Haunted Ontario 3. Terry Boyle

Flynn House has been closed for repairs. This probably makes Mrs. Flynn’s day. No more men around for a while. But if you see that yellow dress, do say hello!

      The Half Way House Inn

      ~ Black Creek Pioneer Village ~

      Jealousy, deception and betrayal are a recipe for misery, in this lifetime and beyond unless we learn to let go!

      Poor Mary Ann Thompson; the wife of innkeeper, Alexander, may have discovered his secret before he died in 1873 — Alexander had another wife.

      Mary Ann, it seems, is angry still, walking the hallways and the rooms of the Half Way House Inn at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

      She is known as the woman in the blue dress.

      The Half Way House Inn was built in 1849 by Alexander Thompson on the well-travelled Kingston Road, on the corner of Midland Avenue and Kingston Road in the Township of Scarborough. The inn was a favourite destination for those taking the stagecoach to Toronto. It was also a focal point for the community, which would use the inn for celebrations, and political and religious meetings.

      Catherine Crow described the inn. “The main section of the first floor is the same as it was originally. Upstairs, the five bedrooms on the one side of the hall are also original to the building. The other side of the hallway was divided into a meeting room at the front of the inn and the innkeeper’s quarters at the back of the stairs.”

      The Half Way House Inn, 1849

      Alex Thompson and his wife Mary Ann lived in the inn until his death in 1873. The next owner, Ignatius Galloway, added a dining room and a new kitchen to the first floor. He remodelled the innkeeper’s quarters and meeting rooms into a ballroom on the second floor.

      The establishment remained an inn until it closed in 1955. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority acquired the building soon after and moved it to Black Creek Pioneer Village in 1965.

      Several years ago, Catherine had the opportunity to speak with Linda, the manager of the restaurant at the inn. She knew a great deal about the woman in the blue dress. “Oh yes, I’ve seen her and I’ve heard her too!

      “She will tell you the woman in the blue dress spends a lot of time in the ballroom. She has also been spotted looking out over the balcony at the end of the second floor.”

      The restaurant is another of her favourite haunts. She likes to knock on walls and play with the radio.

      “There have been many times when I’ve locked up at night and turned off the radio in the restaurant, only to open up first thing in the morning to find the radio on playing music. There is no one who comes down here at night so I can’t explain why it is turned on.

      “There is one location in the restaurant where the spirit knocks. It is in the wall above a table and two chairs situated by the fireplace. This is where you will hear the distinct knocks in the wall.”

      Luke, another employee at the inn who works as a costume interpreter, has also seen the woman in the blue dress.

      Catherine explained, “Luke came into work very early one morning and as he entered the front door of the inn he saw a woman in a blue period dress with long brown hair walking slowly and silently up the staircase to the second floor. Luke assumed it was Alice, who worked at the inn.

      “Luke was surprised to see Alice there so early. He said good morning, but received no reply. Luke walked back to the kitchen. Sue, a kitchen staff worker, told Luke that it was Alice’s day off!

      “Luke went upstairs to look for the woman in the blue dress, curious to discover who she was. He checked every room thoroughly and found absolutely no one.”

      Ruthan Johnson also encountered some unexplained activity in this building. She could never keep a door shut on the wardrobe in the hallway. She would close the door and come back later to discover it open.

      A volunteer named Jacquie also shared a story.

      “Whenever the woman in the blue dress is spotted walking up the staircase, she either disappears at the top of the landing or is seen entering the ballroom at the top of the stairs and then disappears. The only trace of her left behind is a subtle scent of perfume.”

      Has Mary Ann stayed behind because she’s angry or still seeking fun in the ballroom — or is she refusing to go to some place where she may have to face Alexander?

      Hopefully, one day Mary Ann Thompson can see her way to forgive and move on. Until then she remains lonely, unloved, and imprisoned in the fourth dimension.

      The Blacksmith Shop

      ~ Black Creek Pioneer Village ~

      Ruthan is a woman full of life with an acute awareness of her surroundings. Her husband, Dennis, exudes friendliness and has a natural aptitude for his historical surroundings and responsibilities.

      Both Ruthan and Dennis feel like old spirits who have the unique ability to move easily back in time. The couple were formally employed for many years at Black Creek Pioneer Village. Ruthan worked as an historical interpreter, seamstress, and tinsmith during her many years at the village. Dennis was the village blacksmith.

      The Rose Blacksmith Shop at the village was originally located in Nobleton, Ontario. The structure dates back to circa 1855. The blacksmith created a wide range of forged iron ware, including hinges, hasps, and tools for use on the farm and in the home. Early blacksmiths also shod horses and oxen and forged iron wheels for wagons.

      One unique item that Dennis made was called the courting candle. It was designed to demonstrate the attitude and acceptance of a father to his daughter’s suitor.

      Dennis explained, “The candle holder had a wooden base attached to an iron spiral form that housed the candle. Using the spiral you could adjust the candle to burn for a determined length of time.”

      “During the courting ritual, when a suitor visited the home of his lady friend, they would retire to the parlour. The father would adjust the length of the candle to burn according to his observations of the suitor. He would then light the candle and leave. When the candle burned down to the setting the suitor would leave the premises.”

      Upon returning, the suitor could observe where the candle was set to determine the likelihood of continuing to woo his lady friend. If the candle had been set at a shorter length this meant the father did not approve of this suitor. If the candle setting was increased in length the suitor was closer to seeing more of the lady and eventually they might marry.

      Although Dennis had never had any paranormal experiences in the blacksmith shop he has worked in every historical building in the village and had some very personal experiences. This is not to say that nothing of the unexplained has ever occurred in the blacksmith shop. Catherine explained what happened one evening.

      “At night, when the lights are turned off, some employees tell me you can faintly hear the sound of horses coming from inside the shop. There is the jingle-jangle sound of metal harnesses, the clomping of hooves clad in horseshoes, as well as soft neighing and snorting sounds.”

      During the Halloween ghost tour in 2007, Catherine Crow and her group experienced firsthand the sound of horses.

      “The doors of the blacksmith shop were open and there were two candle lanterns burning so everyone could see all of the equipment, tables, tools and everything else inside the building. It was a dark night with no breeze. I had just started to talk about horses haunting the building when a distinct sound of jangling metal started up on the right side of the shop, followed by a faint whinny sound. Everyone heard it!!!

      “At one time, a worker in the village swore he briefly heard the distinct sound of panicked horses in the shop. He explained, ‘It was as if they were trying to flee from some great danger.’ In this case, the danger of the fire seems the most likely explanation.”

      When