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Ghosts at The Inn at the Falls
Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
by Stephanie Lechniak-Cumerlato

The History
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Bracebridge, Ontario, located in the heart of Muskoka, is one of Cottage Country's most picturesque towns. Situated alongside the Muskoka River, which runs right through Bracebridge, you'll find the Inn at the Falls. Located on it's own quaint little street, the Inn itself as well as the surrounding buildings seem to be a separate closed-knitted community. One that serves as a relaxing and peaceful retreat.

In early days, Muskoka's bustling economy was prominently due to the success of its fur trading, forestry, farming and water industries. Water was however, the most profitable resource as the North Falls, (what they were first called) provided hydraulic power to run the various mills. The falls were actually the primary reason that Bracebridge grew as it did, whereas many other Muskoka settlements did not.

The Inn at the Falls, which was originally built in the 1870's as a private residence, was first home to John Adair, who 10 years later sold the home to William C. Mahaffy. Mr. Mahaffy was a land surveyor who in 1888 became appointed the first District Judge of Bracebridge. His home and family served as an integral part of the social and economic history of Bracebridge and the surrounding Muskoka area. The lot that the home stood on was considered prime land as it overlooked the beautiful scenery of Bracebridge Falls and Bracebridge Bay.

In the 1920's, after the Mahaffy family sold the home, it served briefly as an apartment complex as well as a youth home. After this, the home sat empty and abandoned until 10 years later, when it, along with the surrounding land and buildings were purchased and converted into an inn. It wasn't however, until the 1940's that the inn became more popular due to another set of new owners taking over the home and fixing it up. Although the home had been struck by a fire in 1955, it continued to persevere as renovations and restorations returned the inn to it's former historic state.

The Hauntings
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Among the many spirits that have become permanent residents at the Inn, one is said to be that of Mrs. Jackie Niven, a middle-aged woman who after suffering from cancer, passed away in the home. Evidently, one of the staff members had saw an apparition of a woman, and it was later confirmed that her description fit the previous owner!

The Inn at the Falls more than welcomes their ghostly visitors. So much so, that they have admirably named them; Charlie, Sarah and Bob. Bob is a spirit that is said to inhabit the kitchen area while Charlie is said to be around the upstairs corridors. Sarah can also be heard rustling through the dining room called "Victoria's" on occasion.

Room 105 is the infamously haunted room at the Inn. It is here where most of the activity happens. There have been accounts of people seeing a woman sitting in one of the two winged-back chairs infront of the second floor bay window, as well as witnesses seeing a woman pass through the walls. The t.v. in 105 turns on and off by itself as well as changes channels on it's own. The shower does the exact same thing! Someone has also seen the apparition of a dog floating at the foot of the bed! Staff have also reported that quite often the master keys go missing and usually turn up in room 105.

In 1995, a well-known American psychic named Geraldine Page visited the Inn for lunch. When she first entered the home, she was immediately drawn upstairs. Apparently so much so, that she made arrangements to hold a seance in room 105, the room with the most activity. Before the seance began, the lights dimmed on their own, and Ms. Page fell into a trance-like state. While lying on the bed, she was overwhelmed with the number of spirits that were present.

During our visit to the inn last winter, we had the opportunity to interview one of the managers, Samantha Bigley. She told us about an incident where she had locked up the inn for the night and when she came back the next morning, the two candles that sit on the main table in the dining room were both lit.

She also continued to tell us about the hauntings of Judge Mahaffy, who can be seen in the basement inside the "Fox and Hounds" pub, as well as in the hallways that lead to it. Numerous staff members also bore witness to a hanging beer mug at the bar swinging side to side uncontrollably. There is also the spirit of a pregnant woman present, who is said to walk the halls of the second floor.

During our visit, we decided to stay in the infamous room 105 on the second night. We also had permission from Samantha to conduct a mini-investigation on the main floor during the night. Several strange things happened to us during this time.

We started the evening off sitting in bed and watching a little t.v. As we were sitting there calmly, Dan quickly arose and told me that he had just saw in the corner of his eye, a disembodied head float infront of the screen and disappear into thin air! This freaked me out enough to put me on edge for the rest of the night!

We decided to make our way downstairs to catch one of the staff members closing up for thte night. We asked her to take a picture of the kitchen for us, since it was a restricted area. Although this is a spot in the house that is reputed to have high activity, nothing appeared in the picture.

The staff member locked and left the Inn, and we were left, sitting alone in the dark parlour. We set the tape recorder on the coffee table and let it run on it's own. We sat there, quiet as mice for several minutes, just listening. A few moments later, the doors in the hallway that lead to the dining room (which were fully shut at the time) slowly began to screech open. Dan and I just sat there in amazement, as the doors began to open. After throwing back and forth"you go", "no you go"... we both decided to go together to further inspect. We stepped into the dining room and took a few pictures. Once again, nothing suspicious appeared on the film.

Personally, my most memorable experience from this visit is something that to this day still freaks me out a little bit. It was probably about 1 or 2 a.m. and Dan and I were sleeping in bed. Dan had already drifted off, but i was lying awake. I was having a hard time falling asleep, and was jealous that Dan was able to doze off before his head hit the pillow! All of the sudden, a woman's voice began to hum into my ear. It was a soothing hum, similar to that of a lullaby. I sat up, thinking that i was just hearing things, and it stopped. I lied back down, and it began again - a woman's voice humming in my ear. The interesting thing is that i never felt scared or intimidated. The whole time, i just felt very soothed - enough so that i'm sure i fell asleep fairly quickly after that.

All in all, our visit to the Inn at the Falls proved not only to be very relaxing but very educational as well. We spent the entire first night reading through an album that the staff at the Inn keep, with all the history regarding the home, as well as pictures upon pictures of the home's various states. We highly recommend a visit to the Inn as it will be an experience you soon won't forget! Oh, and when you're there, check to see if room 105 is available - we guarantee you'll have an interesting night!

Map & Address
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1 Dominion St. Box 1139
Bracebridge, Ontario P1L 1V3
Canada

Tel: 705-645-2245
Fax: 705-645-5093

Rooms: 37
Price: $100-200 CAD

To learn more about the Inn at the Falls and it's ghostly residents, you can also read Terry Boyle's book, Haunted Ontario.

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