Haunted Houses in Guelph

The topic for this week is haunted houses, specifically in my own geographical location.  According to http://www.whosonthelist.com/2009/10/top-five-haunted-areas-of-guelph/, there are 5 places in Guelph that qualify for the list of the top 5 haunted areas.  I would daresay there are more, and my personal folklore knowledge can think of at least 2 (which I won't include here because they are private residences).

Local folklore has the Baker Street parking lot listed as a haunted location because apparently it used to be the site of a cemetary.  (Just goes to show, you learn something new every day).  In the days when this location was used as a cemetary it was not uncommon to bury an individual without putting their name on a tombstone because it was believed they hadn't made a name for themselves yet.  As a result, when, many years later it came time to excavate the parking lot and bones were found, it is likely because of the unnamed headstone policy that was in place.  It is quite possible, to this day, that there are still a few unsettled souls in the Baker Street parking lot.

Of course, no list would be complete if the local cemetery wasn't included as being a haunted location.  Woodlawn Cemetery is on the short list for sure.  Legend has it that a family was visiting the Guelph area and decided to go to the Cemetery.  While there the members of the family were surrounded by orbs or ghostly beings.

The Guelph Court House made the list of the top 5 haunted areas in Guelph and as executions by hanging were carried out here I can certainly see why it would have made the list.

The University of Guelph - who would have guessed that War Memorial Hall would make the list but students have been reporting seeing ghostly images, having toilet seats put down, and of lights being turned on and off.  People have reported being spoken to by ghostly images near Johnston Green.  

The item that made #1 on the list of the top 5 haunted areas is actually a local attraction, being held this year at Stone Road Mall.  I am sure the location itself isn't haunted but going through the attraction is likely to give you the creeps.  I personally haven't visited this attraction, but I did go through the haunted house that has been held for the past several years down Gordon Street, at the south end of the city.  I will tell you that my heart was racing a bit quicker by the time I exited the haunted house.  So while the attraction isn't in the same category as the rest of the items in this list, it is probably the one that will scare you the most.  At least for a few minutes!

Other locations of note include a stone farmhouse in the Paisley Road area that has been protected by an area farmer.  The farmhouse is in the middle of a field with little access to the building.

If you think your home may be haunted, there is an organization in Guelph who will assist you in determining the type of haunting you may have.  The organization has been in business for over 13 years and their work is primarily for research.  They are called Specter - Society of Paranormal Encounters of Canada. Training and Entity Research ~ 1998-2011