Have you ever wondered what stories some historic buildings would tell if walls could talk? Well, there are some places, like Discovery North Bay Museum, where, while the walls may not be talking, the area’s history is told through strange noises, sightings, and other unexplained events.
The following is just a sampling of the haunting stories you’ll hear about on one of Discover North Bay’s Haunted Downtown Hikes, which run every Friday in October, starting at 6 pm. Be sure to reserve your place on an upcoming hike if you dare to learn more.
Haunted Artifacts
One November morning in 1893, somewhere between 12 and 15 men died aboard the John B. Fraser, a logging steam ship, when the ship caught fire and sank near Goose Island on Lake Nipissing. Nearly 80 years later, the charred shipwreck was found at the bottom of Lake Nipissing by a local diving club.
Eventually, a small collection of artifacts was put on display at Discovery North Bay Museum. The artifacts included broken ceramics, logger’s boots, a hook, a broad axe, stamping hammer, and a log with a JR Booth stamp seared into its surface.
Since then, strange things near the display case have been happening on a regular basis leading some to believe that the spirits of the loggers have followed with the artifacts. Across from the display is a wall that holds text panels that have been known to fall off of the wall without any obvious explanation. There is also a model train that runs overhead throughout the museum that will sometimes stop dead in its tracks right as it approaches the glass display. Sightings of strange, unexplained lights have also been reported on Lake Nipissing, near where the remains of the ship rest at the bottom of the lake.
