looks innocent enough on the surface. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find it's connected to one of the darkest chapters in Québec's history.

Its dark past ties into the Duplessis Orphans scandal, where thousands of children were falsely declared mentally unfit and transferred from orphanages to church-run “psychiatric hospitals” to increase funding, as the government paid more to treat psychiatric patients than to care for orphans.

Not only were children misplaced, but they suffered horrific mistreatment while in these fake hospitals trying to convince adults that they weren’t sick. Some victims claimed that orphans were used in medical experiments and their bodies sold to make the church one last paycheque and inflict one last injustice on these innocent children.

The abuse alleged to have occurred there was acknowledged by the government, which in 2007 created the National Reconciliation Program for Duplessis Orphans to compensate victims.

The jury is out on whether this place is haunted by spirits or just by its dark stain on history.

"A filmmaker once claimed that while using thermal vision, the footage showed four radiated characters despite only being on location with one other crew member" -Daily Hive

Some visitors report

Hearing whispers.
Phantom footsteps and things being moved mysteriously.
Ghostly apparitions of young boys.
A schoolyard carousel spinning on its own.
Some urban explorers claim they felt nothing.

However, the institute’s history stands as a stark reminder of exploitation and pain.

Grey Nuns Motherhouse – Montréal, QC: Ghosts and Good Intention

Founded in 1871, Grey Nuns Motherhouse has layers of history—and tragedy.

Beneath this building rests a crypt holding 232 nuns, many of whom died from epidemic diseases so terrible, they had to be sealed away securely for eternity.

In 1918, a fire claimed the lives of 50 orphans, and their restless energy seems to echo throughout the hallways.

Students at Concordia University, which now occupies the building after converting most of it (except the crypt) to a student residence, have reported:

Hearing children’s cries.
Unexplained footsteps and trampling.
Screams from the nuns below.
Some report sleep disturbances as horrible nightmares as well.

"Students moving into the residence are literally sleeping above a cemetery, literally a few metres below...A lot of students get creeped out by this." Donovan King told CBC back in 2016.

George Bryson Cultural House – QC: Spirits of Subtlety

Built in 1854 by George Bryson, this cultural landmark holds a quiet kind of haunting.

While the Québec government declared it a historic monument in 1980, reports from visitors mention subtle presences and faint apparitions.

It’s the least well-known haunted (or allegedly haunted) location on the list. But sometimes those are the ones with the most interesting stories.

“It seems that if you sit in the tea room on the ground floor, you can hear footsteps in the basement, but the strange thing about that is that it’s locked.” - Tourism Outaouais

One day, a cable technician was working in the basement when the lights suddenly went out and his tools kept falling to the floor from his belt for no apparent reason. It creeped him out so badly, that left and he refused to return to finish the job.

Today, the house now doubles as a museum and escape room venue. Solve puzzles, learn history, and maybe bump into a spirit all in one visit!

Even Sandra Armstrong, the house’s president, admits,

“I never come in here alone.”

Legends, Folklore, or Freaktastic Mysteries?

What do you make of all this talk of ghosts and spirits from the past that linger?

Do these ghostly stories register high on your BS meter? Or maybe real-life horrors scarier than anything that we can imagine having paranormal or other mysterious origins.

Or maybe ghosts remain to remind us to enjoy the good times because they won’t last forever?

I’d love to hear your take on these types of Canadian stories. Especially if you have your own to share. If you have a sec., please drop a comment below.

And then have a rad rest of your day!

Pinecone Diaries: Canada's Stories & History

Discussion about this post