The Hermitage - Hamilton/Ancaster
On September 17th, 2005 the group packed up and drove up to Hamilton. After getting lost, stopping for directions, and being completely disoriented, we finally found our way to the hotel!! (Note of caution: the lake is to the North not South so your sense of direction gets screwed up).
We had a full night ahead of us and wanted to relax until we did some investigating. When the time came, we jumped back into the car and headed out towards our first destination. But first, we purchased a map, which became our “Bible”!
Our first destination was the Hermitage, which has an extensive history. The ruin of this old house still stands today, out in the woods of Ancaster. We arrived at 6pm and parked in the parking lot of the park. We originally signed up for an after hour tour on the net to see the Hermitage, but to our surprise there was no tour! It was a good thing we did not pay online for this tour!! (Note – please call any location you want to book a tour for off the net!). It didn’t matter to us though; we still wanted to check the place out.
While in the parking lot, we met with the park ranger. He was very nice and engaged in a conversation with us about the Hermitage and the strange things that go on there. He left us to explore the ruins and said he would return. The path to the ruins was a large hiking path. On the way up, we noticed some very strange things. After just minutes into our walk, Rachel noticed that one leaf on a small plant was moving like crazy, fast and wiggly, as if someone was holding that leaf in their hand, and that leaf only, shaking it vigorously. Funny thing was, there was no wind whatsoever and the rest of that plant was not moving, only that leaf.
We walked a little further and noticed that a small tree was also shaking very violently. It was the only thing moving and there was still no wind! Not even a breeze! Soon our walk was done and our eyes lay upon the Hermitage Ruins.
Brenda began feeling pulled to the left of the ruins to where she said was once a driveway. Instead we went straight at this point. We noticed there were numerous people at the site, taking pictures and what not. We decided to wait for these people to leave, so Brenda would sense other energies rather than sensing theirs. We strolled around the ruins, and headed to the back of the property. At this point Brenda said that a man had told her that he had carved the name of a young girl who had an affair with a slave on the back wall of the place. Each of us searched but could not find the name (due to the amount of graffiti).
Brenda also began to describe how she felt and saw the presence of another man. She said he was like a nobleman with a long dress-like coat. He walks the grounds a lot, Brenda said to us. People began to leave the ruins and eventually we were the only ones left there.
Brenda began to wonder around the yard. She stated that she felt the young girl, who wore a long yellow dress, with white ruffles. She liked to sway & twirl around that part of the yard, which would be behind the main house to the right, facing the very back. Brenda also showed us the way this young girl moved about with her dress being held in her right hand, so she would not trip on it. Brenda felt that we were being watched, but could not pinpoint where they were “hiding”. Brenda said the young girl went to the back of the buildings to wait for someone, who did not show, but could not understand why. Brenda did mention the young girl was waiting for her lover to meet her. Brenda also described how the buildings looked when they were still intact. She described which building was for what, and that the stables were not where most thought they were.
Brenda also spoke about the water hole at the back of the house, just off into the woods. We searched and found an old well cemented over. Brenda also said there was another spirit there, one of an elderly lady. She kept trying to coax Brenda to follow her down the path behind the house, but Brenda felt uneasy about the woman’s request. At another point when we walked out, Brenda said, “Goodbye”. When we asked whom she was speaking to, Brenda said “Oh it’s just the older lady. She is kind of sad we are leaving and mentioned how nice it would have been to have us for tea”. When Brenda looked over her shoulder, back towards the house, she said it was different. It wasn’t stone, but wood and was a two story home, different from how the ruins make it look today.
It was beginning to get dark, so we headed back, but not before we took a few more pictures. Brenda looked at the front of the ruins from the trail and said, “Take a picture now”. After that, we headed back through the forest, which was completely calm, no wind, no moving plants. Once we returned to the parking lot, the forest ranger was waiting for us to come back out safely. We talked to him about our experiences out there and we think we scared him pretty good. We left the Hermitage and headed to our next destination: Lovers Leap.
