Three ghost stories from across Canada.
👻 The Haunted Fort Gary Hotel and Room 202. Winnipeg, MB
⛵️Gibraltar Point Lighthouse Toronto’s oldest Cold Case – Toronto Island, ON
⛪️ The Ghosts of the Anglican Cathedral. St. John’s, NL
Three ghost stories from across Canada.
👻 The Haunted Fort Gary Hotel and Room 202. Winnipeg, MB
⛵️Gibraltar Point Lighthouse Toronto’s oldest Cold Case – Toronto Island, ON
⛪️ The Ghosts of the Anglican Cathedral. St. John’s, NL
Welcome to Haunted Canada. Hi everyone, my name is Nadine and I'd like to welcome you to Haunted Canada. If this is your first time listening, welcome. And if you are a regular listener, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to come back. If you would like to support Haunted Canada, please take the time to like, follow us, give us a five-star review and tell a friend about this podcast. Also, you can follow us on Facebook, instagram and TikTok to get all the updates On episode 8,.
Speaker 1:We are going to venture across Canada for three more ghost stories. First, we're going to start in the very haunted Fort Garry Hotel and Room 202 in Winnipeg, manitoba. Then we're going to venture to Toronto Island to hear the spooky story of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, one of Toronto's oldest coal cases. And then we're going to finish with the story of the ghosts at the Anglican Cathedral Church in St John's, newfoundland and Labrador. Please be advised that this episode does talk about suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.
Speaker 1:The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, manitoba, now a National Historic Landmark, is a famous haunted hotel with a long history of guests and employees reporting blood dripping from the walls, mysterious ghostly figures appearing at the foot of beds in hotel rooms and the apparition of a woman wearing a cloak floating in the hotel hallways. Yet what makes the Fort Garry Hotel so spooky is Room 202, which is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who sadly died by hanging herself in the closet of that room in the 1920s. Guests who have stayed in Room 202 over the years have reported many strange and creepy things that have happened, like lights going on and off, hearing someone knocking on the bathroom door and the sense that someone is sitting on the side of the bed or actually crawling into bed with the hotel guest. And for full transparency, I wanted to let you know that I have actually stayed in room 202 at the Fort Garry Hotel and I did have some of my own spooky experiences, but we'll talk about that a little bit later in the show.
Speaker 1:The Fort Garry Hotel opened on December 11th 1913, and was built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in the Revival French Chateau style and was referred to as the city's new castle of opulence. The hotel was originally going to be called the Selkirk. However, the powers that be decided to call it Fort Garry, a reference to the fort which was once at the corner of Red and Assiniboine River. The design for the hotel was based on the design plans for the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and it would be decorated like the glamorous Plaza Hotel in New York and the Willard Hotel in Washington DC to elude a sense of money and grandeur, with lights being supplied from the famous Tiffany Company and the beautiful furniture for the hotel supplied by Eaton's. The Fort Garry Hotel was designed to give off an air of sophistication. Yet even for all its expensive Tiffany lamps and Eaton's furniture, it did have many unique employees working there. One notable employee was Alfred Bayon, once known as the Great Zanzig, a magician and performer from the circus world who performed throughout Europe and North America. Alfred described himself in a Winnipeg newspaper article dated February 15, 1949, as a man of mystery who went to the University of Hard Knocks. Alford was a well-respected maitre d' working at the hotel from 1924 until his retirement in 1946. At the hotel from 1924 until his retirement in 1946.
Speaker 1:The land used for the hotel between Fort and Gary Street was purchased from the Hudson Bay Company as the location to build the Fort Gary Hotel and would be built at a cost of $1.5 million. The construction began in the winter of 1911, during Winnipeg's usual cold and frigid winter months, and for anybody who has ever been to Winnipeg during the winter months, you know how extremely cold it can get. It's bone-chilling cold, especially with the windchill, with winter temperatures sometimes dropping to minus 20 and minus 30, and that's without the windchill factored in. Yet even though it was the wintertime, they wanted the Fort Garry Hotel built, so the construction began and it continued during the Winnipeg winter season, with construction sometimes operating 24 hours a day.
