A Thousand Ghostly Tales – Haunted Walks in Kingston, Gananoque and Brockville
Posted by Jordan Whitehouse
Don’t let Kingston’s idyllic exterior fool you; it has a creepy underbelly (photo courtesy of spDuchamp via Flickr).
A guest at Kingston’s Hochelaga Inn awakes in the middle of the night and sees a black figure at the foot of her bed, laughing. Employees at the Gananoque Boat Lines office hear footsteps and wailing in an otherwise empty building. In Brockville, Mary Fulford—dead since 1946—is banging on the front door of her mansion during a thunderstorm.
Are these stories true or just the effects of a few overactive imaginations? It’s hard to say, but you can try to decide for yourself at a haunted walk this month in the Thousand Islands region. One thing is for sure, though — ghost tales and reports of other spooking sightings here are as common as the islands themselves.
Here are three haunted walks that should get your hair standing on end.
The Original Haunted Walk of Kingston
Your tour departs from The Prince George Hotel, where Lily Herchmer still haunts the third floor (photo courtesy of Disposable Dreams via Flickr).
A guide in a black cape will take you through the limestone city by lantern-light on a 90 minute tour. You’ll hear about the hangings at the old Courthouse, the Organist’s ghost, the haunted student house and Teresa Beam, the pregnant woman who was murdered by her husband in 1868. Keep your eye out for her on the path near the Toucan and Chez Piggy — she’s been known to ask people to help her find her own bones there.
When: Daily, from September 3, 2012 – October 31, 2012
Time: 8pm
Where: Departs from the lobby of the Prince George Hotel at 200 Ontario Street
Tickets: Adults $13.75; Students $11.75; Children (6-12) $7.75
Website: hauntedwalk.com/kingstontours.php
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Ghosts and Legends of Gananoque (Halloween Version)
Keep your eye out for ghosts around every corner in Gananoque (photo courtesy of Phil~ via Flickr).
The history of Gananoque is tied to the river it sits beside. On this special Halloween haunted walk, your cloaked guide will tell you about this history and those who became part of the town’s eerie lore — people like Gananoque founder Joel Stone, a quirky privateer whose skull was stolen after his death and returned a generation later. Like the Kingston tour, this one is 90 minutes long — just long enough to get creeped out by ghost ship stories and a visit to a haunted hotel.
When: October 19 and 20, 2012; October 26 and 27, 2012
Time: 8pm (9pm on October 27)
Where: Departs from the Blink Bonnie Restaurant at 50 Main Street
Tickets: Adults $13.75; Students $11.75; Children (6-12) $7.75
Website: hauntedwalk.com/kingstonhalloween.php
Brockville’s Spooky Lantern Tour
Like Kingston and Gananoque, Brockville has its own ghost stories to tell (photo courtesy of Carolyn Coles via Flickr).
At 287 King Street East in Brockville sits the foreboding Fulford Place, a 20,000 square foot mansion built for self-made millionaire George Taylor Fulford between 1899 and 1901. Fulford’s wife, Mary, often held séances in the home, which attracted well-known Canadians, including Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who was trying to contact his deceased mother through paranormal means. Mary was terrified of thunderstorms, and today, according to witnesses, you can hear banging on the main door during storms. Is it Mary? Find out on a one-night-only haunted tour of Fulford Place.
When: October 26, 2012
Time: 6pm
Where: 287 King St. East
Tickets: $6.00
Contact: (613) 498-3005 or (613) 349-4976
Additional info: Call the above phone numbers for tickets. The tours will go every half hour during the evening, with a maximum of 15 people per group.
