Haunted Casa Loma

Deep in the heart of Toronto stands a castle. Well, it's a true castle in design, but not in age. It was built in the early 20th Century.

In 1911, Sir Henry Pellat, a Toronto businessman, hired E.J. Lennox, the famous architect, to design and build a castle. Sir Henry hoped to lure royalty to the City of Toronto. The castle was completed in 1914.

Unlike homes of that era (time), the castle had electricity, indoor plumbing, a central vacuum and its very own telephone exchange. There were fifty-nine telephones in Casa Loma. More calls were made in the castle each day than in the entire City of Toronto.

The total cost of Casa Loma was 3.5 million dollars. Sir Henry spent another 1.5 million on furnishings. Within nine years, Sir Henry was broke. He signed the castle over to the City of Toronto for unpaid taxes.

While he lived in Casa Loma, Sir Henry owned a stable of fine horses. He didn't like people near them, so he often took them through an underground tunnel to other areas of the grounds. People touring Casa Loma say this tunnel is haunted. They get spooky feelings while walking through it. Some have even reported seeing horses there.

Reports of ghosts or spirits in the carriage house are frequent. People get "strange" feelings when approaching. Some say they've been shoved or pushed on the stairs that lead up to the living quarters. Others claim they were grabbed by the neck. Some run screaming from the building. Hundreds tour the carriage house without encountering unknown entities (ghost or spirits).

Lady Pellat died in the castle. It is said her spirit roams her bedroom, the Library and the Conservatory. Ghosts have also been reported in Peacock Alley, which stretches from the Conservatory to the Great Hall.

The carriage house has the most reports of hauntings, then The Norman and The Scottish Towers. It seems that Casa Loma has many uninvited guests in the rooms, halls and buildings of its grounds.

What do you think? Could spirits really roam the halls, rooms, towers and tunnels of this magnificent castle, or are the reports of ghosts the figment of someone's overactive imagination?

Find out for yourself if Casa Loma is haunted. For the first time in its history, Casa Loma is opening its doors this fall for Ghost Tours.

Dates: October 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th; November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

That's seven nights of spooky fun. Tour guides will tell stories of ghostly happenings and strange encounters in Toronto's Majestic Castle. The tours will highlight the secret passages and hidden panels throughout the mansion.

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