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Haunted Ontario 3: Ghostly Historic Sites, Inns, and Miracles
Gripping descriptions of paranormal experiences will leave the reader in awe. Interested in discovering more about haunted Ontario? Join Terry Boyle as he explores the shadowlands beyond the grave. Revel in the outstanding evidence of spirit habitation in museums, historic homes, inns, jails, and graveyards. Witness the full apparition of the innkeeper’s wife at Greystones Inn in Orangeville. Encounter the misty form of a civil war veteran in the graveyard of the old St. Thomas church. Experience the incredible slamming-of-doors at the Keefer Mansion in Thorold. Visit a whole village of spirits who share the buildings at Black Creek Pioneer Village. You can even spend the entire night in the Orillia Opera House with Terry and his friends. Prepare to be scared out of your wits with the stories behind these and other hauntings. After providing you with a list of addresses, phone numbers, and websites for each location, Terry invites you and all other ghost enthusiasts along for the adventure. Feeling brave?Watch for Haunted Ontario 4 arriving May 2015.0202Shiver as you read a selection of authentic ghost stories brought to life by author Terry Boyle in this third volume of the Haunted Ontario series.1302Terry Boyle is a Canadian author, lecturer, and teacher who has shared his passion for history and folklore in many books since 1976, including four titles on haunted Ontario. He has hosted television's Creepy Canada and radio's Discover Ontario on Classical 103.1 FM. Boyle currently lives near Burk's Falls,
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 1, 2014
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
I’ve never been to the Canada, let alone Ontario. But after reading this book, I really, really, really want to go. Sounds to me like they have more haunted spots there in half of Europe. Or maybe we need more ghost hunters here. Just saying.
Either way, Haunted Ontario 3 focuses mostly on Black Creek Pioneer Village, and several buildings there. Most of those buildings are, presumably, haunted. We get eye witness accounts, and some pictures that are really helpful to imagine how the buildings look like. I would’ve liked it though if the author included more of his own conclusions. He visited all the sites mentioned in this book, so I would’ve liked to know what he thought, and whether or not he did some actual investigating there. Sometimes he gives us his opinion, but it’s always rather short, and gets lost in the opinion and stories of others. I would’ve loved to read a longer description of one of his ghost hunts in the locations mentioned.
I imagine that if you know the Ontario area, and have the possibility to go to the areas mentioned in the book, that it must be three times as interesting to read about the tales of hauntings going on at the various locations. Since I’m not in that position, I would’ve liked less description of the sites, and more focus on the ghosts, their history, and some actual ghost hunting.
Nevertheless, it was an interesting read, and the author has a clear, basic writing style that fits this type of book. I’m kind of bummed this is the third book though, which is probably my OCD kicking in, but I wished I could read all three books in the series. I’m eager to read about more the hauntings, and about the author’s adventures while ghosthunting.
A solid book for fans of ghost hunting books, and true haunting books. If you’re heading to the area, then you should definitely read this book before going out there, so you know what spirits to look for, and where.
I’ve never been to the Canada, let alone Ontario. But after reading this book, I really, really, really want to go. Sounds to me like they have more haunted spots there in half of Europe. Or maybe we need more ghost hunters here. Just saying.
Either way, Haunted Ontario 3 focuses mostly on Black Creek Pioneer Village, and several buildings there. Most of those buildings are, presumably, haunted. We get eye witness accounts, and some pictures that are really helpful to imagine how the buildings look like. I would’ve liked it though if the author included more of his own conclusions. He visited all the sites mentioned in this book, so I would’ve liked to know what he thought, and whether or not he did some actual investigating there. Sometimes he gives us his opinion, but it’s always rather short, and gets lost in the opinion and stories of others. I would’ve loved to read a longer description of one of his ghost hunts in the locations mentioned.
I imagine that if you know the Ontario area, and have the possibility to go to the areas mentioned in the book, that it must be three times as interesting to read about the tales of hauntings going on at the various locations. Since I’m not in that position, I would’ve liked less description of the sites, and more focus on the ghosts, their history, and some actual ghost hunting.
