Canada: Ottawa Jail Hostel

“Fifth, darkness, starvation and sickness were common.”

This old jail located in Carleton Ottawa, Ontario is considered to be one of Canada's most haunted places.

This prison first opened its doors in 1842 in the basement of the cities’ new courthouse. It was established when there was an international movement that changed the concept of how prisoners should be treated.

It was the first “reformation” jail in Canada. It was built with the goal of providing both safety and the tools and resources to help prisoners successfully reform.

The concept was to keep the prisoners separated from each other. Carleton Jail was declared the “model goal” of its time.

But what looked good on paper was in reality a facility that was overcrowded and unsanitary. There was very little for the prisoners to do.

They spent hours in extremely small cells where there was little light, no restrooms and no heating or air-conditioning. There was very little food and rare opportunities to shower.

When this Carleton Jail closed in 1972 it was said that countless men, women and children that were held as prisoners here over the years experienced only punishment and torture.

Ominous Feelings

People who visit the building today report a variety of dark feelings.

Negative energy and despair are often felt in the area that once was the prison’s solitary confinement--known as The Hole.

In this area the prisoners were punished. They were stripped naked and shackled to the wall. There was no light and only a bucket for waste. They were lucky to be fed once a day.

Another area that elicits an ominous response is at the back of the jail. It was here where prisoners who died were burned and buried.

Nearby was the prison’s Death Row. Many report seeing the apparition of a prisoner by the name of Patrick James Whalen. He was the second prisoner to be hanged publically in 1869. He is seen writing and wandering the area near the Carleton gallows.

In another area of the prison known as the Lounge voices are heard screaming and crying for this was the area where the women and children were confined.

One part of the old jail that many ghost hunters seek out is the space where aggressive prisoners were kept. It is here and near a stairwell that the most negative energy is felt.

Today ghost tours are given of the Carleton Jail.