Founded in 1642, Montreal is rich in history and culture. In its 376 years of life, Montreal has been no stranger to ghosts. There have been hundreds of accounts across the city of ghost sightings and paranormal activity. As Halloween quickly approaches, what better time to get to know the spooky side of our city? If you’re anything like me, do read these in broad daylight, as they range from “silly ghost stories” to “terrifying recounts.”
- Mont Royal Cemetery:
The Mont Royal Cemetery is said to be haunted and has been given the name “The City of the Dead Overlooking the City of the Living.” According to MTL.com, there have been many accounts of an Algonquin warrior roaming the area at night, and that attracted so much attention that the cemetery had to have additional security to stop people from going in and hopefully catching a glimpse of the ancient warrior.
- Griffintown:
MTL.com tells a legend that in 1879, a prostitute named Mary Gallagher was decapitated by one of her friends, Suzy Kennedy, on the corner of William and Murray in Griffintown. This dark street corner is said to be one of the most haunted places in Montreal. Mary’s ghost now roams that corner looking for her head every seven years. Her predicted next appearance is in 2019.
- The Ghost of Simon McTavish:
Simon McTavish was a wealthy and cruel Montreal businessman who died in 1804. MTL.com recounts that after his death, his ghost was seen dancing on the roof of his home, and tobogganing down Mount Royal in his coffin. His tomb now lies at the top of Peel Street, on a path leading up to Mount Royal. Since archeologists have been working around his tomb, McTavish is rumored to be haunting the mountain again.
- Grey Nuns Motherhouse:
As Concordia students, this one is quite disturbing. The Montreal Gazette reported that a student living in residence building had been having terrible nightmares about children burning and dying. She tried everything to stop these dreams, and only once she moved out of the building did the dreams stop. In 1918, a portion of the building had been used as an orphanage, and one night, a fire broke out and killed over 50 children.
- St. Paul Street:
St. Paul Street is the oldest street in Montreal. MTL.com notes that a common sighting is the ghost of a slave woman, Marie-Joseph Angelique. She was wrongly accused of arson in 1734 and frequents the area wearing a white robe and a sign around her neck reading “arsonist” to seek revenge for her death.
- Dorchester Square:
The Square in Downtown Montreal is very popular, however, what many do not know is that it is built over the Sainte-Antoine Cholera Cemetery, where a mass grave of 70,000 skeletons is buried. At night, Dorchester Square had been known to have a notorious amount of paranormal activity, from people feeling uneasy to hearing mumbled prayers.
For those that can’t get enough of tales like these, and want to know more on Montreal’s haunted past, the city also hosts many ghost walks in October, including Haunted Mountain, Haunted Griffintown and Haunted Downtown. Check out hauntedmontreal.com for more information!