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Auchmar House

There is an old, lonely Gothic mansion at the busy corner of Fennel Avenue and West 5th in Hamilton. Though the traffic is heavy through this neighbourhood, not much happens at Auchmar House. And though huge cranes jut out into the sky from the massive construction site across the street, part of the new $1.5 billion in upgrades to St. Joe’s psychiatric hospital, this mansion that was once a man’s dream is left behind like some distant shadow of a memory.

Hidden behind an overgrowth of trees, Auchmar sits vacant, worn by time and neglect, mocked by the huge economic development taking place while it decays

Of the thousands of people who pass the building daily, many might shake their heads at its state, not knowing the full and rich history of it and its occupants; but others who pass, those who might have learned a bit more about the house, long-shrouded in mystery, perhaps shudder at the thought of what spirits might be looking back at them out of the dark and dirty windows, crying out in voices unheard over the heavy sounds of traffic and construction.

And wonder what stories those spirits might share if only given the chance.

Built between 1852 and 1854 on land that Isaac Buchanan (1810–1883) purchased, Auchmar was constructed in the Carpenter Gothic style of architecture, which is defined on Wikipedia as “a North American style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters.” Carpenter Gothic is a style that improvises upon features that were carved in stone in authentic Gothic architecture but with an emphasis on charm and quaintness.[1]

The name Auchmar was taken from the estate on Loch Lomond, Scotland, owned by Isaac Buchanan’s family.[2] Born in Glasgow in 1810, Buchanan became an apprentice to a firm of Glasgow merchants in 1825 and a junior partner in a Montreal wholesale business they opened. He moved to York (Toronto) to be closer to his Upper Canada clients and in 1834 bought the business with his brother Peter.[3]

Buchanan served in the local militia during the Upper Canada Rebellion, was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the city of Toronto, helped establish the Free Church of Scotland in Canada West, and helped set up the Board of Trade. He sat as a member of the Parliament of United Canada for Toronto between 1841 and 1843 and for Hamilton between 1857 and 1865. He was also a director in the Great Western Railway in 1857 and became a writer of some note on the subjects of currency and trade, supporting protectionist policies. Buchanan is generally credited as being a formative influence on John A. Macdonald’s national policy.[4],[5]

Buchanan’s political interests distracted him from his business interests and, although he resigned his seat in 1865, his business failed in 1867. He sold his beloved Auchmar estate in Hamilton and received a government appointment in 1879, which sustained him through his later years. Buchanan died in Hamilton in 1883.[6]

During the years Buchanan lived in Auchmar, the resplendent house was visited by such notable historic figures as Sir John A. Macdonald (Canada’s first prime minister), Sir Allan MacNab (of Dundurn Castle), Pope John Paul II (when he was Cardinal), Lord and Lady Dufferin, and the Prince of Wales, who later became King Henry VII.[7]

Buchanan was an advocate that the town of Hamilton should be built on top of and not under the hill. Though his original intention was to build a summer residence, it is said that Buchanan, first witnessing the spectacular view upon climbing the escarpment, was so enamoured with the mountain location that he resolved to make it a permanent residence.[8] The vast acres surrounding the mansion were named Clairemont (from the French “clear mountain”), [9] which is a name that is still used today for a neighbourhood, a park, and a mountain road access.

The interior was finished in a beautifully grained softwood, and many of the inside walls were made with brick, ensuring a nearly fireproof home. Ten fireplaces were on the ground floor and a long hall in the shape of a Roman cross occupied the main floor. Stairways with bright, large windows ascended from each end, allowing for the free circulation of air.[10]

In a 1936 interview in the Hamilton Spectator, Elsie Buchanan (Isaac’s daughter) said that originally there were glass-enclosed verandas running the length of the home’s front and back and that her father was determined to experience the health benefits of the sunshine even when it was too cold to step outside. Years after, this same practice was used to combat tuberculosis, prompting Miss Buchanan to point out that her father was a thinker well ahead of his time. She also described the home as having a bathroom and a furnace from the very early days, both features that were not found in many residences during the 1850s. “Another proof that my father was ahead of his time,” she said.[11]

The builders originally planned the ground floor with four large rooms of identical dimensions (18 x 20 feet). Then it was decided that the dining room be more generous in size, “in order to accommodate the lavish parties that the Buchanans intended to hold for government officials and political associates.”[12]

When Buchanan died at the age of 73, Auchmar was sold to a military man from India by the name of Captain Trigg.[13] Trigg made a notable change while living there by converting the grand ballroom into a preaching hall, which was used for the congregation that gathered there every Sunday.[14]

Mrs. Alma Dick-Lauder, the last owner of the Hermitage before fire destroyed it (a featured subject in a previous chapter of this book), also wrote about this residence in the 1897 book Wentworth Landmarks, published by the Hamilton Spectator Press:

The old family home of the Buchanan’s is one of these set in the midst of a grand old grove of trees and looking quaint and beautiful as one approaches it. . . . From a distance it gives the impression of a walled-fort. . . . The whole place was vacant for several years after the Buchanan family moved into the city, and then a cultured English gentleman named Capt. Trigg became its owner. He has had repairs made, and while he remains there it is sure that the olden time beauty of the place will remain…. The hall is cathedral-like because its ceiling is Gothic. Nor is it gloomy, as one might imagine. The effect is not gloom; it is something different—a dim, religious light.[15]

James Buchanan, Isaac’s fourth son, bought the property back in 1900. In 1926 the Buchanan family sold Auchmar to A.V. Young, who lived there with his family until September 1943.[16]

At that point it was rented to the Royal Canadian Air Force as a rehabilitation centre; the Second World War was raging in Europe and thus many hospitals were needed for the returning heroes. Auchmar’s many rooms and long halls perfectly suited a hospital’s needs.[17]

The ghosts of Auchmar are shrouded in a long-standing and complex series of mysteries.

Courtesy of Stephanie Lechniak.

The Hungarian Sisters of Social Service bought the mansion and land in 1945 for $32,000, converting the building and grounds into a religious retreat called the Holy Spirit Centre. They occupied Auchmar longer than any other resident, until 1999, when Auchmar was acquired by the City of Hamilton.[18]

One hundred and thirty-five years after Auchmar was built, the cast and crew of YTV’s Strange Days at Blake Holsey High (also known as Black Hole High) converged on the grounds to begin filming.[19]

One can only speculate that, with such a long legacy of so many different residents — including returning war veterans and those in need of religious respite — many different spirits might haunt the halls. But nowhere in the long history of the building are any ghostly visitations or sightings revealed. Could it be the nature of those who occupied the building and their unwillingness to reveal secrets housed within the walls, or were the spirits suddenly awakened, disturbed by the transition of the once-magnificent estate to occupation by such a different type of crew?

And this is where the speculative tales of this building and its ghosts begin.

Two workmen from the YTV television crew were carrying heavy equipment from the basement to the main floor. Holding a large box, the two men looked up just before reaching the first floor landing to see a young girl waiting at the top. They looked away only for a moment, glancing at one another as if to confirm they had both seen her. When they both looked back only a second later, the little girl had vanished.[20]

This strange little girl seems to be one of the most active ghosts within the house. Crew members have heard her voice from the second floor while working on the main floor.

At times she is said to be heard happily giggling, as if she is playing and laughing in the carefree manner of a child. Other times her soft cries or blood-curdling screams are heard echoing through the empty nighttime hallways.

A local Hamilton woman recalls “having a personal meeting” with the little girl when she was a child and visiting Auchmar with her father (a city official at the time). Shortly after the nuns moved out, she and her father were given a personal tour of the mansion. Bored with the history being shared on the tour, the young lady slipped away from the adults and started exploring.

Up on the second floor by herself, she heard the soft giggle of another little girl. Intrigued, she looked around to determine where the other child was, but could see nobody. The sound of giggling continued, confusing her, because it sounded as if it were getting closer. Still, she stood alone in the hallway. Finally, a subtle gust of cold moved over her, and a voice in her ear spoke the words “play with me” to her. She immediately ran down the stairs and into her father’s arms.[21]

The spirit of a woman has also been seen in the basement, floating throughout the vaulted stone rooms. Many crew members and actors from the YTV television show have also commented on strange feelings while in the basement.

Daniel Cumerlato of Haunted Hamilton has mentioned that the most noticeable energy comes from the basement area. During a personal tour with the folks of Doors Open Hamilton several years ago, both he and Stephanie felt it. “It was almost like you expected to see an uninvited guest waiting just around the corner while moving through the small confined rooms of Auchmar’s basement,” he said.[22]

Over the years, various objects from the mansion have mysteriously disappeared, dogs brought onto the set of Strange Days at Blake Holsey High have refused to enter certain corridors, and hanging lights would start to swing on their own in the absence of any breeze. In a 2002 interview with the Hamilton Spectator’s Jeff Mahoney, Lawrence Bayne, one of the actors from the television show, spoke about his eerie experiences at Auchmar one night when, instead of heading to his home in Toronto, he slept in his dressing room. “Well, you tell me,” Bayne asked in that interview, “how does a door that is locked and bolted suddenly swing open in the middle of the night?”[23]

Mitch Ness, director for Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, reported several of his strange experiences on the set of the show at Auchmar to Daniel. One recurring encounter took place near the stairs, where there seemed to be a malicious spirit offering ghostly shoves as if to either harm or frighten off intruders. In one such occurrence, the script supervisor was shoved by those invisible hands while standing at the monitors and watching a rehearsal.

Two grips had a similar experience while heading up a set of stairs that curved up to the left to a small room. Rohan, the best boy grip, and Ross, the key grip, were heading up the stairs, when Rohan was pushed so strongly that he fell back hard against Ross and the two of them almost tumbled down the stairs. They found the room at the top of the stairs closed and locked tight; Rohan was unable to figure out the source of the unseen hands he felt pushing him.

Two of the YTV television show’s effects team encountered a strange apparition in the basement. Separately, but within minutes of one another, both Sean and Gary were in the basement for an episode involving a furnace (which they had constructed in the basement), when they spied the female spectre who is said to be in the basement. In the main hallway of the basement, a white figure, what looked to them like a nun, moved from one room to another, footless and floating along the floor.

Security guards who worked on the set of the television show were kept busy tracking down phantoms on many a night, from the echo of footsteps in the upstairs corridor to doors slamming. Commonly, a door leading to a small balcony would be found wide open, even after one of the guards had closed and locked it.[24]

In 2005 the television series Ghost Trackers filmed the thirteenth and final episode of their first season at Auchmar, in which one of the competitors felt an invisible finger brush past.[25]

Still owned by the City of Hamilton, and a popular stop on the annual Doors Open Hamilton tours of landmark buildings, Auchmar remains a historical building of cultural interest under threat. For years the debate about preserving the important historical estate and the economic challenges of doing so has raged on.

For its part, the mansion continues to erode under the weight of time and the elements while the restless spirits inside flit about, holding vigilant to their shadowy posts, reminders of the flurry of activity, the richness of life, hope, and history that once coursed through these now-empty rooms.