The Phantom Steeds of Wellington Street
Plus, A Supernatural History of Toronto starts this week, the Black Bull is up for sale, a visit to a strange cemetery and more...
There's an old cemetery hidden away near the heart of Toronto. Today, it looks like an ordinary public park, a small oasis of green surrounded by condo towers. It stands on the corner of Wellington & Portland; it's a busy place, popular with dog walkers, just a block from the chaos of King West. But there beneath the grass and the footpaths rest the bones of hundreds of people, the remains of those who were buried in this place two centuries ago.
And yet, those human bones aren't the reason Victoria Memorial Square is home to one of Toronto's strangest ghost stories. There are other bones down there, too.
Our tale begins more than two hundred years ago, with the War of 1812. The Americans invaded the Canadian colonies and in the spring of 1813, they even attacked Toronto — still the muddy little frontier town of York back then. They fought their way ashore and battled through the forests along the waterfront, inching their way toward Fort York.
One of the town's defenders was a British army officer named Lieutenant Colonel Francis Battersby. His unit, the Glengarry Light Infantry, was there on the day the Americans landed, but they weren't able to do much about it. A local militia member accidentally pointed them in the wrong direction, so they missed out on most of the fighting. The Americans seized Fort York and occupied the town, a reign of terror that lasted for six long days of pillaging and burning before they finally left, their ships weighed down by all the loot they'd stolen.
That summer, Battersby's unit was left to defend York in case the Americans came back. And that's when he wrote his name into history. Word arrived that Burlington Heights was under threat. If the United States managed to take that high ground, they would have a commanding position above Hamilton Harbour. Battersby was ordered to help. And so, he led all the troops under his command in a quick march west, rushing along Dundas Street with such speed that they arrived in time to secure the heights and convince the Americans it wasn't worth attacking.
It was a big moment. And while it did leave York undefended, allowing the Americans to raid our city once again, Battersby's dramatic march has been remembered ever since. Today, you'll even find it memorialized with a mural at the corner of Dundas & Burnamthorpe Road.
The lieutenant colonel would spend the rest of the war in Canada, still fighting on the frontlines of Niagara into the final months of the conflict. But when the peace treaty was signed, it was time for Battersby to head back home to Britain. And that made him worried.
According to the story, Battersby had a pair of horses he loved deeply — brave steeds who'd served him well during the turmoil and bloodshed of the war. He knew he couldn’t take them with him across the ocean, but he was heartbroken at the thought of having to leave them behind, afraid they would end up in the wrong hands. And so, rather than selling them and risking that they might end up with an abusive owner, he decided to make sure that could never happen.
On a spring day in 1815, Lieutenant Colonel Battersby led his horses to a cemetery.
The Garrison Burying Ground was the first settler cemetery in Toronto. It was created in the late 1700s, just months after the town was founded (on land where First Nations people and their ancestors had been living for thousands and thousands of years). The first grave belonged to the daughter of our city's founder, John Graves Simcoe. Katherine was just fifteen months old when she suddenly fell ill and died of what seems to have been a fatal case of meningitis. But the graveyard's primary purpose was to bury soldiers from Fort York, which stood just a short walk away. And it was there, to that modest military cemetery, that Battersby led his horses.
Once they reached the Burying Ground, the soldier said his final farewells to his loyal steeds. He stroked their manes, spoke their names, and then lifted his pistol to their heads. He shot them both dead. And then, he had their bodies buried right there in the cemetery, alongside fallen soldiers, early settlers, and young Katherine Simcoe.
With his terrible deed done, Battersby headed off home across the ocean. He got married, had children, and died decades after retiring from the military. And while his ghost is said to haunt his old house in Ireland, his horses are a different story.
In the decades to come, many more bodies would be laid to rest in our military graveyard. By the middle of the 1860s, about four hundred people had already been buried there — so many that they'd run out of room. The cemetery was closed, replaced with a new military burial space right outside the gates of Fort York. And in time, the original Garrison Burying Ground fell into disrepair, overgrown and abandoned. It wasn't until the early 2000s that it was refurbished and redesigned.
Today, there are still some reminders of Victoria Memorial Square's morbid past. A few surviving gravestones can be found standing in the park, gathered to one side with a plaque. A monument to the soldiers killed during the War of 1812 stands at the centre of the square, designed by the same sculptor who created the iconic memorial at Vimy Ridge. A Union Jack flies from a nearby flagpole. Plans are underway to redesign the park once again, better highlighting the space where the people are buried. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.
