The ghosts and cryptids of New Brunswick
As October settles in, the days grow shorter, the leaves are turning orange, and a cool breeze drifts through the air – perfect conditions for a ghost story. From monsters to ghosts, N.B.has no shortage of supernatural. Grab a hot drink, turn off the lights and switch on a flashlight, and settle into these four ghost stories.
Deep in the wild forests of Miramichi, near the Dungarvon river, rested a lumber camp set-up for the winter months. The camp cook was a short, jolly man, and would cook the meat the woodsmen brought back from their hunts. While no one knows how, the cook was rich, and held his life savings on a belt around his waist. The camp’s lumberjacks were envious of the moneybelt, but none more than the boss of the lumbercamp. There are many stories about what happened to the cook, from a bear attack, to something more sinister… all of them leading to the disappearance of the cook and the boss ending up with the cooks moneybelt. Every night for the rest of the winter, once the sun set, a whooping surrounded the camp. They were presumed to be the calls of the missing cook, but the lumberjacks could never find him. As soon as the snow melted, the lumberjacks retreated. Rumor has it if you camp near the Dungarvon river, you can still hear the cook’s ghost whooping, as he searches for his lost moneybelt.
In Saint John, N.B., under the waves of the reversing falls, there are underwater caverns rumoured to be miles long. It is believed a monster called the Ug-Wug resides in these caves. The Ug-Wug is a monster described to be half-salmon and half-eel, who surfaces during the full moon of spring and can be spotted by their distinct red eyes. Some say the Ug-Wug was a friendly creature, and would lay on the river sides, while others recall a drowned man whose hair had gone white in fear of what he had seen!
Along the shores between New Brunswick and Quebec lies Chaleur Bay, where for centuries locals have been telling stories of a ghost ship. In the early 19th century, it is rumoured a boat called the “Lady Coulbourne”, crashed near the
shores of Gaspe, and some say you can still see it sailing the waters today. One story from the late 1800s tells of the ship ablaze, sailing around the bay. Thousands are said to have witnessed the ship sailing the waters, but by morning it was gone. In the winter of the early twentieth century, the ghostship was spotted again, sending out distress signals amidst ice covered waters. In the morning, when they went to search for the ship, they could not find anything, and there were no records of a ship planning to come into the harbour. Finally, another tale recounts sailors spotting the ship and getting lost at sea the next day.
At Mt. A., the Hart Hall building is rumoured to have a ghost roaming the third floor. It is believed the ghost is Ethel Peake, the old director of the vocal department, who passed away in 1954. She was a strict but skilled teacher, who collected costume jewelry, and was nicknamed “Peakie”. At her funeral, when the choir began to sing, it was reported one of her colleagues heard a voice two octaves higher than the group did not match the choir. Some have reported hearing disembodied footsteps in Hart Hall, others have reported late at night, seeing a purple light on the third floor of Hart Hall. While most stories of the ghost of Hart Hall are pleasant, one story tells of a male student being pushed by an apparition, just before he entered the third floor. When Hart Hall was still a women’s residence building, “Peakie” put a lock on the tunnel between Hart Hall and the Conservatory so male students could not sneak in late at night. Was the ghost who pushed the student “Peakie”, thinking another male student was sneaking in? Either way, if you are in Hart Hall late at night, make sure to keep an ear out for ghostly footsteps, and make you hold the railing when you are going down the stairs.