When darkness falls over Prince Edward County in late October, the veil between past and present seems to thin. On dimly lit lanes and in creaking old houses, stories of restless spirits find eager ears. PEC’s popular ghost tours – the Graveyard & Gallows Walking Tour in Picton – brings you true (and [truly spooky) tales from The County’s haunted history. Light your lantern and prepare for goosebumps as we recount the spectral legends that still linger in our quiet corner of Ontario.
The Ghosts of the Gallows:
Our tour begins at Picton’s historic courthouse and jail, where one of PEC’s most infamous events occurred: the double hanging of 1884. By lantern light, our guide leads us into the old exercise yard, adjacent to the raised wooden gallows that were actually used for executions. Here, on a drizzly June morning in 1884, two local men, Joseph Thomset and George Lowder, were hanged for the murder of Peter Lazier – a crime many believe they did not clearly commit. It was a botched execution (the trapdoor malfunctioned) that horrified the onlookers. Today, visitors swear that on misty mornings you can feel an oppressive presence here, as if the sadness of that day never left. Some have reported the apparition of a man in a 19th-century suit pacing near the gallows, or even faint disembodied sobbing. The tour guide recounts that the jail’s staff in later years often heard footsteps in the empty gallows yard at night. In the courthouse itself, there are tales of spectral figures in the upper gallery. Is it Thomset or Lowder seeking posthumous justice? Perhaps the judge who condemned them, burdened by guilt? The tour doesn’t answer definitively, but as we stand in the dark where it happened, hearts pounding, it’s hard not to sense something.
The story is all the more chilling given its historical truth. The tour highlights that the grave of Peter Lazier (the victim) is in the nearby Glenwood Cemetery, marked by an unusual tombstone that was once featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not – a tombstone carved with a set of hanging gallows to commemorate the grim fate of his accused killers. Seeing that grave in the flicker of candlelight, one feels the weight of PEC’s dark past. (Ripley’s, indeed: our guide shares that Peter Lazier’s monument was noted for being one of the only gravestones depicting gallows – a morbid claim to fame for The County.)
Macaulay House – Friendly (and Flirty?) Phantoms:
Next, we delve into a gentler haunting at Macaulay Heritage Park in Picton. Macaulay House, a stately 1830s home once belonging to Rev. William Macaulay, is reputed to be one of the most haunted buildings around. Paranormal investigation teams have frequented it, and one team, The Paranormal Seekers, dubbed it “still a mystery” after encountering inexplicable phenomena. Tourists and staff have reported a mischievous male spirit often sensed in the upstairs bedrooms – known for tugging at women’s skirts or whispering in their ears when they’re alone (some speculate it’s a ghost “who likes the ladies” given his playful interactions). On one ghost tour, a female guest yelped as she felt a distinct poke on her shoulder, yet no one was behind her. Others describe sudden wafts of pipe tobacco in the study, where Rev. Macaulay himself used to smoke a pipe – could it be the reverend checking in on his home?
Perhaps the most endearing story is of a little girl apparition often seen near the dining room. She’s been described as wearing a white pinafore dress, appearing briefly and then vanishing. One theory ties her to a documented tragedy: a young girl who died on the property in the mid-1800s (records of a servant’s child succumbing to illness). Tour guide Chase (who also runs the Graveyard tour) notes that some mediums feel only warmth from the Macaulay ghosts – no menace, just maybe a longing. The child might be seeking playmates; the male spirit perhaps just enjoying the company of visitors after decades of solitude. During Flashback February events, staff have even playfully set out a second teacup “for the ghost” during teas, acknowledging their unseen resident.
Lake on the Mountain Legends:
Shifting from human ghosts, The County has its share of uncanny legends tied to places. Lake on the Mountain, the mysterious deep-blue lake perched far above Bay of Quinte, has spawned tales since Indigenous times. The Mohawks of the area believed the lake was bottomless and home to a great serpent or water spirit – how else to explain a spring-fed lake atop a mountain with no visible source or outlet? Settlers later added their own spins: an 1820s rumor claimed a devilish whirlpool in the lake would swallow boats whole if they dared cross at the wrong time. (Modern science has found the lake is very deep ~35m and connected to underground fissures, but for believers, that only reinforces the eerie uniqueness.) On certain moonless nights, a few locals insist you can see ghostly canoes gliding silently across the lake – perhaps spirits of those lost to its depths long ago. The County Moments folklore archive notes the “tapestry of haunted places from cemeteries to castles” in our region, and Lake on the Mountain definitely qualifies as a locale that makes the hair on your neck rise after dark, simply by its quiet, otherworldly presence.
Ghosts of the Inn and Tavern:
Many old inns and taverns in PEC boast a resident ghost or two. The Waring House Inn near Picton has long been rumored to have a ghostly chambermaid that rearranges chairs. The Barley Room Pub on its property at times has inexplicable cold spots; some staff half-jokingly credit an old innkeeper’s ghost checking the kegs. Over in Bloomfield, an antique shop that once was a tavern has reports of a ghostly soldier (from the War of 1812 era, maybe) who appears in a corner wearing a redcoat, only to vanish when greeted.
One well-known yarn involves Miss Lily’s Café (before it was a café, the building was an apothecary). Back in the 1970s when it was a pharmacy, the owner encountered a Victorian-dressed woman apparition near the shelves, perhaps a leftover spirit from when the upper floors were a boarding house. Now as a café, staff haven’t seen her, but a few customers mention a faint floral perfume smell in one corner, with no source – could Miss Lily’s have an actual “Miss Lily” ghost?
Graveyard Whispers:
The Glenwood Cemetery in Picton, where the famous hanging-related graves are, is also where tour-goers have claimed to hear odd things. On the “Graves and Gallows” Halloween edition tour, participants walked among old tombstones by lantern and listened. Some reported hearing a distant metallic clang – eerily similar to a jail cell or trapdoor – while standing at the Lazier plot, which gave them shivers. The guide pointed out that in 1883 when Peter Lazier was murdered, townsfolk rang the church bell in alarm; one guest swore he heard a faint bell chime that night across the still air. Imagination, or echo from the past?
Prince Edward County’s ghost lore is made more compelling by how intertwined it is with history. Each ghost story here isn’t just a random spook – it’s connected to real events and people: the unjust hanging, the beloved reverend, the tragic child, the mysteries of nature. It gives these tales a resonance beyond jump-scares. And locals, for the most part, wear these legends with affection. Ghost tours and events like Terror at Macaulay (an annual haunted walkthrough) are community staples, blending entertainment with our rich heritage Even those who don’t believe in ghosts often still enjoy the storytelling and the perhaps-too-coincidental occurrences that make you wonder.
As our tour concludes, we end at Macaulay’s old chapel, now a museum, where the guide extinguishes the lantern and invites a moment of silence among the old gravestones. The night is silent – until… creak. Was that a footstep on the wooden floor behind us? One flashlight flicks back on, but no one’s there. A nervous chuckle ripples through the group. Haunted or not, Prince Edward County certainly knows how to keep its stories alive.
So, if you find yourself in PEC on a brisk fall evening, consider joining one of these ghost tours or visiting a reputed haunted site. You just might experience a brush with The County’s spectral side. And even if you don’t, you’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation of the history that underpins our home – and a few good chills for the road.
Sources: First-hand participation in PEC’s “Graveyard & Gallows” tour; Paranormal Seekers report on Macaulay House; CountyLive and Global News descriptions of gallows tour highlights; local folklore archives and County Museums references.
Go to the County Life section