And then, there's the most evocative reminder of all: the ghost stories.
There are many tales told about the dead soldiers said to haunt our city. The spectres of those killed during the War of 1812 have been spotted everywhere from Fort York to High Park to the islands. And Victoria Memorial Square has its own stories, too. Some say nearby residents have heard the moaning cries of the dead at night, the ghostly wail of the soldiers buried in that little cemetery back in the early 1800s.
But the strangest tale of all is the story of Battersby's horses. You can still hear them, they say, on some dark spring nights: the ghostly click of hooves on the pavement and an eerie neighing. But the people who hear them and rush to their windows find nothing there in the street, no sign of the horses at all. And so, it seems, there is nothing is left of those loyal steeds but the bones buried beneath the park and those haunting echoes, the last phantom traces of those brave horses said to have met their tragic end more than two hundred years ago.
“A Supernatural History of Toronto” Begins This Week!
If you’d like more eerie stories from the city’s past, you’re in luck! One of my most popular online courses, A SUPERNATURAL HISTORY OF TORONTO, returns this week!
You can learn a lot about a city through the stories of the strange things said to lurk in its shadows. In four online lectures, we'll explore Toronto's past through tales of phantoms, monsters and mythical beasts. Whether it's the terrifying creature spotted in the tunnels beneath Cabbagetown, the sea serpent rumoured to live in the depths of Lake Ontario, or the ghosts thought to haunt many of our most fascinating buildings, the supernatural stories told about our city illuminate the history of the place we call home.
As always, paid subscribers to The Toronto History Weekly get 10% off my online courses! It’s just one small way of saying thank you. The newsletter is only able to survive because of those of you willing to support it with a few dollars a month. If you’d like to switch to a paid subscription, all you have to do is click the button below. Only about 4% of readers have made the switch so far, which basically means that with your subscription, you’ll be giving the gift of Toronto history to 25 other people:
I’m Talking About The Circus Riot On Tuesday!
The bizarre tale of the Toronto Circus Riot — and how it was sparked by a brawl between clowns and firefighters at a brothel on King Street — is one of my absolute favourite stories from the history of our city. And it’s one of my most popular lecture topics. I’ll be sharing the story again this Tuesday night thanks to the Riverdale Historical Society!
When: Tuesday, October 24 at 6:30pm.
Where: Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen St. E., 3rd Floor).
How much: $5 at the door (annual memberships to the Riverdale Historical Society: $20/person; $30/couple)
I’m Telling Ghost Stories in a 200 Year-Old Tavern!
Halloween is getting close! And on the weekend before, I’ll be telling Toronto ghost stories at Montgomery’s Inn. I can’t tell you how excited I am to spend a couple of eerie nights — and one family-friendly afternoon — sharing some of my favourite haunted tales in a place where people have been telling stories like these for nearly two centuries now. And I’m just part of the entertainment! Here’s the description from the event listing:
“Enjoy live music and haunting tales in the historic tavern. Creepy candlelit displays in the historic house will edify & terrify in equal measure. Food and drinks available for purchase from the bar. Enjoy some Halloween Fun.”
The Friday and Saturday night events are already sold out, but last I heard there are still a few tickets left for the family-friendly version (with the scare-factor turned down a bit and no alcohol) on Sunday October 29 at 4:30pm.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
ONE OF THE CITY’S OLDEST BARS IS UP FOR SALE NEWS — The Black Bull originally opened on Queen Street all the way back in 1838 and has spent most of the time since serving that same function — even older than the Wheat Sheaf, which is generally recognized as Toronto’s oldest continuously operating bar. But the man who has owned the Black Bull since the 1970s — former CFL great Bobby Taylor — passed away this summer and the famous bar has now been put up for sale. Since its survival is uncertain, Toronto Life took the opportunity to interview Sheldon Chow, who has worked there as a bartender since the 1980s and “recalls some of his wildest encounters, explains what Taylor was like and considers a future Queen West where the Black Bull may be no more.” Read more.
ANOTHER HIDDEN CEMETERY NEWS — One of our city’s strangest cemeteries is Richview Memorial Cemetery. First established in the 1850s as a burial ground for the village of Richview, it has since been swallowed up by Toronto’s sprawl and now stands in the middle of a highway interchange. CBC Radio’s David Common paid the graveyard a visit and learned more about its history from Heritage Toronto’s Chris Bateman. Watch it.