We had a full night ahead of us and wanted to relax until we did some investigating. When the time came, we jumped back into the car and headed out towards our first destination. But first, we purchased a map, which became our “Bible”!
Our first destination was the Hermitage, which has an extensive history. The ruin of this old house still stands today, out in the woods of Ancaster. We arrived at 6pm and parked in the parking lot of the park. We originally signed up for an after hour tour on the net to see the Hermitage, but to our surprise there was no tour! It was a good thing we did not pay online for this tour!! (Note – please call any location you want to book a tour for off the net!). It didn’t matter to us though; we still wanted to check the place out.
While in the parking lot, we met with the park ranger. He was very nice and engaged in a conversation with us about the Hermitage and the strange things that go on there. He left us to explore the ruins and said he would return. The path to the ruins was a large hiking path. On the way up, we noticed some very strange things. After just minutes into our walk, Rachel noticed that one leaf on a small plant was moving like crazy, fast and wiggly, as if someone was holding that leaf in their hand, and that leaf only, shaking it vigorously. Funny thing was, there was no wind whatsoever and the rest of that plant was not moving, only that leaf.
We walked a little further and noticed that a small tree was also shaking very violently. It was the only thing moving and there was still no wind! Not even a breeze! Soon our walk was done and our eyes lay upon the Hermitage Ruins.
Brenda began feeling pulled to the left of the ruins to where she said was once a driveway. Instead we went straight at this point. We noticed there were numerous people at the site, taking pictures and what not. We decided to wait for these people to leave, so Brenda would sense other energies rather than sensing theirs. We strolled around the ruins, and headed to the back of the property. At this point Brenda said that a man had told her that he had carved the name of a young girl who had an affair with a slave on the back wall of the place. Each of us searched but could not find the name (due to the amount of graffiti).
Brenda also began to describe how she felt and saw the presence of another man. She said he was like a nobleman with a long dress-like coat. He walks the grounds a lot, Brenda said to us. People began to leave the ruins and eventually we were the only ones left there.
Brenda began to wonder around the yard. She stated that she felt the young girl, who wore a long yellow dress, with white ruffles. She liked to sway & twirl around that part of the yard, which would be behind the main house to the right, facing the very back. Brenda also showed us the way this young girl moved about with her dress being held in her right hand, so she would not trip on it. Brenda felt that we were being watched, but could not pinpoint where they were “hiding”. Brenda said the young girl went to the back of the buildings to wait for someone, who did not show, but could not understand why. Brenda did mention the young girl was waiting for her lover to meet her. Brenda also described how the buildings looked when they were still intact. She described which building was for what, and that the stables were not where most thought they were.
Brenda also spoke about the water hole at the back of the house, just off into the woods. We searched and found an old well cemented over. Brenda also said there was another spirit there, one of an elderly lady. She kept trying to coax Brenda to follow her down the path behind the house, but Brenda felt uneasy about the woman’s request. At another point when we walked out, Brenda said, “Goodbye”. When we asked whom she was speaking to, Brenda said “Oh it’s just the older lady. She is kind of sad we are leaving and mentioned how nice it would have been to have us for tea”. When Brenda looked over her shoulder, back towards the house, she said it was different. It wasn’t stone, but wood and was a two story home, different from how the ruins make it look today.
It was beginning to get dark, so we headed back, but not before we took a few more pictures. Brenda looked at the front of the ruins from the trail and said, “Take a picture now”. After that, we headed back through the forest, which was completely calm, no wind, no moving plants. Once we returned to the parking lot, the forest ranger was waiting for us to come back out safely. We talked to him about our experiences out there and we think we scared him pretty good. We left the Hermitage and headed to our next destination: Lovers Leap.
Albion Falls (Lover's Leap) - Hamilton
Our first attempt to find Albion Falls was at night. We recommend you don’t do this! It’s very unsafe in darkness: go during the day. It’s much easier and safer for everyone!
