1. Royal Ontario Museum
Charles Currelly was an archaeologist, and after obtaining his master’s degree, he worked in Egypt and worked on a dig where he discovered the tomb of Ahmose I. It was in Egypt that he discovered his love of collecting artifacts and curating collections. After returning to Toronto, Currelly became the first director of the R.O.M. and was responsible for a significant growth in collections in the 1910s and 1920s. He often worked very late nights and even had a cot installed in his office. There have been several reports of seeing his pyjama-clad ghost, wandering around the galleries in his museum.
2. Mackenzie House
William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto’s first mayor, lived at 82 Bond Street for a few years until his death in 1861. Mackenzie was the leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 and after its bitter conclusion, he was exiled to the U.S. and returned several years later to become an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. Cold spots, piano playing, phantom footsteps and even the printing press in the basement starting up mysteriously have been reported by the staff and vistors – you can read more eyewitness accounts here.
3. Lower Bay Station
The Lower Bay Station is an abandoned subway station right below the busy Bay Station platforms. It was part of an experiment in the 1960s where the TTC was trying to plan out routes (there is also apparently a Lower Queen Station to be explored another time!). It turned out to be redundant, and was eventually closed off to the public, although it is now used for training exercises as well as filming (check out all the movies that have used it here). Reports from TTC workers of a ghost describe her as a floating woman in a red dress, who only sticks around for half a minute before disappearing.
4. The Keg Mansion
It seems like almost a joke to have a haunted steakhouse, but before it was a restaurant, the Keg Mansion in downtown Toronto was a residential home to the Massey family. Perhaps one of the most frequent eyewitness accounts center around the ghost of a young boy who can be found playing around on the main stairs. Read more about the sightings here.
5. Casa Loma
No list of haunted attractions would be complete without Casa Loma on it (featured in the photo above). There is even a Legends of Horror tour every Halloween! Casa Loma was originally the home of Henry Pellatt, a Canadian investor. It was the largest private residence in Canada, just under 65,000 square feet with nearly 100 rooms, an elevator, secret passages, a pool and a bowling alley in the basement. There are lots of ghost stories about Casa Loma, but the most common sighting is the White Lady. She often appears on the second floor or the basement, and is believed to be a maid who worked there in the early 1900’s.
