FERGUS – Is Fergus one of the most haunted villages in Ontario?
You might think so after taking part in the Fergus Ghost Walk run by The Bookery, a guided tour mixing tales of alleged haunted places and ghostly encounters while teaching some Fergus history with a sprinkling of humour and music.
The tours run periodically throughout August, September and October and are led by local actors and historians Gary Bryant and Al Koop who give the tour as though it is 1936 in character as Dr. Oliver Groves, brother of Dr. Abraham Groves, and former grave digger Charles Steven respectively.
Beginning at Templin Gardens, Bryant and Koop tell of ghosts such as Mrs. Fardella of the Fergus Grand Theatre, also known as the Matron of Morality, who used to make sure proper decorum was adhered to by the young people attending by hitting their shoulders with her cane. They said people have reported feeling a pain in their shoulder when attending shows there.
Arguably one of the more well known names on the walk is Dr. Abraham Groves, who founded the original Groves Hospital just outside Downtown Fergus.
Bryant, as Groves’ brother, shared some of his reported accomplishments such as pioneering sterilization of equipment or performing the first appendectomy in North America but also that people say he’s still around despite dying in 1935.
“People swear that they have run down an elderly gentleman … on Gowrie Street going to the hospital,” Bryant told the tour, explaining the man is in formal attire with a leather bag much like a doctor would.
People would get out of their car and find nobody there, they said, and this was first reported by a nurse who had never met Groves but later saw his portrait in the hospital, recognizing him as the man she had run over.
Taking a walk through Downtown Fergus to some other spots along the way to learn of drumming heard coming from the Grand River at night, bagpipes droning at night from the Belsyde Cemetery, a child’s cries at night, spirits at the library and other spooky sightings and sounds seen around what seems like a very haunted town.
“You may have heard that Fergus is one of the most haunted if not the most town in southern Ontario and one of the reasons is we had sort of a great abundance of grave robbers,” Koop told the tour, adding the other reason is the dead buried in former church yards or by Indigenous people are unknown in number and location around town.
The tour guides suggested those daring enough could go check out these spots around midnight to see what they might hear or experience.
This year’s Fergus Ghost Walks take place on Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Oct. 25 and Oct. 26.
The walks can be challenging for those with mobility issues as there is a steep hill and uneven ground involved. Children are welcome but it is not recommended for younger children.
Tickets should be purchased in advance online or in person at The Bookery.