THE MUCHMUSIC DOC IS IN TROUBLE NEWS — As I’ve written before, a new documentary about the history of MuchMusic made a big splash at TIFF this year. But now the movie is in trouble. Director Sean Menard told Billboard’s Rosie Long Decter that while he mortgaged his house to fund the film, he still couldn’t afford to license the shorts clips of music that appear in it — and that he believes he didn’t have to since they would be covered by fair use. Now, Universal Music Canada is threatening legal action. Read more.
MALANGA NEWS — Wing Fung Chong moved to Toronto from China in the 1950s. This week, he told Toronto Life the fascinating story of how he went from working on his uncle’s farm at Jane and Eglinton to supply our city’s growing Chinese community with the hard-to-find-in-Canada-at-the-time vegetables they needed. Read more.
A BATHURST LANDMARK UNDER THREAT NEWS — 720 Bathurst Street is more than 100 years old, a little five-storey office building standing on the west side south of Bloor, with vines covering part of its towering brick walls. It’s best-known in recent years as being home to the Centre for Social Innovation, but the organization has recently decided to put the building up for sale. And as Jack Landau wrote this week, it “is not designated under the Heritage Act or listed on the City's heritage registry, meaning it could potentially be subject to demolition once acquired by new owners.” Read more.
PAPA HEMINGWAY NEWS — The Toronto Public Library has a new blogpost all about Ernest Hemingway’s time in Toronto, including historical photos and rare materials from their Special Collections. Read more.
SPECTACULAR FACADE NEWS — One of the most spectacular historic facades on Bloor Street is getting a new tenant. The curved Art Deco facing of the old University Theatre has elegantly bordered Bloor since the 1950s — one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Mink Mile. It was more recently home to a Pottery Barn and now it’s becoming home to the fancy French jewellery brand Van Cleef & Arpels. Read more.
THE EVOLUTION OF HERITAGE PROTECTION NEWS — UrbanToronto is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. And the site took the opportunity to look at how heritage protection has changed in Toronto over that period — and what it might look like in the future. Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
THE DON: INMATES, GUARDS, GOVERNORS & THE GALLOWS
October 19 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — Etobicoke Historical Society
“Join writer and researcher Lorna Poplak as she presents the facts behind the Don Jail’s location and construction, and shares tales about inmates, guards, governors, gangs, officials, and even a pair of ill-fated lovers whose doomed romance unfolded in the shadow of the gallows. The illustrated talk will highlight the Don’s tumultuous descent from palace to hellhole, its shuttering and lapse into decay, and its astonishing modern-day metamorphosis.”
Members only; an annual membership is $25.
SCREENING: “STEADFAST: THE MESSENGER AND THE MESSAGE”
October 20 — 7pm — Papermill Theatre at Todmorden Mills
“The Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine is a Canadian icon who broke barriers and fought for social justice. Be inspired by this documentary film capturing Dr. Augustine’s journey from her humble beginnings in Grenada, West Indies, to her numerous achievements and accolades after immigrating to Canada in 1960. Q&A session with Dr. Jean Augustine and Director Fahim Ali follows the film.”
Free with registration!
A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
October 20 — 7pm — Toronto’s First Post Office — Town of York Historical Society
“Join Toronto’s First Post Office & special guest, Richard Fiennes-Clinton, as we experience the museum after hours with a presentation on the traditions surrounding the Victorian culture of death and dying & the spread of spiritualism in Toronto with a look at the rising popularity of capturing ghosts on film! You’ll also craft your own Victorian mourning wreath to take home and display in plenty of time for Hallowe’en. All materials are included in the ticket price.”
$11.98 for members; $17.31 for non-members.
A GHOSTLY WALK THROUGH OLD TOWN
October 21 (7pm) & October 27 (10:30am, 7pm) — Toronto’s First Post Office — Town of York Historical Society
“Brave the darkness as we head into the city to explore the ghostly haunts of the Old Town of York, and hear tales of dread and mystery from those who walked Toronto's streets before us. The walk will proceed rain or shine, so please dress for the weather. All tours will start at Toronto's First Post Office and end at Campbell House Museum. Pre-registration is required and spots are limited!”
$11.98 for members; $17.31 non-members
SILENCE TO STRENGTH: A CONVERSATION WITH CHRISTINE MISKONOODINKWE SMITH
October 26 — 6:30pm — Online — Toronto Public Library
“From the 1960's through the 1980's, many Indigenous children were taken from their communities and placed in non-Indigenous homes. The programs and policies that enabled child welfare authorities to do this is referred to as The Sixties Scoop. In this Live & Online program, author, editor, and journalist Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith discusses her work in shedding light on this period.”
