Haunted Ontario 3. Terry Boyle

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      Dedication

      I dedicate this book to my grandson, Talon Douglas-Cates

      Contents

      Introduction: An Examination of Hauntings

      Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto

      1. The Stong Homestead

      2. Black Creek Pioneer Village Cemetery

      3. The Richmond Hill Manse

      4. Roblin’s Mill

      5. Burwick House

      6. The Flynn House

      7. The Half Way House Inn

      8. The Blacksmith Shop

      9. The Dominion Carriage Works and Cabinet Maker’s Shop

      Other Ontario Haunts

      10. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto

      11. The Cawthra Estate, Mississauga

      12. The Eileen Sonin Story, Mississauga

      13. Cherry Hill House, Mississauga

      14. The Blue Elephant Restaurant, Simcoe

      15. The Black Dog, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario

      16. The Baldoon Mystery, Baldoon

      17. Stealing the Dead, St. Thomas

      18. Eldon House, London

      19. Greystones Inn, Orangeville

      20. Orillia Opera House, Orillia

      21. Discovery Harbour, Penetanguishene

      22. Bay Monster — Native Folklore of our Sacred Landscape, Parry Sound

      23. A Scent of Roses, Madoc

      24. The Proctor House Museum, Brighton

      25. The Port Perry Town Hall, Port Perry

      26. Herongate Barn Theatre, Whitevale

      27. The Keefer Mansion Inn, Thorold

      If You Would Like to Visit

      Bibliography

      An Examination of Hauntings

      Do ghosts and spirits exist? My answer would be “yes.” For the past thirty-nine years, I have interviewed countless people, from all walks of life, who have shared their inexplicable experiences with me. For them these occurrences are real. There may not be any understanding of the meaning of some of the experiences, but they did happen to them. When I research a book on a haunting, I always visit the locale where the event has happened and I interview the people at the site. Occasionally, I experience some form of unusual activity during the investigation. When I meet people they often ask me two major questions: What got you interested in ghosts, and could you explain this area of study?

      I always insist that I can only share what I have observed. I have no definitive answers, only theories and comments.

      When I was a child I would often hear knocking sounds or faint whispers in the air. I was not alone! Someone or something was near me.

      This visitation would cause me to scream in the night. My mother would always come to comfort me. She probably thought it was just my vivid imagination, but I knew differently.

      In the beginning of my adulthood, I began a career as an investigative journalist. I had chosen this field of study in order to explore the world of history and to write books. I have never wavered from this direction. At first I wrote books about Ontario history, such as Under This Roof, Old Homesteads of Ontario, Ontario Memories, Teachings from the Longhouse, and Ontario Album. During the course of my research into our historical past, people would share their other-worldly experiences. It usually would start with a ghost story about a residence or a chance encounter on a country road with an apparition. I would listen to the stories and invariably be reminded of my childhood experiences.

      What was really happening and why were so many people having these unusual experiences that seemed connected to them or to the place? The questions continued and I finally realized that I needed to apply my skills as a journalist and find some answers.

      It began with Haunted Ontario, a collection of thirteen true stories of encounters with the spirit world. I knew in my heart that I was meant to continue my journey writing about this subject, loosely known as parapsychology. The Oxford Dictionary definition of parapsychology states, “The study of mental phenomena outside the sphere of ordinary psychology, e.g. hypnosis, telepathy etc.” Some people believe the origins of parapsychology research commenced on February 20, 1882, when the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) was officially constituted in England. According to the textbook written by Harvey J. Irwin and Caroline A. Watt, and used in a course on Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh entitled, Introduction to Parapsychology, “Parapsychology is the scientific study of experiences which, if they are as they seem to be, are, in principal, outside the realm of human capabilities as presently conceived by conventional scientists. Thus parapsychological phenomena ostensibly indicate the operation of factors currently unknown to, or unrecognized by, orthodox science, popularly referred to as paranormal factors.”

      The Society for Psychical Research was founded principally on the initiative of some academics at Cambridge University and associates, all of whom believed that various claims for the existence of paranormal phenomena warranted scientific scrutiny. Irwin and Watt stated, “Recorded experiences, of course, may be found among all cultures and in all historic periods. Two main factors can be seen to have led to the foundation of parapsychology in 1882. These were the movements known respectively as Mesmerism and Spiritualism.”

      Mesmerism was founded by Franz Anton Mesmer, who was born in Switzerland in 1773 and later studied medicine at the University of Vienna. Mesmer was interested in studying how physicians could exert an influence over their patients.

      Irwin and Watt add, “At the folk level there was a tradition that certain divinely inspired individuals had the power to cure the sick by touch, the so called ‘laying on of hands.’ Some of these healers used magnets to strengthen the healing force that purportedly emanated from them [the hands].”

      Eventually Mesmer discovered that the use of a magnet was not necessary. The healing effect could be achieved with any object which had passed his hands. He concluded that there existed a healing force, or ‘fluid,’ known as animal magnetism (so named to distinguish it from ordinary mineral magnetism). It was discovered that as Mesmer made magnetic passes over his patients they would fall into a sleep-like state or trance.

      Irwin and Watt stated, “In this state, the ‘magnetized’ individuals would be remarkably compliant with Mesmer’s suggestions, reporting, for example, complete freedom from pain.”

      There were also other reported by-products of magnetic induction known as “higher phenomena.” Some patients suddenly had the ability to see events that were sensorily inaccessible. Mesmer used this technique to evoke telepathy, clairvoyance, travelling clairvoyance, the expression of transporting clairvoyant awareness to a distant location and other parapsychological experiences.

      A number of years ago I interviewed a professional nurse who had experienced time travel. Her story began at an archaeological dig that took place near Collingwood, Ontario. Someone had discovered the site of an ancient Native village. Her husband was associated with the archaeologist at the site and they decided to visit the dig. When they arrived at the site, she encountered time travel.

      She suddenly found herself as a young woman sitting in a circle of Native elders, including a medicine man. She also saw that she lived in the village near this medicine man. She was close with this holy man and appeared to have been