Downtown Hamilton’s gruesome past lingers in dark corners
- Elise Copps
- 18 Oct 2019
If you think the LRT debate going off the rails is the scariest thing that’s ever happened in Hamilton, you probably aren’t familiar with our city’s haunted history. I joke, but Hamilton does have some seriously creepy stories lurking in its past. And chances are you’ve set foot in at least one of the haunts Stephanie Dumbreck insists are, well haunted.
Dumbreck, better known as Spooky Steph, is the historian of horror behind Haunted Hamilton. She has spent hours researching the most gruesome events that have transpired in the golden horseshoe, and swears she has felt the presence of spirits while exploring local buildings and alleyways. “You can’t do this work for 20 years and just maybe believe in ghosts,” she jokes. “YES, I believe in ghosts!”
Her unique brand of spooky is a perfect mixture of fear and fun – she hosts a big Halloween bash each year – but it’s her intimate knowledge of local history that appeals to both the believers and doubters among us. I joined her on a recent ghost tour of downtown Hamilton, and she’s agreed to let you in on a few of her scariest stories. I dare you to read this in the dark with your door unlocked.
Does a missing theatre magnate haunt the Tivoli?
In its heyday, the now defunct Tivoli was owned by theatre magnate, Ambrose Small. Small was a self-made success, owning several theatres and many other properties. At age 56, he suddenly sold all of his holdings, including the Tivoli, cashing in a fortune worth millions. Then he disappeared, leaving all his money behind. Multiple playhouses, including the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario claim his ghost resides within.
During renovations on the Tivoli in the 1990s, Spooky Steph says workers insisted they encountered a homeless looking man skulking around the theatre wearing bizarre clothing: a Victorian era suit and bowler hat. Every time a complaint came in, the boss would search for the man, but find no one. The theatre manager knew the building’s history, and found his staff’s descriptions eerily close to the appearance of the playhouse’s former owner. He showed his workers a photo from a book on Canadian theatre history. “That’s him!” they said, referring to Ambrose Small.
It gets weirder. Amidst construction, a boarded up passageway filled with dusty steamer trunks was uncovered. Most of them contained yellowed movie posters and antique film reels, but one trunk was firmly shut. Theatre staff pried it open and discovered a skeleton inside! Before they could determine the origin of the bones, the trunk was discarded with a pile of construction materials. Spooky Steph believes the skeleton was that of Ambrose Small. This story certainly has some gaping holes, but don’t all good ghostly tales? Let your mind wander.
Did a quack doctor arrested in Hamilton go on to become Jack the Ripper?
Tucked behind the James Street North Bread Bar location, accessed via King William Street, is an L-shaped alley — a jigsaw puzzle of aged brick and fire escapes. It’s on this very ground that a man believed by some to be Jack the Ripper was arrested by Hamilton Police. It was 1856, more than thirty years before the serial killer’s spree. According to Spooky Steph, Francis Tumblety, a self-proclaimed doctor who was really more of a snake oil salesman, was discovered performing a back alley abortion on a local sex worker. He left town soon after, seeking new, naive victims to peddle his wares to.
Many dispute his suspicion as Jack the Ripper, but legend has it brass rings bearing the same markings as those stolen from the serial killer’s final victim, Mary Kelly, were found in Dr. Tumbelty’s belongings after his death.
Is Whitehern haunted by the McQuesten patriarch?
This final haunted tale is perhaps more sad than scary. It centres on one of Hamilton’s most notable families, the McQuestens, who bequeathed their home to the City.
Isaac McQuesten, father to Thomas Baker (T.B.) McQuesten and his five siblings, is believed to have died by suicide in the front room of the family home. His wife found him dead surrounded by a lethal mixture of sleeping elixirs and booze. Isaac suffered from alcoholism, and his addiction cost him the family fortune he inherited.
Spooky Steph says interpreters who work in the museum have told her they believe his ghost is present in the building and have reported seeing him lingering on the front steps when they are locking up for the day.
No shortage of haunted locales in Hamilton
Looking to send shivers down your spine? You can explore more of Hamilton’s haunted history with Spooky Steph herself. Find details on her website at haunted-hamilton.com
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