Bishop John Strachan (“STRAW-N”) arrived in Canada at 21 years old. Rose from schoolteacher to political powerhouse, becoming the first Bishop of Toronto. Just 2 years after the British crushed Mackenzie’s Rebellion of 1837.
Strachan emerged stronger than ever, ruling Toronto’s Religious world until his death.
While cementing his legacy through UofT’s nemesis … Trinity College. A now haunted place!
Hamilton Place Theatre (now FirstOntario Concert Hall) isn’t old. But it’s the kind of building where the air holds energy. For decades, staff and performers talk about strange encounters. As if it absorbed every emotion felt inside it.
Joy, heartbreak, fear, anticipation… over fifty years left a mark.
And beneath the stage are tunnels connecting the complex. And one lost visitor discovered just how real that energy can be.
Her encounter with a mysterious orb. A heroic and silent guide in the dark. Remains one of Hamilton Concert Hall’s most unforgettable ghost stories.
Toronto’s Elgin & Winter Garden isn’t just another theatre. It’s the last surviving double‑decker playhouse on Earth. A vertical marvel where two completely different worlds were once stacked seven levels high.
With the Elgin, all red‑velvet traditional elegance. Above floated the Winter Garden, a dreamlike forest of hand‑painted murals and preserved beech branches.
But this story is far stranger than you think! These twin theatres lived parallel lives through Vaudeville’s rise, the decline of Yonge‑Dundas, and a half‑century of abandonment that left the Winter Garden a time capsule.
Its restoration led to a Chicago import with a dark twist. Related to the Depression Era’s most infamous American bank robber. And discovering ghosts, like the Lavender Lady and Sam the Musician.
WOODCHESTER VILLA, BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO – … No, not birds as in the animal, but Bird, as in Henry James Bird. A Mill owner and pioneer of the quaint Muskoka Town.
How tragedy led to his unique Octangular home … and the family he tried leaving behind.
Hart House Theatre has been in the University of Toronto since 1919. Canada’s first “little theatre” offered an intimate space where young performers could take risks and shape the future of Canadian arts.
Over the decades, its stage became a proving ground for remarkable talent. And few theatres in Canada can claim such a lineage.
But for all the stars who passed through its doors, Hart House Theatre’s most enduring figure wasn’t an actor at all. Tt was a caretaker named Bert.
His sudden death in the 1950s shocked everyone. But it’s his postmortem act of heroism which is still talked about today.
Here’s the story of one of the most brutal leaders in world history, Vlad “The Impaler” Tepes. How it’s undeniable he’s the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
This episode features interesting and brutally dark history of the feared (and beloved) once leader of today’s Romania.
Is the Avon haunted by an infamous “Boss Ghost”, or just an eccentric drunk janitor. That, and potential ignored significant history. It’s time to prove history wrong and ghosts right for Stratford’s best theatre venue, The Avon.
Beneath the quiet lawns of Victoria Memorial Square Park lies Toronto history that most never realize they’ve walked over. Long before it became a downtown park, this land served as the city’s oldest Burial Ground and cemetery.
Fort York’s original cemetery! Dating back to the late 1700s and turbulent times in Upper Canada (now Ontario). Created for the little daughter of our first Lieutenant Governor. It was the beginning of a site that held soldiers, settlers, politicians, and forgotten residents of Canada’s largest city.
An estimated 400 bodies still hide under the pathways of the park. Every step walking over lives marked by tragedy, mystery, and even ghost horses! This article features some of those stories.
The Dark Legend in the Cambridge Post Office tells a haunting love story entwined with the history of the old Galt Post. Designed by famed architect Thomas Fuller.
The tale of Postmaster William Turnbull and his secret affair with a young woman named Emily. Leading to Emily’s despair and death in the building’s clock tower.
Though historical records reveal no evidence of Emily, the legend persists. With unexplained phenomena fueling belief in her ghost.
Niagara Falls has long existed as a place where myth and reality collide, starting with its very name. While early explorers like Samuel de Champlain only knew of its power through rumor.
By the 18th century, the falls transitioned from a rugged frontier mystery into a scientific curiosity and romantic destination. This shift was cemented by the early 1800s, which ignited a centuries-long tradition and gave rise to tourist oddities like the “Burning Springs” and the iconic Maid of the Mist.
Beyond the scenic vistas lies a darker, more daring history defined by ancient legends and modern adrenaline seekers. Native lore tells of Heno, the God of Thunder, who battled a Great Serpent to protect his people.
A sense of danger attracting daredevils, beginning with the penniless Michigan schoolteacher Annie Edson Taylor. The first to survive a plunge over the falls in a barrel. Her success sparked a century of high-stakes stunts—some ending in survival. And other … in tragedy.