Nevertheless, it was an interesting read, and the author has a clear, basic writing style that fits this type of book. I’m kind of bummed this is the third book though, which is probably my OCD kicking in, but I wished I could read all three books in the series. I’m eager to read about more the hauntings, and about the author’s adventures while ghosthunting.
A solid book for fans of ghost hunting books, and true haunting books. If you’re heading to the area, then you should definitely read this book before going out there, so you know what spirits to look for, and where.
September 3, 2022
Wow, talk about coming full-circle. When I first began blogging (about 5 years ago now), it was to share photos and stories of historic and abandoned buildings around Ontario (hence the name Beauty in Ruins). I've always been fascinated by ghost stories, so it just seemed a natural connection to add them into the mix and pair stories with photos. Every weekend I'd drag my family on road trips across the province, driving for hours just to snap a few photos of an abandoned homes and neglected cemeteries. For me, half of the appeal was in the appreciation of these beautiful old structures, often falling into ruin, but still evoking memories of the past. The other half of the appeal was in the depth of the stories, particularly those with a solid history to help illuminate the ghostly sights and sounds.
Terry Boyle's first two Haunted Ontario books were a part of my road map during those days, along with Barbara Smith's Ontario Ghost Stories, John Robert Colombo's Ghost Stories of Ontario, and more. For that reason, I was excited (not to mention surprisingly nostalgic) to see Haunted Ontario 3: Ghostly Historic Sites, Inns, and Miracles come my way for review. Unfortunately, reading it also reminded me of why I lost interest in the original idea behind the blog. I dropped out just as the current ghost-hunter craze was creeping in, as pseudo-science, psychic impressions, orb photography, and shaky-cam 'proof' got in the way of what mattered to me - the ruins, the history, and the stories.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the stories of Black Creek Pioneer Village, which are interesting as much for the history of the buildings themselves, with most of them actually relocated from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), bringing their ghosts with them. The story of the Blue Elephant Restaurant in Simcoe is one of my favorites, with a tragic love story behind the apparitions, cold spots, and other odd occurrences, while the Baldoon Mystery is fascinating as an historical ghost story, with the unusual events recorded back in the early 1800s. Greystones Inn in Orangeville is another great story, simple in its history and uncluttered with psychic impressions, complete with customer guest book comments about their experiences. The story of Port Perry Town Hall is another classic one, filled with strange sights and sounds, while Herongate Barn Theatre has a suicide that lies behind the story.
Perhaps my favorite in the collection, however, is the last - that of the Keefer Mansion Inn in Thorold, a place I've visited many a time. Constructed in 1886, the stone structure has served as everything from a private home to a maternity ward to a critical care hospital to an inn over the years. Its stories include a bed upon which some invisible figure appears to site, a child's handprint appearing on the window, and doors slamming (not just swinging) open and shut on their own.
Ultimately, however, while there are some interesting historical tidbits here, along with some great stories, there's far too much reliance on the pseudo-science elements for my taste. Ghost stories are most appealing to me when ordinary people encounter something spooky and unsettling, with the history of the site shedding additional light on their story, or where the inconsistencies from one witness to another simply can't be explained. Here there are far too many instances where psychic impressions are the whole story, or where mediums are relied upon to interpret their own emotions and experiences in resolving those inconsistencies.
Maybe it's a reflection of our times, and readers will be drawn to Haunted Ontario 3 by the elements that I find so distracting, but I prefer to share in the experiences of ordinary people, and I really do feel it's okay for things to be unknown and unexplained - in fact, sometimes that's what makes the strange sounds and sights so chilling!
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Terry Boyle's first two Haunted Ontario books were a part of my road map during those days, along with Barbara Smith's Ontario Ghost Stories, John Robert Colombo's Ghost Stories of Ontario, and more. For that reason, I was excited (not to mention surprisingly nostalgic) to see Haunted Ontario 3: Ghostly Historic Sites, Inns, and Miracles come my way for review. Unfortunately, reading it also reminded me of why I lost interest in the original idea behind the blog. I dropped out just as the current ghost-hunter craze was creeping in, as pseudo-science, psychic impressions, orb photography, and shaky-cam 'proof' got in the way of what mattered to me - the ruins, the history, and the stories.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the stories of Black Creek Pioneer Village, which are interesting as much for the history of the buildings themselves, with most of them actually relocated from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), bringing their ghosts with them. The story of the Blue Elephant Restaurant in Simcoe is one of my favorites, with a tragic love story behind the apparitions, cold spots, and other odd occurrences, while the Baldoon Mystery is fascinating as an historical ghost story, with the unusual events recorded back in the early 1800s. Greystones Inn in Orangeville is another great story, simple in its history and uncluttered with psychic impressions, complete with customer guest book comments about their experiences. The story of Port Perry Town Hall is another classic one, filled with strange sights and sounds, while Herongate Barn Theatre has a suicide that lies behind the story.
