Ghosts of Fort Garry Hotel
Historic and haunted, the Fort Garry Hotel is famous for its architectural beauty and infamous for being haunt- ed. Throughout its history there have been alleged sightings of ghosts. In fact, most, if not all, of the hotels built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway are said to be haunted. Perhaps it is the ghost of former president Hays, return- ing from his watery grave to check on the properties. Or perhaps it is the ghost of one of the labourers who fell to his death down an elevator shaft in 1912 during the hotel’s construction.
One of the most famous ghost stories that has attached itself to the hotel surrounds room 202. The room is apparently haunted by a woman who, upon learning of the death of her husband in a car accident, hung herself in the closet. The room is the focus of several odd tales of paranormal activi- ties. Staff and guests report seeing blood dripping down the walls of the room. Guests have seen an apparition of a cloaked woman hovering over the bed or been awoken by the sensation of someone getting into bed with them. At times photographs taken in and around the room appear blurry or do not turn out.
Whether it is the same woman or another, the ghost of a woman crying in the corner has also been spotted sever- al times in the hotel lounge. Guests and staff have reported seeing a young woman dressed in a robe, another in a ball gown and a man wearing old-fash-
Tales of ghosts surround the old hotel.
ioned clothes and a bowler hat strolling the hallways. The eerie sense of being watched or followed while walking through the halls has been felt by many people staying at the hotel.
Perhaps the most disturbing tales come from guests who have reported feeling or seeing a presence in their rooms. The presences are most often near the beds and guests have the sensation of someone stroking their cheek or climbing into bed with them while they slept or the bedside lamp being turned
on and off. Strange sounds are also heard. There have also been complaints about noises in empty rooms, silver- ware rattling in cabinets and scratching sounds coming from dresser drawers. The most famous report may have come from Former Ontario Liberal MP Brenda Chamberlain who created headlines when she claimed to have been awakened by spirits during a visit to the Fort Garry Hotel. Rumour has it she twice thought somebody else was trying to get into her bed, even though she was staying alone.
thehubwinnipeg.com
Fall 2015 • 31
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