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home > articles > Watson's Mill: The Ghost of Ann Crosby Currier
Watson's
Mill: The
Ghost of Ann Crosby Currier
The clouds rolled in as the sky darkened to a gloomy tone. An intense fog hovered over the sinuous river and drops of water gently splashed against the fisherman's face. The rain started to fall faster and the drips that once caressed his cheek now felt like cold, tiny thrashings. He looked around and saw a small, dark entrance to the nearby Watson's Mill. Hastily, he grabbed his possessions and ducked into the shadowy nuances of the stone structure. Trying to make himself comfortable, he sat on the cold, rugged ground. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped them with his arms in hopes of keeping warm. Raindrops fell from the beams above, echoing as each one hit the shallow, damp puddles below. It was unusually quiet inside the grand edifice. Aside from the shower, the only sound the fisherman could hear was the intense beating of his heart. He felt as if someone was watching him, furtively looking over his shoulder, but he knew that there was nobody else in the mill besides himself. Just then he heard a loud, unearthly scream, the shriek of a woman crying out from the second floor. He jumped from the ground, equipment in hand, and ran out of the mill into the torrential storm, never looking back.
Who belted out that blood-curdling scream that the fisherman heard inside of Watson's Mill back in 1920? Was it the condemned voice of Ann Crosby Currier, a 20 year old woman who met her untimely fate after suffering a tragic accident that would ultimately claim her life? Local legend has it that Ann still roams the second floor of the mill, gliding around in her long, white dress. Ann Elizabeth Crosby was born in the year 1841 in Lake George, New York. Her family owned "Crosbyside", a hotel that could accommodate up to 250 guests from the 1840's until the 1870's. This is where she met a Vermont-born Canadian lumber baron named Joseph Merrill Currier. A couple of months later, they were married on January 25th, 1861.
After spending their month-long honeymoon traveling throughout the Northern United States, Joseph Currier brought his new bride back to Manotick, Ontario to celebrate the mill's first anniversary. While viewing the works of the machinery on the second floor, Ann's white crinoline dress suddenly became caught in the revolving turbine shaft, throwing her body against the nearby support pillars and killing her instantly. According to an Ottawa historian, you can still see blood stains and fingernail marks on the posts. Ann's death affected Joseph Currier in such a profound way that he couldn't stand to remain in the very building that brought their happiness to and end. He sold his remaining shares to his partner, Moss Dickinson. Since then, the mill had fallen through the hands of several different owners, including Aleck Spratt who purchased it in 1929, Harry Watson in 1946, of whom the Mill is now named after, and finally in 1972 when the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority purchased it from the Watson family. Joseph Merrill Currier never set foot in Manotick again. He moved to Ottawa and continued to have a successful political career as a Member of Parliament. His most notable fame came from building the house at 24 Sussex Drive in 1866 as a gift for his third bride Hannah. He called the home, "Gorffwysfa", a Welsh word meaning place of peace and since 1951, the home has become the official residence for the Prime Minister. Joseph Currier died in 1884 and was buried in Beechwood Cemetery right alongside Ann Crosby Currier.
Numerous people have claimed to see the apparition of Ann standing at the second floor window in her long white dress and golden blonde hair. Some people visiting the mill have reported getting goosebumps on their body, even on the warmest of days and some even get the feeling that they are not wanted on the second floor - like they are not being welcomed. Aside from the actual sightings and anomalous feelings, strange sounds can also be heard throughout the mill. As mentioned above with the fisherman's experience, people have since heard the same shrilling screams and odd, inexplicable sounds. Ann's ghost has also been blamed for various disturbing mishaps and minor damages. Next time you're in the Ottawa area, why not take the short 20 minute drive down to Manotick and visit the historical and very haunted Watson's Mill. Tour the beautiful building and perhaps get acquainted with Ann Crosby Currier yourself!
Watson's
Mill is open daily from 10-5 during the summer and every Saturday from
9-2 from May to November. For more information, visit Watson's Mill
website at:
**
Some photographs from the collection of Stephanie Cumerlato, February
2003 Another interesting link to look at: A Capsule History of Manotick |
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Joseph
Currier and his industry partner Moss Kent Dickinson opened the Long
Island Flouring Mills in 1860. The mill itself was constructed of local
limestone from the nearby Rideau River. It is a perfect example of a
19th century grist mill and was considered to be one of the largest
of its kind in Eastern Ontario. Once settled, Dickinson decided to name
the village "Manotick" which is an Ojibwa Indian word meaning,
"Island in the River". During its peak, the mill also served
as a general store and the first post office for the town. 
Nobody
knows for sure, but the reason that Ann still haunts Watson's Mill could
be one of many. Maybe she is trapped in an eternal trance, reliving
the gruesome events of her demise, over and over again. She might simply
be waiting for the love of her life Joseph to come and "rescue"
her from her repeating nightmare. Perhaps she doesn't even know that
she is dead. Alternately, she could just have truly loved the town of
Manotick and decided to remain there after death. The reasons are vast
as are the actual sightings of Ann's ghost.