Speaker 1:As the construction of the Fort Garry Hotel began, deadly tragedies followed. The first death at the construction site happened on February 7, 1912, when a worker was accidentally killed when the materials that he was using caught fire and burnt the worker alive. The next tragedy struck just two months later, when the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, charles M Hayes, the brainchild and visionary behind the Fort Garry Hotel, was returning from England and sailing across the Atlantic on the now infamous Titanic when, on April 15, 1912, the ship struck an iceberg and sank. Hayes drowned in the icy waters off the North Atlantic and when his body was recovered it was buried in Montreal, in the icy waters off the North Atlantic. And when his body was recovered, it was buried in Montreal. Interestingly enough, charles Hayes wasn't even supposed to be on the Titanic. You see, while in England on business with family, charles Hayes was invited by Bruce Ismay, the chairman of the White Star Line, to join him aboard the maiden voyage of the Titanic. As Hayes was anxious to get back to Montreal for the opening of his newest hotel, the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, he accepted Bruce Ismay's invitation to sail on the Titanic, which sealed his fate. Hayes' death resulted in the delay in the opening of the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, and it is widely believed that Charles Hayes' ghost haunts the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. And it is widely believed that Charles Hayes' ghost haunts the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa still to this day.
Speaker 1:When the Fort Garry Hotel originally opened, it immediately caught people's attention and intrigue, as from the very beginning it hosted many famous guests, including Queen Elizabeth, king George VI, laurence Olivier, louis Armstrong and Liberace. Yet over the last hundred plus years, the Fort Garry Hotel has become not only a place for visitors to enjoy an elegant meal or a peaceful night's sleep. It has also become known around the world as one of Canada's most haunted hotels, with weekly, if not daily, witnessed accounts of doors opening and closing, lights going on and off, employees witnessing a woman wearing a cloak walking up and down the hallways, pictures and objects flying across the room and the terrifying and spooky experiences that only seem to happen in the infamous Room 202. Over the years, staff have reported that when they are in any of the smaller or larger ballrooms setting up for or cleaning up after an event that they can often sense an unknown heavy presence in the room with them. Staff will report glasses flying off, tables or pictures that were once bolted to the walls now just suddenly falling to the floor. One employee recounted that when she was in one of the smaller rooms on the main floor and she was setting up for a function, an easel that was placed on the main stage flew across the room, shattering into pieces. On other occasions, cleaning staff have said that when they are on the second floor of the hotel that they'll often catch a glimpse of a beautiful woman wearing a long flowing cloak just walking on the hallway. One of the housekeeping staff said that it appeared as if the woman was just floating in the hallway. Then she vanished through a wall.
Speaker 1:Yet it has always been the many haunted stories surrounding Room 202 that have been intriguing ghost hunters and the curious alike for over a century. The story of how Room 202 came to be haunted goes back to the early 1920s, when a young newlywed couple stayed in that very room on their honeymoon night. However, once they arrived in that room, the woman began to feel sick, so the husband decided to go to the local drugstore to get her some medicine to help the new bride feel better. The new bride sat on the corner of the bed in the room waiting for her new husband to return. Sadly, he never did. Unfortunately, when the man was walking to the drugstore, he was in an accident and died instantly. The bride was waiting all evening sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her husband to return. When, around 2 am, there was a knock at the hotel room door. When the bride opened the hotel room door, it was the police who had to tell her the grim news that her husband was now dead. The bride was devastated and became distraught and couldn't imagine her life without her husband. So a little while later, overcome with grief, the bride ended up hanging herself in the closet of room 202.
Speaker 1:Over the years, guests have reported many strange and ghostly things that have happened to them while staying in room 202, from the closet light going on and off by itself, the hands on the decorative clock on the wall hanging behind the bed, mysteriously moving back and forth, and the feeling as if someone or something is sitting on the side of the bed. One interesting story that I came across in my research, which gives a lot of weight to Room 202 being haunted, is that from Brenda Chamberlain, a Liberal Member of Parliament from Ontario In 2000,. While in town for work, brenda was assigned to stay in Room 202 and had some unexplained experiences in the haunted room. That got blamed on the ghost, with Brenda's ghostly encounter making national headlines in papers across Canada. Brenda's story is well documented and says that around 2 am in the morning, brenda was suddenly awakened by the sense that she was not alone in the room anymore.
