Welcome to the Paranormal Parlour.

IT'S THE FINAL EPISODE OF OUR ONTARIO SERIES! Cecilia and Carly are back for another round of Haunted Hamilton History with a visit to another hometown haunt, Whitehern Historic House and Garden. This week in the Parlour, Carly tells us all about the history of the home, its former tenants the McQuesten family, and their contributions to Hamilton and Capitalism. We also take a bit of a detour to the Royal Botanical Gardens to see a horse grave/memorial? PLUS wait until the end of the episode for some exciting announcements!!!

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Content Warnings:

- mentions of death by suicide

Sources used:

Dictionary of Canadian Bibliography, Calvin McQuesten

Ghost Walks, Top 10 Haunted Places in Hamilton

Hamilton Civic Museums, Whitehern

HPL Local History and Archives, Isaac Baldwin McQuesten

Historical Hamilton, Whitehern

Royal Botanical Gardens, The Mystery of Martimas

The Silhouette, Haunted Hamilton

Wikipedia, Mary Baker McQuesten

Wikipedia, Thomas_McQuesten

Wikipedia, Whitehern

Welcome to the Paranormal Parlour.

Cecilia and Carly are ringing in the New Year with a juicy one! They visited the small southwestern town of Lucan, Ontario to see if they could commune with the spirits of an infamous Canadian family. This week in the Parlour, Cecilia tells us all about the story of the Black Donnellys. She digs into old Tipperary feuds, drama over Stagecoach lines, vigilante justice, an almost comically evil priest and maybe a ghost or two?

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Content Warnings:

- brief descriptions of violence and murder

- some swearing

- questionable Irish accents

Sources used:

Books:

The Donnelly Album, Ray Fazakas

The Donnellys Must Die, Orlo Miller

Web Sources:

Canadian History Ehx, The Donnellys

Ghost Walks, Black Donnellys

Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum, Donnelly History

Wikipedia, Black Donnellys

Welcome to the Paranormal Parlour.

Cecilia and Carly are back and ready to make the Yuletide gay! They visited their favourite Victorian Christmas destination, Dundurn Castle, in Hamilton, Ontario. They have gathered in the Parlour for Carly to tell us all about the history of this grand estate, the family that built it, and their connections to the British Royal Family, the railroads, and the War of 1812 (again). Then, Cecilia explores the origins of some Victorian Christmas traditions, mainly related to her two favourite subjects: plants and ghosts.

Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ for more spooky HAUNT-ent!

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Follow Cecilia on ⁠Instagram⁠

Sources used:

Carly (Dundurn Castle):

Canadian Transport Source Book, Desjardins Canal Disaster

Hamilton.ca, Dundurn Castle National Historic Site

Hamilton Public Library, Local Ghosts

Parks Canada, Burlington Heights National Historic Site of Canada

Parks Canada, Dundurn Castle National Historic Site of Canada

Reddit, R/Hamilton

Wikipedia, Allan MacNab

Wikipedia, Dundurn Castle

Cecilia (Victorian Christmas Traditions)

Country Living, The History of the Christmas Tree Goes Back Farther Than You Might Realize

Edmonton Horticultural Society, Mistletoe: Magic, Myths, and Mysteries

English Heritage, A Short History of Christmas Greenery

English Heritage, Victorian Christmas Traditions

Farmer's Almanac, The Meaning and Folklore Behind Mistletoe

History Channel, How Ghost Stories Became a Christmas Tradition in Victorian England

Victoria & Albert Museum, Victorian Christmas Traditions