Cultural History
In 1792 William Davis erected a gristmill near Albion Falls in Barton Township. Not far from it, a sawmill was also built to serve a small but growing community. This community hosted three hotels, a general store and a blacksmith shop. The grist mill changed hands a half-dozen times over the years, but by the early 1900s the small vibrant village called Albion Mills was all but forgotten. Albion was a poetic version of the name “Britain”. Not far from the original location of the mill in King’s Forest Park is one of the millstones with a commemorative plaque. Albion Falls was once seriously considered as a possible source of water for the Hamilton. Rocks from the Albion Falls area were used in the construction of the Royal Botanical Gardens’ Rock Garden.
The ravine at Albion Falls has a “Lover’s Leap” legend. The early 19th century story tells of a young Jane Riley, disappointed in love with Joseph Rousseau. She stood at the top of a steep cliff not far from the thundering Albion Falls and flung herself to the bottom 100 feet below. The steep drop has since been dubbed “Lover’s Leap”.Our Experiences
The Falls were absolutely incredible! The hike down was not! Due to the rock formations it was very steep, and because of the dense brush, the rain from the day before was still on the ground.
All of us made the slow decent to the bottom of the falls. When we had reached flat land, the sight was amazing! Brenda began to channel after a few moments. She said the way we came down was the wrong way. It was not the usual path people took to come to the falls. Brenda was certain there were stairs from a different direction. She mentioned that there was also a time when buggies could come down to the falls. It was scary for the horses and those who rode in the buggies.
Brenda also said she got conflicting stories from the dead. She said she could see a young woman standing at the top of the falls full of sorrow and then she would disappear. Then she saw the same woman holding a man’s hand smiling and laughing together as they faded and walked away.
Brenda also commented on the landscape at the bottom of the falls being much different. She said there were huge flat rocks at the bottom and the water from the falls used to go under them. It was a place that many came to sit, as nature had carved out a sitting place in the rocks.
Brenda said when the woman let herself go over the edge she landed on the second shelf of the falls. Brenda could feel the sadness from the local residents when they found her, and her lover was sick with grief. Brenda noted that he too walks the grounds out of guilt for what he did to his soon to be wife. The young woman’s spirit reaches out to other women (like Brenda) to tell them it’s ok that she found him and knows the truth now. The spirit did however confess that in previous years she was confused after she died and she still searched for her deceitful lover. Brenda mentioned to us that it was somewhat confusing, as one moment the woman was sick to her stomach from a broken heart and the next minute the woman was so much in love and truly happy because she now had her future husband forever.
The events that took place there were such a tragedy. Brenda told us about an old woman who visited the place for many years after the young couple’s demise. Brenda was not picking up on what ties she had to the couple, but knew she was not a blood relative. She did feel that perhaps she was almost like an older sister (but not quite) to the young man. Brenda said that this old woman died with much guilt in her heart and sadness. She brought flowers ever week and would pray for forgiveness despite the fact that she was not a religious woman.
There was a film shoot going on at the base of the falls with some local models, this agency was extremely rude to us and very inconsiderate. They did not block any areas off and had no signs on saying about who they were. Many others were down there, but one photographer decided to on us.
We decided to head back up to the top and get on our way to Niagara -on the lake. The climb up seemed a lot more easier than the climbed down.
Once on flat land Rachel had our first group outing accident. She stepped in a large puddle and ended up on her rear end and full of mud. It made a great picture to our collection. Thankfully, she came prepared with an extra set of clothes. We then took a bunch of pictures from the top of the falls, and Brenda accompanied Rachel back to the car so she changed. The boys decided to do their own investigation and found a few things of interest. They found a set of old wooden stairs that have been blocked off due to erosion and an old road. They returned to the car and told us of their findings and we headed towards our next destination.