Speaker 1:Brenda was suddenly awakened by the sense that she was not alone in the room anymore. The hotel room was completely dark. Yet even in the darkness, brenda felt a presence when all of a sudden, she got a sense as if someone was lying in the bed next to her and she felt the duvet move. When Brenda realized that she was sensing that someone or something was in the bed with her, she jumped out of bed and turned on all the lights, but the room was empty and the bed sheets and the duvet cover on the opposite side of the bed had not moved. Brenda regained her composure and chalked it up to being in a strange hotel and some jet lag, so she climbed back into bed and tried to fall asleep. However, about a half an hour later, brenda then felt someone sit on the edge of the bed and the bed began shaking. Terrified, brenda jumped out of bed, turned on all the lights. Brenda checked the entire room. She looked under the bed, inside the closet, in the bathroom and behind the curtains, yet there was nobody there. After a few moments, brenda calmed herself down and climbed back into bed, falling asleep, and she never woke up until the next morning when her alarm went off.
Speaker 1:When Brenda went to the front desk the next morning to tell them about all the strange things that had happened in her room, the employee at the front desk calmly let Brenda know that it was a very haunted hotel and that strange experiences in room 202 are very common, as something similar had happened to a manager, ida Alba, a few years earlier, ida Alba, a few years earlier, ida was staying at the hotel with her husband when she decided to go to bed early, leaving her husband in the restaurant. A few hours later. While Ida was drifting off to sleep, she heard the hotel room door open and assumed that her husband had returned. Yet moments later Ida felt someone sit on the side of the bed and begin shaking her leg. Ida became a bit annoyed with this, wondering why her husband was trying to wake her up. Ida told her husband to stop and that she was trying to sleep, yet someone kept shaking her leg. Annoyed, ida sat up in bed ready to confront her husband as to why he wouldn't stop. When, to her horror, she noticed that there was nobody sitting on the bed, ida became terrified and quickly turned on all the lights. Yet there was nobody else in the room. For the rest of the evening, and until her husband returned, ida kept all the lights on in room 202.
Speaker 1:I actually had the opportunity to stay at the Fort Garry Hotel many years ago and was lucky enough to stay in room 202. As I knew I would be staying at the hotel for a couple of days and knew how haunted the hotel was, I intentionally requested room 202, and was lucky enough to receive it upon check-in. It is a beautiful modern room decorated in a black and white theme, with a king-sized bed and a black metal bed frame. The room is tastefully decorated with framed pictures on the wall, a crystal chandelier lamp in the corner and one hanging from the ceiling, and a massive antique-style metal round clock above the bed. And a massive antique-style metal round clock above the bed. When I entered the room for the first time I was excited to be there and said hello to the spirits that might be present.
Speaker 1:The first night that I stayed in the room I actually had a very bad migraine and wasn't feeling good most of the evening. I went to bed early that first night, hoping that a good night rest would help ease the pain from the headache. I remember feeling very comfortable and at ease in the room and having a really good, solid night's sleep. But I also remember having a lot of dreams that first night as well. I do remember that most of the evening I kept kicking off the duvet as I was just too warm. But at some point during the evening I remember getting a a little chill, but as I was in such a deep sleep I just couldn't bring myself to pull the sheets back over me, only to have a sense as if someone or something was pulling the duvet cover back over me and tucking the duvet in all around me. When I woke up the next morning, I was fully rested, my headache was gone and the duvet was neatly tucked in all around me. What I do find so odd is that when I sleep, I'm the type of person who kicks all the sheets off. I move around a lot, I pull the sheets every which way, but in the morning when I woke up in room 202, it's almost as if none of the sheets had moved and the bed had never been slept in, and it truly was one of the most peaceful and restful sleeps I had had in a long time. I never felt scared or uneasy in the hotel room during my stay or for the next two nights, and I always just felt a sense of calmness and comfort while in room 202.
