Ghost Walks return to Castle Kilbride with expanded fall schedule

Castle Kilbride will once again begin hosting ghost walks beginning Aug. 22. Photo courtesy of Castle Kilbride

By Galen Simmons

For anyone who’s ever wondered whether Castle Kilbride is truly haunted, there will be plenty of opportunities to find out this fall.

Ghost Walks will return to the historic Baden mansion beginning Aug. 22, followed by a Sept. 19 tour and weekly walks throughout October. Operated in partnership with Ghost Walks, the popular indoor tours combine local history, ghost stories and reported paranormal experiences inside one of Waterloo Region's best-known historic homes.

Ghost Walks owner Daniel Cumerlato said Castle Kilbride has become one of the company's most unique locations since the tours were introduced in 2019.

"We've done other houses and inside locations in the past," Cumerlato said. "Kilbride has kind of stood out from those."

Ghost Walks, which began in Hamilton in 2003, now offers tours throughout southern Ontario, including Hamilton, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Dundas. While many people are drawn by the paranormal, Cumerlato said history lovers make up much of the audience.

"I know most people who come on ghost tours are definitely history buffs," he said. "They love these old buildings and the ghost tours just add to that. ... If you're not coming for just ghost stories, then you're also getting that history, but in an extremely interesting way."

Castle Kilbride curator Sherri Gropp said the partnership began after she attended one of Cumerlato's tours at another National Historic Site.

"I attended one of Daniel's Ghost Walks at another National Historic Site and I was fascinated and knew the castle would be a great fit for the program," Gropp said. "We launched our first tour in July 2019."

After a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tours returned in 2023 and have continued to grow in popularity.

"We are truly grateful for the partnership as it brings people that might not have visited otherwise," Gropp said. "Daniel's team brings fun and intrigue to all of their tours and it has been a wonderful partnership."

The castle has no shortage of stories for visitors.

Gropp said staff have experienced cupboard doors and other doors opening on their own, along with the unexplained scents of cigars and perfume.

"After working here for so many years, it does not phase us," she said. "We feel at home and comfortable with the energies inside the museum."

Museum assistant Taylor Hynes said she has come to appreciate what she believes are the castle's helpful resident spirits.

"If Sherri or I ever misplace something, we find if we ask the castle for help, the item we were searching for seems to reappear," Hynes said. "When the items are found, it's usually responded to with a 'Thanks James!' "

Castle Kilbride was built for James Livingston in 1877.

Hynes said the mansion also seems to come alive during special events.

"Being avid celebration and party throwers, it's nice to see the Livingstons' passions continue in the afterlife."

According to Cumerlato, guests have reported hearing unexplained tapping coming from a closet in what was once Laura Louise Livingston's bedroom, while paranormal investigators and psychics brought in before the tours launched also experienced unexplained phenomena.

The Castle Kilbride tours focus not only on reported hauntings but also on the unusual and darker aspects of the home's history. Participants explore the mansion after hours, hearing stories of mysterious frescoes, haunted antiques and the castle's resident spirits.

Upcoming Ghost Walks are scheduled for Aug. 22, Sept. 19 and Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Tickets are available through Ghost Walks at ghostwalks.com.