commanda general store museum
commanda, ont.
june 8, 2024

Driving up Highway 11, into the Muskoka’s, is always a scenic drive.  Today, even thought it was overcast, it was beautiful.  From the hilly views to the rock cut that the highway weaves through, the drive is always beautiful (unless its winter).  Even the deer on the side of the highway near Huntsville, waiting for what little traffic there was to cross, was a sight to be seen.  Soon, the team would exit off the highway and begin to head into the little town of Commanda.  The deer signs were now replaced by Moose signs, as if the farther north you go, the deer transform into moose – as if that wasn’t scary enough.  The existence of large city life was now in the distance and small town, rural living was front and centre.  The team made their way closer to the location they would be spending the next few hours at.  Anticipation was rising as this was a building that had stood the weather of time.  Before we knew it, we had arrived.  The team stepped out of the vehicle to stretch their legs.  It was a long 3-hour drive, but worth it. The air was much different in Commanda.  It was fresh and smelled sweet, not like the air in Southern Ontario.  Rachel couldn’t get enough and was inhaling deeply, as she stood outside the old building, admiring its age and grandeur. The team had officially arrived at the Commanda General Store Museum.

​Built in 1885 by James and Elizabeth Arthurs, the Commanda General Store would have been found on the Rosseau-Nipissing Road.  This General Store was strategically placed and served as an important supply centre for the lumberman and farmers of the region.  The General Store was also the location of the Post Office, and continued to serve as one until it closed in 1977.  One side of the first floor and the upper floor would be a private residence for the family.  James Arthurs (1866-1937) would own and operate the store until 1906.  In 1908 he became a member of the House of Commons of Canada for the Parry Sound electoral district.  He would hold this position until 1935.  James Arthurs married Elizabeth Priscilla Gillespie (1869-1941) in 1887.  Together they had seven children, all whom survived to adulthood.

​In 1906, James Arthurs would sell the building and the general store to August Schwarze (1854-1920).  August “Gus” Schwarze married Elizabeth Mary Josephina Treppe (1856-1924) and together they had twelve children.  Nine of them would survive to adulthood.  Upon the death of August Schwarze, the building and business was passed on to his youngest son, Benjamin Edward Schwarze (1895-1977).  Ben, as he was called, was a World War veteran and would operate the business until 1928.  Ben married Ethel Gladys Watt (1896-1991) in 1924.  It appears they had two children.

In 1928 Florence Smith (1888 - ?) would purchase the building.  She would only own/operate the building and store for a short period of time.  In the 1930’s, Charles “Charlie” James Hoffman (1893-1963) would purchase the building and business.  Charlie was pivotal in the history of the building, even though he would only own it for 5 years. Charlie had the building moved, via livestock and rollers, from its original location on Old Nispissing Road to the location on Hwy 522 where is still stands.  Charlie married Mary Erma Farley (18595-1982) in 1917.  Together they had two sons, both surviving until adulthood.

​George Otto Hanselman (1917-1977) would be the next, and last, individual to own and operate the general store.  He purchased the building off of Charlie Hoffman and operated the location until his death in 1977.  George married Irene Leotta Burke (1924-2011), and had four children.
 
Eventually the Historical Society would come into possession of the building, restoring it and reopening it as a museum. The art and process of restoring is a continuous process as the building is the only Victorian-aged commercial structure to survive from the pioneer area.

George and Irene Hanselman - 1940

​The Team was greeted by Deb, Jennifer, and Sabina. An immediate sense of friendship and acceptance was felt by all.  It as if the General Store had set up our meeting without our knowledge.  We entered the side door, which lead into what was once the parlor room of the private residence.  We set the equipment down and immediately went on a tour.   The General store was a sight to see. All of the old items, artifacts and photos placed about the room showed how this small town functioned and kept itself sustained.  It was a time capsule, waiting to be explored.  Although the upper level is not open for the public to venture into, the team was able to take a look around the space that was once the bedrooms and living areas of former families.  It was up here that the team learned that depending on which family was living there at the time, walls were added or removed to allow for private spaces, and that one particular family had one generation living above the general store portion of the building, while the second generation lived above the Parlor room. It was incredible to see how the lay out was and imagine how it may have looked when it was full of furniture and personal items.  The team also had an opportunity to visit the basement area.  This area showed the foundation of the location and all of the updates and restoration that has happened to keep the structure from sagging and collapsing.  To see all of the hard work that volunteers put into the building was inspiring.  After our tour, the team took a bit to sit with Deb, Jennifer, and Sabina, as well as Deb and Jennifer's partners and chat about all things spooky.  We learned a lot about the area and the paranormal experiences that they had experienced throughout their lives.  As the sun begin to set, it was decided that it was time to start the investigation.
 
The team was going to focus on two locations in the building that had had paranormal activity experienced – The General Store and the area that was once the Parlor room of the private residence.  We started with the General Store first. We thought this would be a great place to do a Live video and share with our fans and followers this historical location.  Watch the video below to see what happened during our investigation of the General Store!

​We then moved on to the former Parlor room of the private residence.  Rachel began recording on her camera, and right away she captured some knocking.   She has asked Alison if she had made the noise as she was sitting down, but Alison was adamant that it was not her.  There as no one else in the room at the moment of the knocks, other than Rachel and Alison.  Check out the video below and let us know what you hear and think:

​The team thought that it would be a good location to attempt an Estes Method session.  Alison volunteered to go under first.  Once Alison was done, Rachel attempted a session.  These sessions were recorded on Rachel’s camera, however the camera died shortly before the end of Rachel’s session.  Watch below to see what happened during their Estes Methods sessions.

After the Estes Method sessions, it was agreed upon that the investigation would conclude.  The team packed up the equipment and headed outside to say our goodbyes.  The darkness enveloped them.  There were no stars or lights in the sky (thanks cloud cover!) and no street lights.  The only light illuminating the outside was the light off of the front of the museum.  The road and the landscape disappeared into the quiet darkness to the point that you didn’t know what was what.  It was a different feeling – one of complete calmness, with the air still smelling fresh and sweet.  We said our goodbyes, but not without being warned of moose and how they don’t look twice before crossing the road.  We headed out into the darkness, still in awe of the General store and how it has continued to show glimpse of the past as it ages into the future. We can promise everyone that we will make a return.  The Commanda General Store has more stores it wants to share.
 
Is the Commanda General Store Museum haunted?  We believe there are a few spirits that linger around the premises.  We believe that James Arthurs, the first owner of the residence and business, is still checking up on his former home and business, making sure that it continues to show what life was like when he was operating the General Store.  There is also a spirit there who wants the Museum to be open on Sundays, because they’re missing out (one of the funniest moments during Rachel’s Estes Method session). Next time you stop by for an ice cream, or a milkshake (we heard they are delicious!), or make the road trip to visit the museum, you may just have an encounter with one of the resident spirits, perhaps Mr. Arthurs.  Hopefully it’s on a Sunday!  You definitely won’t be missing out then!
 
For more information, and to plan a trip to the Commanda General Store Museum, visit their website at:  https://www.commandamuseum.ca

ovilus 5 words

​LAMB                  
DEAL                  
SLUR                  
BIG                   
HAIR                  
CENTER                
DIVIDED               
DRIVE                 
CHILDREN              
TREMOR                
BRIGHT                
PAINT                 
STUFF 
JANUARY               
CONTRITION                 

VOWEL                 
LASTING               
HIPID HOP              
PAGE                  
DRUNK                 
EERIE                 
PERIOD                
I                     
SOUTHERN              
MOP                   
YEAR                  
SPOON                 
PLATE                 
DEVIL