Lady In White

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The Lady In White is a well-known haunting in local lore. Many variations regarding the specifics of her story exist. The central theme is the soul of a grieving mother that can be seen at times searching the Durand-Eastman Park beach or nearby "Castle Wall" for those responsible for her daughter's disappearance and/or for the daughter's body. One variation on the story includes two spectral hounds that accompany the Lady on her search. Some versions assert the Lady can be glimpsed at nightfall, rising out of one of the small ponds near the edge of Lake Ontario. The daughter's age and the nature of her disappearance varies with the telling as well. In some versions, she is a teenager who runs away with a lover, but he turns on her and kills her. In others, she is raped and murdered by one or more local brigands.

Contrary to many stories that have been circulating, the "Castle Wall" is nothing more than the last remnant of the old park conservatory building retaining wall. The wall once had a set of cannons projecting over it, but they were removed after someone thought it might be offensive to the Canadians they were aimed towards. In the 1930's the conservatory building was used by the local Boy Scout council for what was then known as "Camp Three Lakes." It should also be noted that a large Greek Revival style mansion stood nearby, which had fallen into disrepair by the early 1900's. The mansion served as a camp for sick children.

Many claims regarding this story have been proven false or inconsistent with known facts. Meanwhile, others claim that documentation supporting (at least one version of) this story exists in local records.

In 2008, the story was voted "Best Local Urban Legend" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of' Awards.1

Also see: Hauntings and Urban Legends