Hamilton’s Dark History

Only Dark & Violent Stories from Real History

Only dark and strange stories in a city filled with them!  Murder, mobsters, hangings and mayhem jammed into this captivating tour.

Featuring…

  • Reason for the city’s laughable reputation for hanging people.
  • Real story behind the infamous Torso Murderess, Evelyn Dick.
  • The death everyone wanted featuring Whitehern Mansion.
  • Rise & fall of Canada’s King of the Bootleggers, Rocco Perri.

Plus, proof Hamilton is a true mob town!

Well-crafted tales from real history!  Rare with limited dates this season at a special low price!

BOOK NOW! | FAQ | REVIEWS

||UPDATES

Returns in 2025!

Ghost Walks of Hamilton
Excellent
4.9
Based on 482 reviews
Did the Hermitage walk last weekend. It was great. Tyler was a great storyteller, and overall the ambience was excellent.Only issue is that there were a few very refreshed hicks partaking in the walk as well, who continued cracking beers and drinking during the walk. I'd like to see the organizers keep that particular element out of this type of experience. You know what's a great mood-killer? Someone who reeks of whisky and beer who thinks they're a comedian.
We had Erin as our guide who was an absolutely fabulous story teller. She made the experience so great with the tales she told. I learned so much history about a place I live in that I had never heard before.
Great experience. Did the Dundurn castle and bus tour. Was an awesome outing.
My husband and I had such a wonderful time listening to some of Hamilton’s dark history on the bus tour with Daniel and bus driver Al. Exploring Dundurn castle after dark felt really special and the guides there were extremely knowledgeable. 10/10 would recommend it was awesome!2024Would just like to pop back on and say because we had such an amazing time last year we decided to do the hermitage ruins tour this year. We had a great time with Geoff as our guide as he was very knowledgeable on the history as well as a great story teller. It was a unique experience getting to walk the path in the dark. Again, I highly recommend you try it out.
We enjoyed it but I wish that people were told to keep voices low on the walk. We had a group show up, half of whom had been on the tour before. They were smoking pot and laughing and talking loud the entire time. It took away from the experience. The guide was amazing and funny and a good story teller. I didn't enjoy it because of the large group ruining the atmosphere for the entire group
We did the Dundurn Castle and Bus Tour and had a great time. All the guides were very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and entertaining. Everything was run very smoothly. They were also very accommodating when I asked to switch our tickets to another date
Fantastic ghost walk at Hermitage Ruins with Erin as our tour guide. Lots of great stories and historic info. Thanks Erin!
We had fun on this tour. Erin was a great story teller.
We did the Dundurn Castle bus tour and ghost walk. It was great. Tyler was very knowledgeable.
The hermitage ruins ghost walk was full of fun and historic spooky stories. I loved that they had a psychic on site to add to the ambiance and overall enjoyment. We managed to capture some great photos as well under the full moon. Such a great experience! Will definitely do another ghost walk in the future. Erin was a great tour guide.
We really enjoyed the ghost walk in Dundas. Tyler was an excellent storyteller and very informative. He also had a good sense of humor. Even though it was raining last night, we still enjoyed it even my kids. There was a great turnout in our group. Highly recommend taking the tour.
Went for a tour of the Hermitage Ruins in Ancaster! Had Geoff as our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and friendly! We never felt like we walked too far before there was another story and it was cool to have most of them occur around the places where we stopped. We were super impressed with his patience and graciousness with dealing with a small section of the group that kept talking over him when he was trying to share stories. Would happily take a tour with this company again ☺️
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The Alleyway on Augusta

Beside 13 Augusta Street MAP
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Hamilton Dark History Prices

General . . . . . . . $13.00

+ HST Tax & Small 1.5% Fee

Book for Hamilton’s Dark History

Select Date / Click Book Now to See Times

Upcoming

  • 2025 Dates
    • Returns in 2025
Tour info
Ghost Walks Type of Tour
Hamilton's Dark History Tour - parking
Mature Content on Tour - not recommended for young kids
Ghost Walks Wheelchair

group bookings for this tour
private walks information

FAQ & Interesting Info

Why we are different from other Tours?

A focus on masterful storytelling at a reasonable price.  First, we’ve put special attention into respecting the ghost story.  Also, with a dedication to traditional styles mixed with natural (and interesting) odd history.  This is our specialty since 2003.

