The Haunted Houses of Toronto’s History

Toronto is a relatively young city that has recently seen an influx of brand new residential construction. However, some of Toronto’s older homes have unique histories and perhaps even a few lingering residents. Whether you’re a firm believer in the existence of paranormal activity or just enjoy a good spook, here’s a list of Toronto’s most famous haunted houses.

Mackenzie House by SimonP on Wikimedia Commons

Mackenzie House (82 Bond Street)

The Mackenzie House was home to Toronto’s first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. After the failed rebellion of 1837, Mackenzie was forced to flee and take refuge in the United States for 12 years before he was allowed to return to Toronto. The Mackenzie House was purchased with money collected by Mackenzie’s friends and supporters and he resided there until his death in 1861. The house later became a museum and a printing press was maintained in the basement. There have been several reports of individuals witnessing the printing press operating on its own, and a staff member even claimed to have found the words “Responsible Government” spelled out in type one morning. Toronto paranormal expert John Robert Colombo has collected accounts from several individuals who claimed to have seen both male and female spectres wandering the house, watering plants, standing over beds, and playing the piano. One man even claimed his wife was physically abused by an apparition! Some suggest that the paranormal accounts were collected and distributed to drum up business for the museum, while others maintain the spectre is the ghost of William Lyon Mackenzie.

The Mansion by diamondrefractionindex on Flickr

Euclid Hall (515 Jarvis Street)

The former residence of H.A. Massey is better known today as the Keg Mansion. This historical home is perhaps one of Toronto’s most notorious haunted houses and, according to John Robert Colombo, paranormal activity has been reported here since the early 1950s. There have been innumerable reports of the sound of children laughing and playing on the upper floors in the former Massey children’s quarters, while some have claimed to hear a young boy’s voice calling for his mother. According to the folklore, after Lilian Massey’s death in 1908, her mourning maid hung herself in the main foyer. Some say the maid did not hang herself due to grief, but because Lilian Massey had been helping to protect the maid’s dark secret from coming out. Though the Keg declines to comment on any paranormal activity, several individuals claim to have seen the maid’s hanging figure in the foyer.

The Grange by SimonP on Wikimedia Commons

The Grange (317 Dundas Street West)

Originally the Art Museum of Toronto, the Georgian residence has now been integrated into Frank Gehry’s Art Gallery of Ontario. John Robert Colombo’s book, Haunted Toronto, reports that “a gaunt, shadowy figure may be seen to move through the library.” If this spectre is not a trick of the light, it may be either the ghost of the home’s final resident Goldwin Smith, or William Chin, a butler at the Grange for over 50 years. A number of employees and caretakers, including archivist Elayne Dobel Goyette, have reported feeling and witnessing the presence of spirits in the Grange’s stairwells and drawing room.

Spadina House by john irving - on Flickr

Spadina House (285 Spadina Road) (3323457)

Standing in the shadow of Casa Loma, the Spadina House was once a sprawling country estate in one of Toronto’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Originally constructed by Dr. William Warren Baldwin in 1818 (and re-constructed after a fire in 1836) the state eventually fell into the hands of the Austin family until it was donated to the City of Toronto around 1984. The house has undergone extensive restoration and operates as a museum dedicated to the interwar period. Though the house cannot claim to be the site of any tragic deaths or disasters, the Toronto & Ontario Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society reports that a foggy apparition was observed by several staff members darting around the children’s bedrooms and in the hallway on the third floor. Some say the ghost can be attributed to a taxidermied wolf currently residing in the basement of the building. The ancient wolf is part of an archeological exhibit and was sent away for a brief period to be restored. It was only after the wolf was returned to the residence that staff began noticing the gray mass that haunts the hallways.

Colborne Lodge by Grant MacDonald on Flickr

Colborne Lodge (High Park) (43488872)

Nestled in High Park, the Colborne Lodge was built in 1837 by Toronto architect and park founder John Howard. His wife Jemima lived with him in the home and became the first documented case of breast cancer in the city of Toronto. Early in the illness, Mr. Howard attempted to have Jemima committed to a Provincial Lunatic Asylum, however his request was denied and he settled for confining her to her bedroom in the Colborne Lodge. Jemima spent her days trapped in the bedroom until her death in 1877. It is said that she spent most of the remainder of her life looking out her bedroom window, often gazing at the tomb her husband had built for them to share. Paranormal activity was first recorded in 1969 when a police officer patrolling High Park noticed a figure in the window of Jemima’s former bedroom. However, after a thorough investigation of the house he could find no one. Others have also claimed to have seen a figure resembling Mrs. Jemima Howard in the window of the Lodge, while some have reported activity from phantom soldiers in the area.

Regis College, University of Toronto by SimonP in Wikimedia Commons

The Christie Mansion (100 Wellesley Street West)

The theological college at the University of Toronto is located in the former Christie Mansion, once inhabited by the cookie baron himself, Mr. William Mellis Christie. It is rumored that Mr. Christie had a secret mistress who, unbeknownst to his family, resided in a secret quarter of the mansion located behind wood paneling in the library. Mr. Christie is said to have bribed a servant to deliver meals to the secret room in the Victorian mansion where the woman spent the long hours of the day. Apparently, Mr. Christie’s visits to the mistress dwindled over time, and the distraught woman eventually hung herself from the rafters with a bedsheet. It is said that if you enter the room, now referred to as Room 29, the door will shut and lock behind you. There are also rumors that doors frequently open and close on their own accord and some say that there is an uneasy or odd presence in the hidden room. John Robert Colombo, author of Haunted Toronto, emphasizes the folkloric nature of the tale. However, he does confirm that there is indeed a secret room built into the framework of the building.

If this article didn’t fulfill your appetite for paranormal activity don’t fret; in addition to these historical Toronto homes there seems to be an endless list of theaters (Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, Royal Alexandra Theatre, the former Runnymede Theatre), historical sites (Black Creek Pioneer Village, Fort York, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse), University of Toronto buildings (Trinity College, University College, Massey College), and former psych wards (Queens Park, Humber College Campus) that have been documented as sites of paranormal activity.