Haunted Ontario 4. Terry Boyle
room to room taking photographs of every nook and cranny. I snapped several shots of the display case, hoping to catch an image of Eliza in the glass. Then I wandered up the narrow staircase to the attic. I knew she was there. I pondered the story that the museum director shared of an experience she and her sister had in the attic. “My sister and I were up on the third floor putting away costumes in boxes. Suddenly one of the boxes flew up and hit my sister on the shoulder.”
Yet when I asked if she believes in ghosts she responded with a hesitant, “No.”
As I walked around the attic I tried to imagine what this building was like as a hotel. What other spirits haunted this place? What haunting was the writer referring to back in 1873? Who was the male spirit one psychic spoke about on the first floor? I shot some pictures without incident. Little did I realize what would happen next!
I walked into the corridor on the second floor where Eliza had been seen. A floor-to-ceiling bookcase was situated to the right of me. I decided to check the book collection for historical information about Brant’s house and the hotel. An elderly gentlemen was seated in a chair about one metre (three feet) away, working at a desk. His job was to catalogue the library. Gazing up to the third shelf I spotted a book I had written back in 1979. Thinking that I might take a look at it again, I reached up and placed my hand on the book. It suddenly flew off the shelf, along with three others. Two of the other books landed on the floor, while the book I had written, called Under This Roof, managed to strike the gentlemen by the desk on the side of the head, knocking his glasses across the hall. What on earth had happened? My attention went immediately to the man, hoping he wasn’t hurt. I found his glasses and returned them to him. In his mind, I had caused the accident. I apologized but I knew full well that I had not done the deed. Eliza had shown her hand. There was no way those books could have fallen off the shelf. I had a strong grip on the one book and had not yet pulled on it at all. It happened fast, with great force. I knew she was there and that Mary was right. Eliza is not a kind spirit. I thanked her for making an appearance.
The Joseph Brant Museum is visited by thousands of tourists each year. Most visitors would never know or sense anything out of the norm. They might miss the truly historical exhibit of Joseph Brant’s real home and the Hotel Brant that still stands on the property. Obviously some of the characters from those days live on as if nothing has changed. Occasionally someone like Mary discovers them again.
Emma’s Back Porch
~ Burlington ~
A figure in a black, lace-topped evening dress devotes her attention to the arrival and departure of her guests. She is the grande dame of the Estaminet Restaurant in Burlington and has been since 1919 when Emma and George Byrens purchased an old house that looked out over Lake Ontario on Water Street, now Lakeshore Road. Emma’s dream was to open a grand dining establishment and she started with just four tables.
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