Cultural History
In 1792 William Davis erected a gristmill near Albion Falls in Barton Township. Not far from it, a sawmill was also built to serve a small but growing community. This community hosted three hotels, a general store and a blacksmith shop. The grist mill changed hands a half-dozen times over the years, but by the early 1900s the small vibrant village called Albion Mills was all but forgotten. Albion was a poetic version of the name “Britain”. Not far from the original location of the mill in King’s Forest Park is one of the millstones with a commemorative plaque. Albion Falls was once seriously considered as a possible source of water for the Hamilton. Rocks from the Albion Falls area were used in the construction of the Royal Botanical Gardens’ Rock Garden.
The ravine at Albion Falls has a “Lover’s Leap” legend. The early 19th century story tells of a young Jane Riley, disappointed in love with Joseph Rousseau. She stood at the top of a steep cliff not far from the thundering Albion Falls and flung herself to the bottom 100 feet below. The steep drop has since been dubbed “Lover’s Leap”.Our Experiences
The Falls were absolutely incredible! The hike down was not! Due to the rock formations it was very steep, and because of the dense brush, the rain from the day before was still on the ground.
All of us made the slow decent to the bottom of the falls. When we had reached flat land, the sight was amazing! Brenda began to channel after a few moments. She said the way we came down was the wrong way. It was not the usual path people took to come to the falls. Brenda was certain there were stairs from a different direction. She mentioned that there was also a time when buggies could come down to the falls. It was scary for the horses and those who rode in the buggies.
Brenda also said she got conflicting stories from the dead. She said she could see a young woman standing at the top of the falls full of sorrow and then she would disappear. Then she saw the same woman holding a man’s hand smiling and laughing together as they faded and walked away.
Brenda also commented on the landscape at the bottom of the falls being much different. She said there were huge flat rocks at the bottom and the water from the falls used to go under them. It was a place that many came to sit, as nature had carved out a sitting place in the rocks.
Brenda said when the woman let herself go over the edge she landed on the second shelf of the falls. Brenda could feel the sadness from the local residents when they found her, and her lover was sick with grief. Brenda noted that he too walks the grounds out of guilt for what he did to his soon to be wife. The young woman’s spirit reaches out to other women (like Brenda) to tell them it’s ok that she found him and knows the truth now. The spirit did however confess that in previous years she was confused after she died and she still searched for her deceitful lover. Brenda mentioned to us that it was somewhat confusing, as one moment the woman was sick to her stomach from a broken heart and the next minute the woman was so much in love and truly happy because she now had her future husband forever.
The events that took place there were such a tragedy. Brenda told us about an old woman who visited the place for many years after the young couple’s demise. Brenda was not picking up on what ties she had to the couple, but knew she was not a blood relative. She did feel that perhaps she was almost like an older sister (but not quite) to the young man. Brenda said that this old woman died with much guilt in her heart and sadness. She brought flowers ever week and would pray for forgiveness despite the fact that she was not a religious woman.
There was a film shoot going on at the base of the falls with some local models, this agency was extremely rude to us and very inconsiderate. They did not block any areas off and had no signs on saying about who they were. Many others were down there, but one photographer decided to on us.
We decided to head back up to the top and get on our way to Niagara -on the lake. The climb up seemed a lot more easier than the climbed down.
Once on flat land Rachel had our first group outing accident. She stepped in a large puddle and ended up on her rear end and full of mud. It made a great picture to our collection. Thankfully, she came prepared with an extra set of clothes. We then took a bunch of pictures from the top of the falls, and Brenda accompanied Rachel back to the car so she changed. The boys decided to do their own investigation and found a few things of interest. They found a set of old wooden stairs that have been blocked off due to erosion and an old road. They returned to the car and told us of their findings and we headed towards our next destination.
Burkholder Cemetery - Hamilton
HISTORY
In October 1794, Jacob Burkholder, and his wife, Sophia de Roche arrived on Hamilton Mountain and were one of the first families to settle in the area.
The cemetery is located on Mohawk Rd in Hamilton. It was established on a portion of land owned by descendants of the original settlers. It is believed that as early as the year 1800 the people of the neighbourhood brought their dead here to be buried.