Speaker 1:One very interesting thing that I did discover about room 202 is that people who have stayed in that room will actually leave messages or notes behind one of the picture frames on the wall by the window of any of the experiences that they had while staying in that room. Of course, this truly intrigued me, and the next evening I had to check for myself. Of course this truly intrigued me, and the next evening I had to check for myself, no-transcript. So I gently took the picture off the hook and on the back of the picture there was taped an envelope and inside that envelope are dozens of handwritten notes from previous guests talking about their own personal encounters, strange and spooky things that happened to them in that very room. Some of the notes that I read had many intriguing personal stories from visitors, including one note that said Feeling a presence in the room, feeling someone or something sitting on the edge of the bed. The faucet in the bathroom turns on and off all night long, the crystals on the chandelier shake continuously, moving back and forth all night, while other people left notes saying that they didn't have any experiences and they just had a peaceful night's sleep. And if you're wondering, yes, I did leave a note also, and I wrote of my experience of being asleep, having a wonderful, peaceful evening, feeling a presence, as if someone was putting the duvet over me in the middle of the night when I was cold. While the Fort Garry Hotel was constructed in the early 1900s as a luxurious establishment for the wealthy and privileged. The hotel has since transformed into a captivating haven for visitors and guests, infused with countless spooky tales. It has solidified its reputation as one of the most chilling and haunted hotel destinations in all of Canada.
Speaker 1:In the heart of Toronto is a beautiful historic island only accessible by ferry or small taxi boats. Known as Toronto Island. Once a beacon for safety, guiding ships through the dark and dangerous waters, the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is now full of dark and sinister secrets, including the murder of a former lighthouse keeper in 1815, making it one of Toronto's oldest coal cases. Today, toronto Island is a place for people to visit on a warm, sunny day to walk along the beaches, rent a bike or visit the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, where the lighthouse keeper, john Paul Redmuller, was so viciously murdered over homemade beer in 1815, and his spirit is still said to be haunting the lighthouse to this day.
Speaker 1:The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes and apparently got its name from John Graves Simcoe, who was the governor of Upper Canada from 1791 till 1796. Simcoe founded York, now known as Toronto, and believed that Toronto Island could be fortified as strong as a legendary rock of Gibraltar, hence the name Gibraltar Lighthouse. The lighthouse was originally built as a hexagon, 52 feet tall, topped with a wooden cage and fixed with a whale oil lantern. In 1832, the lighthouse was raised to 82 feet and then, many years later, it was equipped with revolving light and a metal balcony. It is a tall and imposing structure which is sometimes open to the public in the summertime for tours, and has been safely guiding boats and ships into the Toronto Harbour.
Speaker 1:The historic lighthouse is said to be haunted by one of the former lighthouse keepers for over a century, a man by the name of John Paul Redmuller, and the story of the first lighthouse keeper is one that has haunted and fascinated visitors for over a century. So who was John Paul Redmuller? John Paul was born in 1763 in Germany, and for 20 years he worked as a servant for members of royalty, including the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. When John Paul's employer, the Duke of Kent, traveled to Halifax, nova Scotia, in 1799, john Paul traveled with the Duke and then they traveled further, arriving in York, now known as Toronto, in 1805. Just a few years later, on July 24, 1809, radmuller was appointed as the keeper of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. 1909, radmuller was appointed as the keeper of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. John Paul's job at the time was to ensure that the light at the top of the lighthouse was lit nightly, to do regular maintenance and repairs and to keep friendly ships safe and to also keep a watchful eye over the ships going across the mile-wide harbour Around the same time. One of John Paul's most important roles was to keep an eye out for any enemy ships and it was at that very lighthouse that he would have a front row seat to when the American ships began invading the harbor during the invasion of Fort York on April 27, 1813.
