Haunted Walks continue at Beechwood Cemetery through October

Tours feature spooky tales that speak to the murky and sometimes sordid past of some of those buried on the site

The sun slides below the horizon, plunging the burial ground into darkness. The hoot of a distant owl disrupts the musical chirping of an orchestra of crickets as a warm late-summer breeze rustles the leaves of mature maple trees that line the meandering path. Welcome to the Haunted Walk at Beechwood Cemetery. 

Led this night by experienced guide Kathryn Lyons, the group of 24 brave souls huddles together. They are here to learn some of the history of Canada’s National Cemetery. They’ve also been promised spooky tales that speak to the murky and sometimes sordid past of some of those buried on the site. 

On this night, the group is treated to a brief introduction under the spacious gazebo — with a warning. That while safety is utmost, Kathryn reminds everyone they are here — voluntarily — after dark, in a cemetery …

“I’ve yet to lose anyone,” she then says with a smile. 

Over the next 80 or 90 minutes, the group makes more than a half dozen stops throughout the sprawling venue. At each location, the guide serves up a series of eerie tales with a smooth delivery that sends shivers down one’s spine. 

There’s the farmer who would haunt a section of rail line after being struck and killed by a passing freight train; the wife of a well-known Ottawa entrepreneur, buried at Beechwood, whose spirit still walks the halls of what is known today as Watson’s Mills in Manotick; there’s even a Manor Park connection that’s sure to chill. 

The tour wraps up in the cemetery’s historic mausoleum, with more stories of the past.

Research

Prior to the walk, officially known as ‘Tales from the Mausoleum at Beechwood Cemetery’, Kathryn told the Chronicle what goes into such a presentation. 

“A lot,” she says with a smile. She notes the tours are the result of many hours of work by the research and script team. “It’s pretty extensive.”

The individual guides receive their script and “can supplement with our own knowledge and background,” she says.

Fact-checking is also done in conjunction with Beechwood Cemetery. 

“It is very much a partnership that they’re fully aware of and I’ll say completely on board with,” Kathryn says. 

Beechwood is one of several different haunted tours in Ottawa. Other options include Hidden Ottawa Secrets Walking Tour and Ghosts of the Bytown Museum. 

To attest to their growing popularity, Kathryn points to a cemetery staff member who joined her tour a couple of weeks before. While she didn’t seem confident, she went on the walk for the first time. “She loved it so much that she brought her family back.”

Haunted Walk Creative Director Jim Dean says the tours run most weekends and will continue through to the end of October. To learn more, visit https://hauntedwalk.com/experience/tales-from-the-mausoleum-at-beechwood-cemetery/.