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Ancaster Town Hall

Ancaster (Hamilton), Ontario, Canada

One of the oldest communities in Canada, Ancaster was founded in the mid-1700's and was once considered to be the capital of Canada, but denied due to it's location away from main transportation lines. The Town Hall was built in 1872 and has stood a monument to the historic town ever since.

The charming Village of Ancaster originally founded as Wilson’s Mills in the mid 1700’s, was named by Governor John Graves Simcoe as Ancaster Township in 1792. Today it lies within the boundaries of the City of Hamilton, on the western shore line of Lake Ontario.

It had become a thriving community during the mid 1800’s, once under serious consideration as the fledgling Nation’s Capital having the largest population in Upper Canada. This did not occur, in view of its somewhat isolated location from the main shipping routes. The community suffered a decline during the Victorian period, though the architecture thru the 1870’s is clearly evident still today in the original heritage district along Wilson Street.

The Ancaster Township Hall was constructed in 1872 on the main road of Wilson Street. Wilson was originally a First Nations Walking Trail winding its way through the historic village.

The Hall, though originally built at the roadside, now sits back on a slight ridge after numerous road adjustments over the years. It has however retained its prominence as one of the finest pieces of stone architecture, with arched windows and a high ceiling, in the area having survived a number of building fires that occurred in Ancaster from 1875 thru 1885.

The Hall was the centre of local politics for several decades, and also various exhibitions, such as the travelling Edison “magic phonograph” demonstration in 1878.

Today the Hall is retained by the City of Hamilton for its historic significance within the community, but it also remains functional, and can be utilized with its full kitchen and stage for many events, and with a capacity of up to 120 people.

The Councilor's Ghost
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As with many historic communities, Ancaster too can boast a spectral attraction known as the “The Hermitage”, well covered on the Haunted Hamilton Ghost Walk… but did you know that the Old Ancaster Township Hall is also a place of paranormal activity?

While operating a Disc Jockey Service in the early 1980’s, I had occasion to play music for a Christmas Dance held by the Ancaster Fire Department. The stage is small by modern standards, being only about 20 feet wide. On a Saturday evening in 1982, I shared it with a solitary Christmas tree, my equipment, records, and someone else.

Utilizing two record turntables, my practice was to constantly shuffle records searching for various artists and song titles. Later in the evening, I glanced up to see a man attired in period costume standing by the Christmas tree, a mere 15 feet away, staring intently at me, bearing no discernable expression.

He wore a white high collared shirt with a red ribbon, like a tie string, around his neck, a short velvety type jacket, and I recall buttons. The pants were Capri like with white stockings. I don’t recall seeing his shoes, thought the lighting was slightly dimmed for the dance. It was by no means an apparition as he was as solid as anyone could be viewed from that distance. Being very busy, I gave it no thought to it at the time.

The Hall had been decorated for a Victorian Christmas, with pine boughs in the windows, with ornamental electrical candles, and I surmised that one or more of the participants had dressed as such for the occasion.

Looking up again later he was gone. Then it struck me that there was only one access to the stage from behind my left, and anyone walking out would have had to pass directly in front of me. The other side was piled to the ceiling with excess tables and chairs allowing no access. Again being busy, I shrugged it off.

Around 11pm, I stopped for an intermission and we drew door prize tickets. I then congratulated the organizers, noting the authenticity of the decorations, and I requested that the gentleman dressed in the 1800’s attire to stand up to be seen and appreciated. No one did, and a murmur went through the crowd as they looked around.

I carried on, giving it no more thought, and the dance ended at 1am. While packing my equipment a woman approached me and advised me that I had seen the ghost of a long ago Councilor who she named, though I have since forgotten it.

I provided DJ Services for two more Christmas’s at the Old Ancaster Town Hall, and as one would imagine, I stood there staring wide eyed about for the evening, but saw no one. Perhaps it was a certain song type and beat, but the oldest piece was a big band sound and not a harpsichord melody!

** Photo courtesy of OntarioArchitecture.com

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