Speaker 1:John Paul enjoyed the solitude of running the lighthouse, with warm days exploring the island, reading and taking care of his new home. As the lighthouse keeper had a lot of quiet time on his hands, he eventually learned how to make homemade beer and he became very good at it. John Paul had intended to keep the brewing talents a secret, but eventually his secret got out and some of the soldiers at the nearby forts and garrisons found out, and it turned into a way for the lighthouse keeper to make some extra money. Soldiers would often make their way to the lighthouse by boat or walking across the frozen ice in the winter months to get to the lighthouse or to the keeper's cottage to purchase some of the delicious homemade beer. Even though John Paul liked his solitude whenever the soldiers arrived at his door for a few drinks, he would always be hospitable and invite the soldiers in for a few pints of the homemade beer.
Speaker 1:However, one faithful night John Paul encountered two soldiers who did not have the best intentions and didn't know when to stop drinking. On January 2nd 1815, just after the New Year celebrations were thought to be winding down, many of the soldiers ventured out, walking across the frozen ice to the Gibraltar Lighthouse to purchase some more of that homemade beer from John Paul. Yet on that particular night, many of the soldiers became very intoxicated and it came to the point where John Paul decided that he had to cut everybody off. While most of the soldiers had no problem with John Paul stopping the flow of the beer and left to stumble back to their respective garrisons and forts, there were two particular soldiers who were very drunk and they flatly refused to stop drinking Private John Henry and Private John Blumen, two Irishmen from the Glengarry Light Infantry who did not take the news of no more beer so well and in their drunken state they decided that they were going to have more beer, no matter what John Paul said that they were going to have more beer, no matter what John Paul said. This led to a fight breaking out. The two soldiers attacked John Paul, chasing him up the small and narrow circular staircase in the lighthouse, delivering several bloody blows along the way. Bloody and beaten, john Paul made it to the top of the lighthouse where, sadly, he was violently attacked and murdered by the two drunken soldiers. The two men quickly dragged the lifeless body of John Paul Radmuller into the woods and buried him, trying to cover up their crime.
Speaker 1:Even though John Paul's body was never discovered, his obituary did appear in the newspaper, the local gazette, two weeks later, and it read Despite the fact that the body was missing, there was overwhelming moral evidence that he has been murdered. His murderer will be pronounced most barbarous and inhuman. The parties last with him are the supposed perpetrators and are imprisoned. On March 28, 1815, just two months after John Paul was murdered, the trial of the two suspected killers, private John Henry and Private John Blumen, began with both men pleading not guilty. It was a fast trial, presided over by Chief Justice, the Honourable Thomas Scott, that lasted only four days, with a jury of 12 men and seven witnesses to be called. However, as there were no witnesses to the alleged murder of John Paul Redmuller and no body was ever found, both soldiers were eventually found not guilty and acquitted. John Blumen was discharged from the army just one month after being found not guilty and then two months later, john Henry, who was found not guilty, was listed as a deserter from the army.
Speaker 1:It was a mystery as to what had happened to John Paul's body, as it was never located. However, there was a well-known news article with the CBC. That happened in 1958, when the then lighthouse keeper, john Jerram, who said in the interview that his family had found bones, including a jawbone, near the lighthouse, which they believed to be that of the lighthouse keeper, john Paul Radmuller, who had been murdered in 1815. John Durham said in that 1958 interview that he buried the bones. However, the location of the gravesite is still unknown To this day.
Speaker 1:When people are walking on the sandy shores or in front of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, people say that they will often see an older man standing on the top of the balcony of the lighthouse just looking out at the water, while on other occasions the apparition of John Paul has been seen walking on the sandy beach, and many people believe that it is his spirit still looking for the rest of his body parts, which are scattered throughout Toronto Island. People have reported that when they're doing a local ghost tour inside the lighthouse that they'll often hear laughter and loud bangs knocking as if someone is knocking on the wall, or they'll spot drops of blood on the winding staircase that goes up to the top of the lighthouse. The local tour guide always surmises that it is the blood of John Paul, as he was climbing the stairs trying to get away from the soldiers that murdered him. People report that when they are admiring the lighthouse in the daytime on the beach taking pictures, that they can often hear the sounds of moaning and groaning coming from inside the lighthouse, but when they check the door it's always locked. Yet many people report that when they glance up, they can often see the apparition of a man standing on the balcony, but when they look back again, he's vanished.
