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Abandoned Rockwood Asylum in Kingston | Institution by the Lake

Perched on the shores of Lake Ontario, Rockwood Asylum in Kingston came from a Victorian vision of “moral treatment”.  Where the calming view of the water was intended to heal minds.

Established in the 1860s and ironically constructed by inmates of Kingston Penitentiary.  The facility was a marvel.  It was a hopeful shift in Canadian mental healthcare, from treating the mentally ill as criminals to viewing them as patients deserving dignity.

However, beneath the calming beauty was a strange history.  From the charismatic head “con man” to the murder of a visionary at the hands of a patient.  

Rockwood’s legacy is as dark as it is groundbreaking.  Now a silent shell, the asylum stands as a haunting monument to the “Friendless” now forgotten.

Abandoned Rockwood Asylum in Kingston - Ghost Walks Article

by Ghost Guide Daniel

History | Con Man | Murder | Grave Robbing | Ghosts


*See & hear about Hamilton Century Manor Asylum on our Dundurn Castle & a Bus Tour Event*


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Articles Canada

Healing & Ghosts | Hamilton’s Chedoke Hospital Dark History

Perched on the edge of the Hamilton Escarpment (“Hamilton Mountain”), the Chedoke Hospital site is where local history is etched into the stone.  These lands became desperate protection against Tuberculosis, a national epidemic.  Evolving into a beacon of hope filled with ghostly secrets.

The name “Chedoke” carries mystery.  Derived from the long creek that carves through Hamilton.  While some dismiss the title as a mispronunciation of “Seven Oaks”, named for a cluster of trees once near Fennell Ave and Garth Street.  A better theory suggests it is an Native term meaning “Big Healing Place”.  Poignant given the site’s 1906 origins as the “Mountain Sanatorium”.

Yet, a century of life and death left behind more than just ruins. From humble beginnings in canvas tents to becoming a leading medical facility in Canada.  Chedoke’s legacy is a mix of care and tragedy.

Healing & Ghosts | Hamilton’s Chedoke Hospital - Ghost Walks Article

by Ghost Guide Daniel

Name Origin | Tuberculosis History | Secret Ghosts


*This site is not far from the Legendary Hermitage Ruins. Join us for Tours into the Dark and Haunted Woods*