During Hallowe’en, the past comes alive owing to its connection to Samhain, the Gaelic festival at harvest’s end, and then later to vigils held to mark Christian saints and martyrs. Halloween also serves to remind us of Calgary’s fiendish and ghoulish side.

Dean House was built in 1906 as the home of Fort Calgary superintendent Captain Richard Deane. It became a rooming house during the Great Depression and was a crime scene in 1971 after a murder-suicide. Ghostly figures, a man with a smoking pipe, other times an Indigenous man, have been reported. There’s also a bloodstain that changes shape, and a closet that refuses to stay locked (though none of this stopped my sister from getting married on its grounds).

“Superintendent Burton Deane’s house being moved to the east side of the Elbow River.”, 1929-08, (CU193485) by Oliver, W. J.. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.

At Heritage Park, Prince House is the 1894 mansion of the owner of Eau Claire sawmill (located on Prince’s Island and closed in 1945). His story has an unfortunate side, with Prince’s first three wives all dying prematurely from diseases within a decade. No wonder staff and visitors have reported apparitions of women standing at the windows. They’re friendly, so say hello next time you visit.

“Peter A. Prince home, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. 1896], (CU181025) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.
Located 238-4th Avenue SW. Team and buggy in front. John E. Prince driving. Mrs Margaret Prince beside him. Mrs. Peter Eide (Rosanna), sister of John E. Prince, in back.

There are plenty of pubs with haunted histories too. The former Rose and Crown was originally Davidson House, built around 1906. It was expanded in 1935 in the Tudor Revival style as a memorial chapel, the first of its kind in Calgary. An apparition of a little boy known to have died there reportedly hides in the basement. The building will once again be home to a pub but its heritage status remains unprotected.

Home of Elephant & Castle pub, formerly Davidson House (with 4th Street Lofts Tower in the background), August 2024. Photo courtesy of Anthony Imbrogno.

The Cat ‘n Fiddle Pub, built 60 years ago, also served as a chapel, funeral home and crematorium. It was converted to a pub in 1992. You can still see the old pipes used for washing bodies. Its ghosts have all been friendly: a woman in red dress, a man in top hat and tails, and even a biker. Some apparitions haven’t stopped painting the town red.

And what’s a haunted tour without visiting a church. Knox United Church, built in 1912 in Gothic Revival style, has seen its share of ghostly parishioners praying, knitting or walking through walls. An organist even had her hand slapped after making a mistake. That’s one way to motivate practice!
This Hallowe’en, take a ghost tour, remember the past, and think of those who still share our fine city.

“Knox United Church, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. 1926-1928], (CU1218569) by McDermid Photo Laboratories. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.

– Anthony Imbrogno is a volunteer with The Calgary Heritage Initiative Society/Heritage Inspires YYC

– All copyright images cannot be shared without prior permission

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