Speaker 1:Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse on Toronto Island has been well documented as a location where the lighthouse keeper, john Paul, was so viciously murdered in 1815, and it is believed that it is his spirit that is still roaming throughout the historic building to this day. In the eerie shadows of Toronto Island rests the infamous Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, shrouded in a chilling tale of terror and mystery. Legend speaks of the lighthouse keeper, john Paul Redmuller, brutally murdered over his homemade beer in 1815. Some whisper that his vengeful spirit still haunts the lighthouse, trying to seek revenge for his untimely death, while others believe John Paul to be a friendly ghost who is still enjoying the solitude of the lighthouse that he loves so much, a place where John Paul spent his final days before he was so viciously murdered, making it Toronto's oldest cold case.
Speaker 1:In the heart of downtown St John's, newfoundland, one of the oldest cities in North America, nestled amongst the colourful houses and directly across the street from the provincial courthouse, is the Anglican Cathedral Church, the oldest Anglican church in Canada, with a dark and haunted past. The church was originally built around 1699, then replaced with a beautiful stone church in 1843. However, due to the Great Fire of 1892, it was severely damaged and it took nearly 10 long years to repair and rebuild it. While the repairs to the church were happening, a young stone worker was working high up on the scaffolding when he lost his footing and plummeted to the ground and to his death. The spirit of that young construction worker is still seen at that very church this day, with many people believing that the worker is not willing to leave the site, especially if any of the masonry work is not completed. And to this day sightings of the young man's ghostly spirit is still seen working on the church or walking around the church grounds. Even more airy is that in 1850, a picture was taken of some of the construction workers, dressed in their Sunday best suit and tie, standing on Duckworth Street in front of this imposing church. Yet when the photo was developed, they could actually see the deceased masonry man in his working clothes in that very picture. Many believe this to be photographic evidence that the man's spirit remains at that worksite still to this day.
Speaker 1:Another spine-tingling story goes back to the late 1800s when a wealthy yet stubborn merchant died and, as it seems, he did not want to be buried. The story is retold that when the merchant was being buried in the cemetery right next to the Anglican church, knocking could be heard on the wooden coffin as it was being gently lowered into the grave. The mourners who were paying their final respects began to hear knocking coming from that coffin. Everyone just froze in their spot. The gravediggers that were holding the rope that was lowering the coffin into the grave just stopped when they heard that knocking. Instead of lowering the coffin into the ground, they began to bring the coffin back up. The coffin was placed on the freshly dug earth. When everyone began to hear the knocking sound coming from inside the coffin again, the local doctor was brought to the gravesite. The lid of the wooden coffin was pried off and the doctor examined the merchant's corpse, checking for a pulse, a heartbeat, and neither were found. The doctor confirmed that the merchant was indeed dead. So the coffin was nailed shut once again and the gravediggers began to lower the wooden coffin back down into the open grave. Once the coffin was at the bottom of the six-foot grave, the gravediggers began to throw the dirt over the merchant's coffin until the hole was completely filled in. Yet as everyone began to walk away from the gravesite, they began to once again hear the sounds of knocking coming from the merchant's gravesite. To this day, as the moon casts an airy glow over the Anglican Cathedral Church and its graveyard, a haunting knocking sound still echoes throughout the night. Many claim it is the tormented spirit of the merchant, forever trapped beneath the earth in a restless desire to escape.
Speaker 1:Well, everyone. That is the end of Episode 8 of Haunted Canada, and I want to sincerely thank every single person who has taken the time to listen to this podcast. I truly do appreciate it. If you have enjoyed this episode, please take the time to follow us, give us a like, leave a five-star review and tell a friend. Also, you can follow us on our different platforms, such as Facebook, instagram and TikTok, for all our updates. If you have any of your own ghost stories, hauntings or true crimes that you would like for us to cover on this podcast, please email us through our website at hauntedcanadacom. Again, a sincere thank you to every single person who has taken the time to listen to this podcast or has told a friend about it. I truly do appreciate it. Have a good night, everybody, and stay safe.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you.