51 Stuart Street
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
built in 1860

The History
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A Custom House is the location where any goods or people coming into the city would have to check-in and pay taxes. This Custom House was no different. Now we're used to this check point for country's, but back in the 1800's the check points were for each city.

For 27 years the Customs department remain in this building before moving to a bigger office in the old Post Office building at King and John Streets in Downtown Hamilton. After this many different businesses, activities and people occupied the building. It's this scattered history that is believed to give this space the legendary haunted status it enjoys today.

Here's what has passed throught the Custom House:

• The Murray Street School - until 1893
• The YWCA - until 1904
• Vinegar Factory - until 1915
• Woodhouse Invigorator Company - until 1917
• Ontario Yarn Company - until 1950
• Naples Macaroni Company - until 1979
• A Martial Arts Academy - until 1992
• Computing company - until 1993
• ... and finally the Worker's Art and Heritage Museum - until present

Over the years the building has faced many challenges. It stood empty and decaying on two occations, for years at a time, one time where a tree was growing through the middle of the main gallery room.

There was a major fire in 1920 that destroyed the second floor. This was quickly rebuilt, but because the high ceilings were felt to be a waste, the second floor was made into two and an attic was installed. The stairway on the east end of the building was added to give access to the attic.

The longest occupant of the Custom House was the textile factories. This was a time when Hamilton wasn't the Steel City, but instead could be nicknamed "Textile Town".

The Naples Macaroni Company was the second longest occupant, producing very successful foods for the city, which included macaroni, donuts and olives. It was during this time that many uninvited guests visited, in the form of bugs and rats.

The Reio family (owners) found only one solution and sprayed pesitcides all over the building. Unfortunetely they also sprayed the food, but failed to clean it before sending this out to an unsuspecting public. It's no surprise the Heath Department shut them down in 1979.

This began the second time the Custom House would sit abandoned, incurring much damage during this time from decay and vandals. It was be an unlikly saviour in a Martial Arts Academy.

The building was re-opened with over $400,000 of government money poured into the renovations of the Custom House. This was the main dojo of what was to be a franchise school. However the idea didn't work and soon the building was empty again.

Then it was passed over to the Worker's Arts and Heritage group, with an idea to turn the building into a musuem. This would be dedicated to the working class people of Canada, bringing the building full circle and finding a great occupent to keep the building going.

Today you can visit it as a museum during the day, and on those occasions when the ghosts come out, visit it at night for a Ghost Walk.

My love of the Custom House building
By Stephanie Cumerlato
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I personally can remember my Dad taking me down to the Custom House (now run by the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre) when I was young to look at this beautiful architectural structure.  I could have never imagined the connection I would form with this historical building many, many years later!

In 2003, my husband and I began a new part of Haunted Hamilton... ghostly walking tours of our amazing city. Next to our original Downtown Hamilton walk, the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre is closest to our hearts and a big part of what we do.  

From our first big event (the Meet and Greet) to our original Costume Ball events and of course the Ghost Walks, the Custom house has been a home away from home.

Located at 51 Stuart Street at Bay Street South in Hamilton (MAP), the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre and museum is a hidden gem, unless you know where to look for it. But move closer to the huge, Romanesque stone structure and you can't help but wonder what kind of mysteries lay with those walls.

Of my strange connection with this building, perhaps there is a reason?  This is the only building where I have had all of my ghostly experiences in over ten years of investigating and running the tours! 

I feel a connection with the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre’s main ghost, The Dark Lady.   She’s Hamilton’s oldest known ghost, first heard about in the late 1800’s, the subject of a spooky poem by Alexander Wingfield.

Seeing the Dark Lady
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Then in 2005, Halloween night, I may have witnessed the Dark Lady herself.  I was sitting at the front of the main gallery; location of the latest wonderful art exhibit put up by the Worker’s Arts and Heritage Centre, and was scrapping some wayward wax from a table. 

I heard a quiet creaking from the old wood floors and was hesitant to look up, afraid of what I might see.  When catching my nerves, I looked up to find a young woman sitting in a chair directly in front of me.  She was there for a moment, before vanishing right before my eyes.

To this day we continue to run one of our scariest walks at the Worker’s Arts and Heritage Centre.  Some folks might think they are stepping into a old and typical museum... but as they ascend the stone steps to the dark wood of the front door, and pass through the lobby, they may just feel how very different this place is.  The sensitive may even realize they’ve stepped into another energetic world of ghosts and history. 

The Ghost Walk takes you from basement right to the attic, seeing areas of the building not normally open to the public.... and in the bowels of the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre you will see the a place that can make the sensitive cry when first stepping inside. 

This is the infamous basement vault, said to be Dark Lady's resting place.  Only adding to the negative energy are the fifteen hobos buried under the floor.  After riding the rails, they climb in through once prominent tunnel to seek shelter in the Custom House.  The other end of that tunnel came out in the vault, that is until it collapsed on these men, burying them alive!

It is said that more than twenty-five ghosts currently haunt the Workers Arts and Heritage building, Hamilton’s original Custom House.  We here at Haunted Hamilton can quite confidently say that we have had several run-ins with many of these spirits, and hopefully will continue to have this opportunity for years and years to come.

Join us on a Ghost Walk and see what feel within the walls of this spectacular building!  Become a part of its 150 year history with a tour in 2010.

The ghostly voices
by Daniel Cumerlato
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This happened to us one sunny late afternoon in 2005. We would always arrive extra early to setup for a Custom House Ghost Walk just in case... in case we were forgotten!

In the beginning, our ghost walk nights were sometimes mis-marked on the calendar and when we showed up the building would be dark and empty, but not in a good way. We'd knock on the door for about ten minutes to make sure nobody was in there and then call an emergency number to get somebody to let us in.

This had happened a couple of times when we walked up to the Custom House on this sunny afternoon. We knocked once, nothing. Knocked again and that's when we heard it... voices from from inside the lobby.

We called out to the two ladies talking inside, but no answer. The talking continued, like a conversation, the voice loud enough to hear, but too quiet to make out any words. Then we heard laughter, and that was it.

Stephanie and I started banging on the door, shouting, "It's not funny guys, we need to setup".

That's when Brian, an employee with the Worker's Art and Heritage Centre, came around the corner. He walked up to the door, looking at us like we were crazy, unlocked it and went inside to turn off the alarm. The building was completely empty.

The Little Boy of the second floor
by Daniel Cumerlato
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This goes back a couple of years as well... so far back that Stephanie and I were still leading tours!

We were on the second floor in the "murder hallway" (you'll have to come on a tour to hear more) telling the stories. I was almost to the point where I talk about the little boy that has been heard running about by staff, when I felt a light tug on my cape.

I turned to Stephanie (who was beside me) to ask if everything was ok, and got a blank stare.

"Why did you tug on my cape?" I asked. She didn't.

I then realized that it couldn't be her because it felt like it came from lower to the ground, at the height of a child.

Gallery
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Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Custom House - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada