THE KEG MANSION (EUCLID HALL)
Built in 1867, the Keg Mansion has been the home to two of Canada’s most prestigious families. Arthur McMaster, nephew of the founder of McMaster University, commissioned the house, but in 1880 it was sold to Hart Massey whose daughter renamed it Euclid Hall.
In 1915, Euclid Hall was given to the University of Toronto’s Victoria College and was used as a radio station, art gallery and restaurant. It wasn’t until 1976 that the Keg franchise bought the location and turned it into the famous Keg Mansion.
While most of Toronto’s mansion have been turned into apartment complexes, the Keg Mansion remains an example of how Toronto’s wealthiest lived once upon a time. As with most historic buildings, the Keg comes with it’s own resident ghosts and spirits, but as far as it’s know, they are all friendly if a little tricky at times.
The most frightening apparition is that of Lillian Massey’s maid who committed suicide by hanging herself after Lillian’s untimely death. It’s suspected that the maid was emotionally distraught after her mistress’s death, but some also say that the maid was having an affair with someone in the Massey household and was afraid the secret would come out after Lillian’s death. The image of her hanged corpse can be seen by some visitors upon entering the mansion.
Another spirit present in the house resides in the second floor women’s washroom. This ghost has never been seen, but its practical jokes have been experienced by a number of women. Aside from the general feeling of unease that women experience when entering this particular bathroom, many have admitted that the doors of their stalls have mysteriously unlocked themselves when they were the only ones in the bathroom and they’ve felt like an unseen eye was watching them. One particular women reported hanging up a bag with a bottle of wine on a hook only to have someone unhook the bag and gently place it at her feet!
The second floor was the children’s quarters and the sounds of little running feet can be heard up there. Some have even witnessed a young boy playing on the stairs who stops and watches the diners sometimes!
People have reported being touched or grazed very softly while dining at the Keg Mansion, so it’s safe to say that there are probably more ghosts at the Keg Mansion who don’t show up as often simply because they’re shy or nervous.
Check back tomorrow for #5 on our Spookiest Places Countdown!