Reviews | What people are saying…

Ghost Walks of Hamilton
Excellent
4.9
Based on 482 reviews
Did the Hermitage walk last weekend. It was great. Tyler was a great storyteller, and overall the ambience was excellent.Only issue is that there were a few very refreshed hicks partaking in the walk as well, who continued cracking beers and drinking during the walk. I'd like to see the organizers keep that particular element out of this type of experience. You know what's a great mood-killer? Someone who reeks of whisky and beer who thinks they're a comedian.
We had Erin as our guide who was an absolutely fabulous story teller. She made the experience so great with the tales she told. I learned so much history about a place I live in that I had never heard before.
Great experience. Did the Dundurn castle and bus tour. Was an awesome outing.
My husband and I had such a wonderful time listening to some of Hamilton’s dark history on the bus tour with Daniel and bus driver Al. Exploring Dundurn castle after dark felt really special and the guides there were extremely knowledgeable. 10/10 would recommend it was awesome!2024Would just like to pop back on and say because we had such an amazing time last year we decided to do the hermitage ruins tour this year. We had a great time with Geoff as our guide as he was very knowledgeable on the history as well as a great story teller. It was a unique experience getting to walk the path in the dark. Again, I highly recommend you try it out.
We enjoyed it but I wish that people were told to keep voices low on the walk. We had a group show up, half of whom had been on the tour before. They were smoking pot and laughing and talking loud the entire time. It took away from the experience. The guide was amazing and funny and a good story teller. I didn't enjoy it because of the large group ruining the atmosphere for the entire group
We did the Dundurn Castle and Bus Tour and had a great time. All the guides were very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and entertaining. Everything was run very smoothly. They were also very accommodating when I asked to switch our tickets to another date
Fantastic ghost walk at Hermitage Ruins with Erin as our tour guide. Lots of great stories and historic info. Thanks Erin!
We had fun on this tour. Erin was a great story teller.
We did the Dundurn Castle bus tour and ghost walk. It was great. Tyler was very knowledgeable.
The hermitage ruins ghost walk was full of fun and historic spooky stories. I loved that they had a psychic on site to add to the ambiance and overall enjoyment. We managed to capture some great photos as well under the full moon. Such a great experience! Will definitely do another ghost walk in the future. Erin was a great tour guide.
We really enjoyed the ghost walk in Dundas. Tyler was an excellent storyteller and very informative. He also had a good sense of humor. Even though it was raining last night, we still enjoyed it even my kids. There was a great turnout in our group. Highly recommend taking the tour.
Went for a tour of the Hermitage Ruins in Ancaster! Had Geoff as our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and friendly! We never felt like we walked too far before there was another story and it was cool to have most of them occur around the places where we stopped. We were super impressed with his patience and graciousness with dealing with a small section of the group that kept talking over him when he was trying to share stories. Would happily take a tour with this company again ☺️
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Do we go into any of the buildings?

This is an outdoor tour in Hamilton’s core. Most locations are abandoned, closed at night, unable accommodate our group… or is an alleyway! Book for our indoor tour at Castle Kilbride

Why are dates and times missing when booking?

When a date or time slot is missing in the Booking… If a missing time, that tour time is sold out.  A missing date, means the entire night is sold out.

Info | Why Hamilton is Darker than any Canadian City

The reason Hamilton’s Dark History exists! Our archive consists of information showing off ghost stories in this very haunted city of Hamilton. 

But we’re obsessed.  Strange and dark history must be mix into these ghostly tales.

Opened up an interesting history, odd for any Canadian city. 

A New Tour Born

The Hamilton’s Dark History was born from these stories.  Vagabonds, outside the squeaky clean image of this young country, but oh so interesting.

Great example is outside the region of this tour.  A town once known as Mount Albion.  Has since been wiped off the map.  Why is it the darkest history in Canada?  Because…

Home to the Ghost of a Tragic Legend

“Alas, poor Jane Riley,

for Joseph she did die

By jumping off that dizzy brink,

full sixty cubits high” ~ Slater

Jilted by her lover.  The boy from a rich family caught with a prostitute in a near-by church.  Poor Jane Riley rushed to the precipice of Albion Falls.  

Town’s folk saw her wandering alone in the woods.  Hair disheveled, dirt smeared across her face, screaming at the sky and whispering to herself.

Downfall

It disturbed them, but nobody helped poor Jane Riley.

Days later, men working beneath the Albion Falls saw at the top two shadows appear over the sun’s glare.  Shielding their eyes and looking up, two girls balanced at the edge.

One reached out, missing, as the other leaned forward.

The men ran, splashing through the water, trying to see where she would land.

Strange Note

They watched her fall feet first, leading to an action removing all doubt this was an accident. Her dress billowed out like a parachute which slowed her descent.  Her desire to die was evident as she brushed it down and sped to the rocks below.

They stayed with her. Jane Riley barely alive, as the men reassured she would be okay.  She silently died after one hour.

Was Hamilton’s Mob Graveyard (in a true Mob town, proven on the tour)

Organized crime needs a body dumping ground. Such as a remote location far from the central city. Forests, quiet, and pitch black at night.

Like the movie scenes. The old 1920’s Ford parked just off a wooded path shining headlights into the woods. As two men in suits dig a hole. That happened in Hamilton!

Body Dumping Ground

Al Capone had one. Was a burial ground outside of Chicago (Bremen Township) known as Bachelor’s Grove.  Because it was remote, secret, and best of all, bodies already in the ground.

For Rocco Perri, it was Albion Falls (Mills).  As shown by the story of Fred and Joseph on the tour.  He was Ontario’s King of the Bootleggers. 

Most likely for other families followed.  

Where a Murderess got Infamous

In the 1940’s, some kids are playing in the Albion woods less than a mile from the Falls.   A boy noticed it.

Looked like a dead animal on the fallen leaves, but something wasn’t right.  The kids got their parents, and they knew.  This wasn’t an animal… it was wearing a shirt.

Not an Animal

It was the human torso of John Dick.  Kicking off the legend of Evelyn Dick.  These stories now famous throughout Canada and even the United States.   Her story on the tour outside of the once courthouse where she was tried, found not guilty, then found guilty again.

Want more darkness?  Join the Facebook group called Hamilton’s Darker History

Should I book in advance?

Yes.  We are limited on space for tours.  Advance bookings allows us to guarantee spots for you, and book in additional guides if needed.