The Pickering Museum Village has long been rumored to be haunted, with staff, volunteers and guests reporting strange occurrences in many of the heritage buildings on site.
In 2021, the museum invited paranormal investigators and psychic mediums to tour the site, with some of their findings shocking even the longest-standing museum staff. Their report, along with stories from the past and modern-day unexplainable events, became the basis of the museum’s popular Pickering Ghost Walk, now in its third year.
In addition to running the Pickering Ghost Walk, the museum is piloting a brand-new Waterfront Ghost Walk, starting at Millennium Square in Pickering’s Nautical Village. This hour-long experience is based on research of Pickering’s past, and includes tales of bootlegging, murder, displaced spirits, shipwrecks, and marine mysteries centered around Frenchman’s Bay, said a city statement.
“Pickering’s waterfront has a rich history of shipwrecks and bootleggers, making it a great site to expand the museum’s successful ghost walk program. Pickering’s waterfront, with the natural sandy beach and Nautical Village, is a prime destination for Pickering residents and visitors. We are excited to offer this unique opportunity to learn about Pickering’s history with this new Ghost Walk” says museum curator Ellen Tayles-Armstrong.
Lake Ontario is home to an estimated 300-500 shipwrecks including that of the Ann Bellchambers that set sail from Frenchman’s Bay in October 1873 with a load of cordwood destined for steam trains in Toronto. Peter Young, Captain William Edwards, and his 14-year-old son Joe were caught in a terrible storm just outside of Gibraltar Point, Toronto. Two of them would not return to shore.
Hear stories about bootleggers Rocco Perri and John Gogo rum running in Frenchman’s Bay during Prohibition, and learn about the Marysburg Vortex–a mysterious triangle of Lake Ontario that has allegedly swallowed over 270 ships!
Join the Pickering Museum Village at our Waterfront Ghost Walk every Friday in July and August. Tours start at 5 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm and are $25.50 per person.
Tours begin at Millennium Square at the end of Liverpool Road and finish right in the heart of Nautical Village. This experience is the perfect opportunity to explore Pickering’s picturesque waterfront and local businesses. Grab dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants, enjoy a coffee or ice cream cone by the water, or make a night of it with a visit to the Pickering Casino Resort.