Heritage Calgary Haunted Inglewood Walking Tour
What is up all you ghouls and goblins?! It’s almost Halloween – an extra spooky time of year where we indulge in sweet treats, dress up in our favourite costumes and dig into old slasher films of mask wearing, machete wielding maniacs. Whether you are out partying with Hellfire Club, trick-or-treating, or blissfully tucked in for a Treehouse of Horror marathon, there is absolutely something for everyone to enjoy this Hallow’s Eve – you can almost smell the sweet scent of candy corn in the air. Here In Inglewood, we are home to some of the city’s most haunted sites. With this in mind, Heritage Calgary has prepared a spooktacular, haunted walking tour of several of our community’s paranormal points for your viewing.
While most people know the Deane house as one of the city’s top restaurants and brunch spots, the heritage home has a surprisingly haunting past. Originally built for the superintendent of Fort Calgary, it later became a rooming house in the thirties and carries a history of violence. Some report the faint smell of cigar smoke permeating through the rooms of the house, while other accounts include disconnected telephones ringing and the apparition of a pipe smoking man. One of the house’s greater paranormal occurrences is a blood-stain in the attic that changes in colour and size and a closet that reportedly unlocks itself. All things considered, the Deane House is a happening haunt in Inglewood. https://www.deanehouse.com/
Rouge (A.E. Cross Residence)
Built on the old A.E. cross residence, Rouge serves up some of the best dining in the city- paired with ghoulish phenomenon. The home’s first owner A.E. Cross was one of the original founders and financiers of the Calgary Stampede. Unfortunately, tragedy struck his family when two of his three children died of diptheria – some believe the Cross family may still haunt the building. Staff and visitors have reported mysterious apparitions of a floating woman, moving chairs, falling pots and doors slamming in the building while no one else is around – sounds pretty spooky to us. https://rougecalgary.com/
House & Hound (Fire Hall No. 3)
Before the Hose & Hound transformed into the popular neighbourhood pub as we know today, it was originally the city’s No.3 Fire Hall. What sets Hose & Hound apart from other local haunts on this list is the paranormal sounds and sights from the establishment come from the animal kingdom. Allegedly, the city’s Fire Chief Cappy Smart owned a pet monkey who was put down after attacking a child. Staff and patrons have reported the spirit of the monkey still causes mischief in the building – knocking cans off shelves, starting the dishwasher and messing about the billiard tables. Cappy Smart alsoowned a horse who tragically died in a fire. Apparently, some can still hear the sounds of phantom horse hooves and neighs throughout the bar. https://www.thehose.ca/
Suitor House
The suitor house is currently used by doctors as an office space, but it’s origins date back to a much more grim reality. A hospice of sorts, the building was originally intended as a space for sick, contagious patients to live out their final days. Later, it became a rooming house where the spirits of one young couple reportedly still haunt the venue. The husband fell fate to a gruesome death involving a rail car – he took pleasure in hopping on moving trains. The widowed wife parished shortly after of heartbreak and it is reported her spirit still stalks the halls of the suitor house.
New East Ward (Alexandra) School (Alexandra Centre Society)
The New East Ward (Alexandra) School is a long, rectangular, threestorey school of solid sandstone construction. A 1956 one-storey, concrete-block gymnasium addition which adjoins the southeast corner is situated in front of the school. At some point in this building’s 100-year-plus life, it had a caretaker named Joe. Joe was evidently a troubled man and one day he was found in the building’s stairwell, having hung himself. People working in the building say they see things in the shadows, and have heard footsteps coming from empty hallways, as if someone is still working their rounds.