Ottawa Jail is located outside the US in Ottawa, Canada
The Ottawa County Jail in Canada, now the world’s most haunted hostel, was established in the 1860s as a prison that was designed to provide safe housing and reformation to the criminals in the area. However men, women and even children were maltreated and even hanged in the prison, and it’s now considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in Canada. So if you’re up for a spooky game of ‘murder in the dark’ this Halloween, then grab your balls because Ottawa Jail is a hostel you’ll never forget….
The fate of those who were kept alive wasn’t much better than those who were executed. Belsher says that in the early days of the jail, there was no glass in the windows and no heat. A severe water shortage in the 1870s meant inmates couldn’t bathe. In the 1880s, the building’s wood was infested with insects and the wood had to be removed.
“The inmates had to sleep on the floor for a long time,” Belsher says. “They were actually sleeping on cold wet surfaces which, of course, would cause illness, disease and so on. A lot of death took place in this building, and it wasn’t at the gallows.”
But some of those who passed away haven’t quite passed on. There are frequent accounts from visitors, tourists and even hotel staff about ghostly visions.
“The building is haunted, which attracts a lot of people to stay here,” Belsher says before recounting how four German tourists who stayed at the hostel a few years ago were put in their place. After spending an uneventful night, they demanded a refund, upset they hadn’t seen any ghosts. Belsher says the desk clerk explained that they were in a hostel and there were no guarantees of spectral encounters. As the discussion turned heated, the cash drawer behind the counter opened and a coin slowly started rising until it was at eye level.
“It hovered for about five seconds before dropping back down to the drawer,” Belsher says. “The four men were stunned to silence. They quickly and quietly grabbed their bags and made a hasty exit.”
There have been many accounts of ghostly occurrences, including windows and doors rattling on their own and voices calling out in empty hallways and cells.
One of the most famous resident spirits is Patrick Whelan, who was executed at the jail in 1869. He was accused of murdering politician Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Fathers of Confederation. Though Belsher says there was scant evidence that Whelan committed the crime, he was convicted and sentenced to death.
Although the judge agreed to Whelan’s body being sent to Montreal for burial after the execution, Belsher says the authorities decided instead to bury him somewhere on the jail property. Whelan had warned before his death that because he was innocent, no grass would ever grow on his grave. As Belsher points out, there is no grass on the property’s parking lot or yards.
A few years ago, Belsher says that a couple of students on a tour of the jail believed they could find the spot where Whelan was buried and started jumping up and down in the parking lot, taunting Whelan’s ghost. “At exactly the same moment, both boys were struck with profound nose bleeds,” Belsher says.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/and-thats-why-we-drink/e/54100406
