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home > articles > The Carleton County Gaol - Ottawa's Haunted Hostel
The
Carleton County Gaol - Ottawa Jail
The sun slowly dissipates as you make your way up the massive limestone steps towards the imposing stone structure. An elusive edifice that ardently stands as a reminder of darker times. As you draw closer, the experience becomes overwhelming. The exteriors of the building seem to encircle your very existence and before you know it, you're standing on the inside of this shadowy, yet fundamental dwelling. The old Carleton County Gaol, now home to the Ottawa International Hostel, is said to be one of Canada's most haunted buildings. So much so that in the past, the hostel has offered a free night's accommodation to anyone who could last an entire night in death row.
It was built as a maximum security holding facility and for years, was known as being the nation's most effective prison. Rightfully so as this is the place where wayward men, crying women, and innocent children would be locked up and fall victim to torturous punishment. They were kept filthy as they were seldom allowed to shower, never allowed see the daylight, and were granted only one meal a day. Solitary Confinement, aptly named "The Hole", seems to be the epitome of retribution. In the past, troublesome inmates had all privileges taken away from them and were stripped of their clothing, chained to the walls spread-eagle, and left in complete darkness. They were unchained for only 15 minutes once a day to eat their food and use the bucket. Upon entering the room still to this day, a miserable energy hits you causing the hairs on your neck to stand on end. Even a non-sensitive person can immediately sense the pain and suffering that this room still holds. Scratch marks and messages are inscribed all over the walls and even as the years passed, a more recent, authentic makeshift calendar has been etched onto the grimy wall, carved by a man who attempted to keep track of his days held in arrest. The shackles used to hold the prisoners down have been left untouched and can still be seen by those who wish to duck into the darkness of this ominous room.
Even the jail guards were hesitant to enter the area in fear that they may become infected with the disease. When a person would die, their body would be burned in the back courtyard and buried in an unmarked grave. During the construction of the Mackenzie King Bridge, workers accidentally stumbled upon 140 unidentified graves and figured that hundreds more were buried around the building's perimeter and parking lot.
Their body would then be cut down and left to fall down all 8 floors, coming to a crash landing on the bottom floor. Proof of these misbehaviors exist not only in the floorboards where the prisoners would have landed, but also on the wooden beam at the ceiling as there is a certain spot that has unnaturally withered away.
Whelan was charged and found guilty of the assassination of Thomas Dárcy McGee, one of the fathers of confederation. Interestingly enough, McGee's murder was Canada's first political assassination while Whelan's execution was the last public hanging to ever take place in Canada. Patrick Whelan proclaimed his innocence throughout his entire trial and 10 month stay in the jail, and even right up until the scaffold at his public execution. The Carleton County Gaol remained in operation right up until 1972 until it was closed due to poor and unsanitary conditions. It immediately reopened as a hostel only one year later in 1973 and since then, countless people staying at the hostel have had very strange and unexplainable experiences.
He has
been seen writing at a desk in his cell and has even actually sat down
on an innocent hosteller's bed, holding his head within his hands. After
the ghost had sat for a moment, he would stand back up and walk outside
of the cell, towards the gallows. It is also at this time that people
have reported hearing disembodied voices reciting the Lord's Prayer. In
difference to this, Patrick James Whelan was hung on the 11th day at
the 11th hour on a cold February day in 1869. His body was buried in
the back courtyard and it wasn't until a couple of years ago that his
unmarked grave was found and he was accurately identified by the ring
on his finger. All of these circumstances added up can give us a clear
indication of why Whelan's ghost is still living out his conviction
as each day passes, for the rest of eternity. Other voices are often heard as well as banging pipes and sounds of a metal object being eerily dragged across the iron bars of the jail cells. There is also a hostile spirit that haunts the old visitor area, primarily around the one stairwell. Although not often actually seen, he is said to exude a sudden amount of pressure on your back and create an icy chill that gives you goosebumps all over your body. It is said that literally hundreds of lost, wandering souls roam the halls of the hostel. Not confined to any real time or place, guests are just bound to run into an experience or two while spending the night at this infamously haunted former jail.
Although nobody really knows who this evil entity is or why he's there, legend has it that he likes to feed on innocent children and drain the sick. On one occasion a guest was staying in the former residence of the governor, when he awoke suddenly to see a shadowy figure standing at the entrance to his room. Just as he went to turn the light on, the bulb blew and shattered into pieces. The shadow quickly moved across the room and vanished into a wall of lockers located in the corner of the room. Coincidentally, years later, workers revealed a secret hidden passage behind these very same lockers.
Although there is a distinct sense of misery, depression and sorrow at the Carleton County Gaol, one can't help but take interest in this incomparable place that so many spirits call home. Not only is it a great place for cheap accommodation right in the heart of Ottawa, but where else can you spend the night in an authentic living piece of history - a building that has had so few changes made to it since it was last in operation as a jail. Whether you're a thrill seeker or a penny-pinching student, you can definitely expect to have a very unique experience at the Ottawa jail, one that you won't soon forget! by Stephanie Lechniak-Cumerlato **
article photos taken by Stephanie Lechniak-Cumerlato, February 2003 Gallery of Ottawa Jail:
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This
imposing Georgian structure was designed by architect Henry Horsey and
opened in 1862, five years before Canada even became a confederation.
Many
prisoners would succumb to the torment and die because of the conditions.
In the mid 1860's, many immigrants that came to Canada were feared to
have the scarlet fever. They were brought to the jail and left in a
quarantined area in the basement. Being left for month's at a time,
thousands of families died down there. 
Illegal
hangings also took place inside of the jail. In front of the gallows,
there is a wooden beam that goes across the ceiling. It is said that
guards would unofficially hang prisoners here by making a simple noose,
tying it around the inmate's neck, and then throw them off the 8th floor
balcony. 
Officially,
there were a total of three public hangings that took place at the gallows
in the Nicholas Street jail. The third and final ceremonial hanging
took place during a snowstorm before a crowd of 5,000 people and belonged
to Patrick James Whelan. 
The
most popular and permanent boarder at the former Ottawa jail is the
ghost of Patrick James Whelan who's spirit is said to still linger on
death row enduring his life-long sentence over and over again. 
possible,
the 13th hour. The hangman would tie the noose 13 times and then stand
to the left of the victim as the right side was the divine side. 
Before
heading off to spend a frightfully fun night in the old Ottawa jail,
there is one more story that you should know about. The Nicholas Street
Gaol is also said to be haunted by a very malicious and wicked "vampire"
who tries to drive your spirit out of your body. 
In
1972, during some renovations, a strange inscription was found on the
staircase in the Governor's Mansion reading, "I am a non-veridical
Vampire who will vanquish you all. One by one I will ornate your odorous
flesh with famished fangs. But Who? Are there 94 or 95 steps to the
9th floor? A book on the top shelf will lead you on the right path."
Below this text is a circle with an inverted code, "S3a".
Nobody really knows that this text means, but it remained on the wall
for quite some time until it was eventually covered over by a fresh
coat of paint. The staff at the hostel have since retained the characteristics
of this unusual mark by re-writing the quote on a paper and hanging
it on the very same spot that the original wording was written.