On a day of love, locals can learn about the town’s darker mysteries

Lauri Leduc, owner, operator and guide of Stratford Walking Tours, in St. Marys. Alex Hunt photo

By Alex Hunt

On Valentine’s Day of all days, Stratford Walking Tours will guide locals through the downtown core to learn about the life of a former St. Marys mayor who was accused of murder.

Stratford Walking Tours is running a Valentine’s Day Ghost Walk in St. Marys on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The tour will begin in front of MacPherson Arts & Crafts, where locals will learn about the building’s previous life.

“In the late 1800s, the office belonged to a well-respected doctor and the town’s mayor, Dr. Adam Enoch Ford,” said Lauri Leduc, owner, operator and guide of Stratford Walking Tours.

“He would invite people there after hours to drink and talk about sports and politics. One night, an incident occurred in that building that would change the lives of two men forever.”

One of Ford’s friends would die a few hours after one of the group’s evening hangouts, but not before he accused Ford of poisoning him. Ford denied the claim but would later be imprisoned in Stratford Jail on the charge of death by poison. Due to insufficient evidence, the charges were dropped and Ford was released after his trial.

“His reputation sank; nobody wanted to be associated with him and they wouldn’t let him in the service clubs,” said Leduc. “He left town with his oldest son and went to Denver, Colo., and never returned.”

Leduc said the ghost of the man who died that night haunts Ford’s house, which still stands in the town.

Leduc started the business in 2024 and has been doing nature walks, history, heritage and ghost tours in Stratford and St. Marys ever since.

“The locals love the ghost tours. For the Stratford tours, people come from all around the country and sometimes the United States,” said Leduc. “People like hearing about stories of dark crimes, history and the ghostly elements, and I decided to formulate a tour around that.”

Those interested in participating in the Valentine’s Day Ghost Walk can purchase tickets online at stratfordwalkingtours.ca.