In 1839, the section of land was officially set aside, to be used as a common school site and a public burying-ground. A log school was erected just inside the main gate of the cemetery, which was used for both religious and educational purposes. In 1850, a church was built on the same site known as, “The Little White Church”. It stood for over one hundred years until the demand for a new, larger church forced it to be demolished in 1955. In 1958, the current Burkholder United Church was erected.
During the early years of the old church, the people strongly believed in superstitions, signs, and omens. It was believed that if the cemetery claimed one victim, it would not be satisfied until it had at least three. Before the death of a very prominent person occurred, a strange light was said to run along the roof of the church.
Many visitors to this day say they used to see that same light running along the top of the church roof. There is no proof or explanation as to what the light is. The only logical theory is that it was the light orb of a faithful church member’s spirit who passed on. Another belief was that angels hovered over a person’s deathbed, but were only visible to the eye of those who held faith.
Our Experiences
When we pulled into the parking lot we met up with a couple of local people, Ashley and her friends. They gave us a little history of the cemetery and what people have seen. Ashley said that there were many reports of a woman in black who walked the cemetery. She also said that many times a woman was seen next to the double headstones under the willow tree. It is said to be that of a husband & wife who have passed on. Some folks claim that when they have bent down to read the husband’s stone, his wife appears and scares them off, as if not to disturb her husband. Although we did not experience anything like this while we were there, Ashley did show us a stone of a young man that had died on the exact date that we were there. Other than the site being abnormally cold for that time of year (summer), nothing else was active for us that night.
As we walked through the tiny cemetery, we all felt at peace and were really calm throughout it. At this point we decided to head back to the car. As we said our goodbyes, Ashley told us of a cemetery that was down the street from our hotel we will have to return one day and check that one out!
In October 1794, Jacob Burkholder, and his wife, Sophia de Roche arrived on Hamilton Mountain and were one of the first families to settle in the area.
The cemetery is located on Mohawk Rd in Hamilton. It was established on a portion of land owned by descendants of the original settlers. It is believed that as early as the year 1800 the people of the neighbourhood brought their dead here to be buried.
In 1839, the section of land was officially set aside, to be used as a common school site and a public burying-ground. A log school was erected just inside the main gate of the cemetery, which was used for both religious and educational purposes. In 1850, a church was built on the same site known as, “The Little White Church”. It stood for over one hundred years until the demand for a new, larger church forced it to be demolished in 1955. In 1958, the current Burkholder United Church was erected.
During the early years of the old church, the people strongly believed in superstitions, signs, and omens. It was believed that if the cemetery claimed one victim, it would not be satisfied until it had at least three. Before the death of a very prominent person occurred, a strange light was said to run along the roof of the church.
Many visitors to this day say they used to see that same light running along the top of the church roof. There is no proof or explanation as to what the light is. The only logical theory is that it was the light orb of a faithful church member’s spirit who passed on. Another belief was that angels hovered over a person’s deathbed, but were only visible to the eye of those who held faith.
Our Experiences
When we pulled into the parking lot we met up with a couple of local people, Ashley and her friends. They gave us a little history of the cemetery and what people have seen. Ashley said that there were many reports of a woman in black who walked the cemetery. She also said that many times a woman was seen next to the double headstones under the willow tree. It is said to be that of a husband & wife who have passed on. Some folks claim that when they have bent down to read the husband’s stone, his wife appears and scares them off, as if not to disturb her husband. Although we did not experience anything like this while we were there, Ashley did show us a stone of a young man that had died on the exact date that we were there. Other than the site being abnormally cold for that time of year (summer), nothing else was active for us that night.
As we walked through the tiny cemetery, we all felt at peace and were really calm throughout it. At this point we decided to head back to the car. As we said our goodbyes, Ashley told us of a cemetery that was down the street from our hotel we will have to return one day and check that one out!