Perhaps my favorite in the collection, however, is the last - that of the Keefer Mansion Inn in Thorold, a place I've visited many a time. Constructed in 1886, the stone structure has served as everything from a private home to a maternity ward to a critical care hospital to an inn over the years. Its stories include a bed upon which some invisible figure appears to site, a child's handprint appearing on the window, and doors slamming (not just swinging) open and shut on their own.
Ultimately, however, while there are some interesting historical tidbits here, along with some great stories, there's far too much reliance on the pseudo-science elements for my taste. Ghost stories are most appealing to me when ordinary people encounter something spooky and unsettling, with the history of the site shedding additional light on their story, or where the inconsistencies from one witness to another simply can't be explained. Here there are far too many instances where psychic impressions are the whole story, or where mediums are relied upon to interpret their own emotions and experiences in resolving those inconsistencies.
Maybe it's a reflection of our times, and readers will be drawn to Haunted Ontario 3 by the elements that I find so distracting, but I prefer to share in the experiences of ordinary people, and I really do feel it's okay for things to be unknown and unexplained - in fact, sometimes that's what makes the strange sounds and sights so chilling!
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
December 10, 2024
It contains some little known history of Ontario which is nice but is also littered with grammatical errors, typos and words that are not in common usage.
September 7, 2016
This book originally reviewed in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.25
I'm not in to seeing or experiences ghosts myself, but I sure do enjoy reading ghost stories and watching programs such as Ghost Hunters, so I thought I might really enjoy this guidebook to haunted sites in our neighboring Ontario. Unfortunately, the book fell short of my expectations.
Part guidebook, part history lesson, part memoir, part ghost stories -- part of the problem is a lack of focus as to just what the intention of the book is.
The tag line about the book (on Goodreads, and on the publishers web site) reads: "Prepare to be scared out of your wits with the stories behind these and other hauntings." Umm...no. Scared? Not even a slight shiver. Author Terry Boyle tells the stories of each unique haunted place rather dispassionately, using historical facts, supernatural supposition, and relating WAY too many third-party encounters (how many times can I read about "feeling a cold presence when I reached the area where..." or someone "getting a feeling" about a place).
I found that I much more enjoyed the history research on some of the sites much more than the relating of its haunts. But the haunted aspects read like a clinical deposition, despite trying to end each with some sort of hook to try to personalize it (ie: "...if you see that yellow dress, do say hello" or "Perhaps you may see through the veil of time and embrace the past too" or "If there should be a disagreement between you it will pass away quickly, for your souls will be unaffected").
I wanted to connect to this book, but it just never drew me in. I suspect that this book will sell moderately well at gift shops in some of the haunted locations mentioned, but it won't have much of a life beyond that.
Looking for a good book? If you want a guide to eerie locations in Ontario, this is the right book; but if you want that tingly feeling that climbs your spine when reading true-life ghost stories, you'll have to look elsewhere.
I'm not in to seeing or experiences ghosts myself, but I sure do enjoy reading ghost stories and watching programs such as Ghost Hunters, so I thought I might really enjoy this guidebook to haunted sites in our neighboring Ontario. Unfortunately, the book fell short of my expectations.
Part guidebook, part history lesson, part memoir, part ghost stories -- part of the problem is a lack of focus as to just what the intention of the book is.
The tag line about the book (on Goodreads, and on the publishers web site) reads: "Prepare to be scared out of your wits with the stories behind these and other hauntings." Umm...no. Scared? Not even a slight shiver. Author Terry Boyle tells the stories of each unique haunted place rather dispassionately, using historical facts, supernatural supposition, and relating WAY too many third-party encounters (how many times can I read about "feeling a cold presence when I reached the area where..." or someone "getting a feeling" about a place).
