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Program Officer Danielle Urquhart in the print shop at Mackenzie House, teaching us to use the 1845 Washington flatbed printing press (how cool is that??).
Program Officer Danielle Urquhart in the print shop at Mackenzie House, teaching us to use the 1845 Washington flatbed printing press (how cool is that??).

Mackenzie House

Is Toronto’s Mackenzie House haunted?

One of the ten City of Toronto museums, Mackenzie House (built c. 1858) is the former home of William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto’s first mayor, and has a reputation for being one of the most haunted buildings in Toronto.

As a fan of Victorian funerary practices, I couldn’t pass up this evening’s special tour, Victorian Gothic – The Roots of the Macabre, which promised to be deliciously chilling and educational … and it was! Here’s the event description.

From popular contemporary novels about Dracula and Frankenstein to the fear of being buried alive and the fetish of post-mortem photos, the Victorians were obsessed with death.

Take this interactive tour that explores gothic themes in Victorian fiction, 19th-century funeral and burial traditions and their origins, post mortem photography and strange remembrance traditions, like hair wreaths and jewellery.

Plus, learn how to wrap and seal unique funeral cookies. This event is part of Toronto History Museums’ Halloween programming.

Not only were we treated to a primer on Victorian gothic literature, we were also taught to use Mackenzie House’s authentic 1845 Washington rolling flatbed press to print our own copy of a report of body snatching! And fed fresh baked shortbread and tea cups of apple cider. I smiled for two hours. It was pretty much the perfect evening.

Introducing the Guest of Honour: the deceased Mr. Mackenzie lying in state in the parlour (for five days, just to be sure, eek - hence the sweet smelling flowers), with sample professional mourner's clothing at left.
Introducing the Guest of Honour: the deceased Mr. Mackenzie lying in state in the parlour (for five days, just to be sure, eek – hence the sweet smelling flowers), with sample professional mourner’s clothing at left.

So is Mackenzie House haunted? Watch this terrific short video from Global News and decide for yourself.

Note to self: read The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1764), which Walpole subtitled, “A Gothic Story” (free from Project Gutenberg).

Mackenzie House is museum no. 67 in my #100museums challenge (see 100 Museums Challenge).