Free!
THE TORONTO BOOK LAUNCH FOR “101 FASCINATING CANADIAN MUSIC FACTS”
October 26 — 6:30pm — West End Phoenix (3 Barlett Ave.)
“Did you know that Serena Ryder played the quietest concert ever from the ocean floor during low tide at Fundy National Park? Or that “I’ll Never Smile Again,” the hit that launched Frank Sinatra’s career, was written by Toronto pianist Ruth Lowe? What about 12-year-old Liberty Silver singing in a reggae band that opened for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden? Did you know that the title of the Tragically Hip’s 1991 album, Road Apples, is not talking about apples? In 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts, author and historian David McPherson shares these and 97 other tales gathered from his more than 25 years working in the music industry.”
AFTER DARK TOURS: LANTERN TOURS AT FORT YORK
Various dates until October 28 — 7:30pm — Fort York
“Hear chilling and eerie tales on a lantern tour of Fort York and its historic surroundings. Learn about a haunted lighthouse and the bloody Battle of York. Explore the military burial ground. Tour the creepy shadows and 200-year-old buildings of Fort York at night and learn of the fort's history and its many paranormal mysteries.”
$17.70
THE PEOPLE OF PARK LAWN CEMETERY WALKING TOUR
October 28 & 29 — 1pm — Toronto Cemetery Tours
Chantal Morris, who led the wonderfully strange tour of Mount Pleasant Cemetery during my Festival of Bizarre Toronto History last spring is debuting a new tour this month: “Park Lawn Cemetery is an oasis in the West End of Toronto complete with lush greenery, meandering walking paths, and even a herd of deer. Its grounds also contain the earthly remains of some well known - and less well known - Toronto residents whose stories helped shape our city and our country.”
Free! (Tips accepted.)
GHOSTS, GRIEF & CAVADERS TOUR
October 29 — 7pm — Muddy York Walking Tours
“Take a stroll through Toronto’s central university campus. We’ll get away from the crowds and slip into the dark, tree lined paths. Once there, we’ll explore the most macabre of Victorian mourning traditions and talk about medical practices and body snatchers. But we’ll also share in the stories of some of Toronto’s most infamous ghosts. These include a murderous, loved crazed stonemason, a sinister baker who locked up his love interest, and a poor, spooky, little ghoul whose been lost and on her own for over 100 years.”
$15
AFTER DARK TOURS: THE DEARLY DEPARTED AT SPADINA MUSEUM
Various dates until October 31 — 7:30pm — Spadina Museum
“The Dearly Departed is a nighttime experience that explores the relationship of death and spiritualism against the atmospheric backdrop of Spadina Museum. Travelling through time, the visitor will experience how the generations of families like the Austins mourned their dead. Stories of the departed, and their lingering spirits will echo throughout the darkened halls.”
$25
THEY WALKED THESE STREETS, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
November 1 — 8pm — Swansea Town Hall & Online — Swansea Historical Society
“Join us at Swansea Town Hall [or online] to learn more about our courageous and brave young people who served during WWI and WWII and also walked these streets before us. Bloor West Village residents and high school teachers, Katy Whitfield and Ian DaSilva, created ‘They Walked These Streets, We Will Remember Them,’ an interactive soldiers memorial. The initiative commemorates local residents, including those from Swansea, who served in the First and Second World Wars and who never returned home.”
AAZHGEMOG-CROSSROADS PRESNTED BY ANDREW McCONNELL
November 2 — West Toronto Junction Historical Society
“The land of the Junction was a crossroads long before the railroads were built. Many Anishinaabe have passed through this land, whether it was defending their allies, moving between early settlements, or passing from one lake to another. This presentation will look at some of the more famous people from the time of early English settlement through the beginning of Anishinaabe resistance to encroachment on their lands and unfair treatment by government agents. It will look at how this place is also a crossroads between the past and the present Anishinaabe settlements north and west of Toronto, a testament to the continuous presence of Indigenous people on these lands.”
HOW YORKVILLE INSPIRED A MYSTERY NOVEL
November 7 — 6:30pm — Toronto Reference Library
“Join author Dianne Scott as she vividly describes the scenes in her mystery LOST AND FOUND, set in 1960s Yorkville. Discover Yorkville's past, from its indigenous roots to its bricks and beer industries and evolution into a counterculture mecca. See the streets and music clubs where fictional officer Christine Lane goes undercover to navigate a world of gangs, bikers, and drug dealers.”
Free!