I found that I much more enjoyed the history research on some of the sites much more than the relating of its haunts. But the haunted aspects read like a clinical deposition, despite trying to end each with some sort of hook to try to personalize it (ie: "...if you see that yellow dress, do say hello" or "Perhaps you may see through the veil of time and embrace the past too" or "If there should be a disagreement between you it will pass away quickly, for your souls will be unaffected").
I wanted to connect to this book, but it just never drew me in. I suspect that this book will sell moderately well at gift shops in some of the haunted locations mentioned, but it won't have much of a life beyond that.
Looking for a good book? If you want a guide to eerie locations in Ontario, this is the right book; but if you want that tingly feeling that climbs your spine when reading true-life ghost stories, you'll have to look elsewhere.
January 4, 2016
I've always found ghost stories interesting and this is the second book I've read by this author about places in Ontario. Included in this book are ...
* Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto - a collection of buildings that have been moved there from across Ontario
* The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto
* The Cawthra Estate, Mississauga
* The Blue Elephant, Simcoe
* Eldon House, London
* Greystones Inn, Orangeville
* Orillia Opera House, Orillia
* Greensides' Farm, Marmora
* Proctor House Museum, Brighton
* Herongate Barn Theatre, Whitevale
* The Keefer Mansion, Thorold
I liked that the stories were told at a high level and if I wanted more information, I could Google and dig for myself. In some cases, mediums were brought in to give their impressions, which was interesting.
In the back of the book is the contact information for all the sites if you want to check them out.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/01...
* Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto - a collection of buildings that have been moved there from across Ontario
* The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto
* The Cawthra Estate, Mississauga
* The Blue Elephant, Simcoe
* Eldon House, London
* Greystones Inn, Orangeville
* Orillia Opera House, Orillia
* Greensides' Farm, Marmora
* Proctor House Museum, Brighton
* Herongate Barn Theatre, Whitevale
* The Keefer Mansion, Thorold
I liked that the stories were told at a high level and if I wanted more information, I could Google and dig for myself. In some cases, mediums were brought in to give their impressions, which was interesting.
In the back of the book is the contact information for all the sites if you want to check them out.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/01...
March 24, 2014
Formatting: The formatting in this book was completely messed up. Random words were in bold, some of the words were in the wrong font, the table of contents was all jumbled together, page breaks were not where they should be, page numbers were in the middle of paragraphs and, in some places, pieces of words were missing.
Content: I loved the stories within this book. I love paranormal stories based on truth or true accounts of paranormal activities that people have experienced and this book contains both.
Content: I loved the stories within this book. I love paranormal stories based on truth or true accounts of paranormal activities that people have experienced and this book contains both.
October 10, 2014
I only read the part about "The Blue Elephant Restaurant"
Since I live in this town ...
It was very interesting and intriguing!
I enjoyed it and I now want to go there more to see if I can experience any of these things!
I enjoyed that one specific chapter !
And since Its the only one I read I can't really rate the book very well! But if all the stories were as good as the one I read I feel it deserves a 3..
Since I live in this town ...
It was very interesting and intriguing!
I enjoyed it and I now want to go there more to see if I can experience any of these things!
I enjoyed that one specific chapter !
And since Its the only one I read I can't really rate the book very well! But if all the stories were as good as the one I read I feel it deserves a 3..
March 25, 2014
I have to agree with the other reviewers about the format for the kindle it was very of putting. Having seas that I love the ghost stories well written and a page turner. Would be very happy to recommend but as said the format does need sorting.
September 17, 2015
It was endearing how obviously enthusiastic the author was about the subject, but his writing style was unremarkable and the content got repetitive after a while. I skimmed through most of the latter half of the book.
April 4, 2014
I like this book. The stories were all really good. But, I agree with all of the other reviews. The formatting was not ideal. Sometimes it was quite difficult to read. Overall, it was a good book.
December 7, 2014
When I am planning my trip to Canada next summer I will be sure to check out some of the locations in this book. I see a great adventure in the making.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews