October Stone Stories – Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle

When you think of famous Canadian artists, you might picture their paintings hanging in a gallery. But what if their former home also has a few ghost stories to tell?

Back in 2024, my mom and I visited the Homer Watson House & Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario, as part of a Guess Where Trips Historic Haunts adventure. Guess Where Trips creates surprise road trips with pre-planned stops, so you can discover hidden gems and local history without having to plan the whole day yourself. I wrote about our adventure in a previous blog post, Cemetery Road Trip: Guess Where Trips.

On our visit to the house, we let the staff know we were particularly interested in its haunted history, and they kindly gave us a private tour, focused on the ghost stories.

Portrait of Homer Watson. Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener ON ©2024

The Artist

Homer Ransford Watson was one of Canada’s best-known landscape artists. Born in 1855 in Doon, now part of Kitchener, Ontario, he developed an interest in art at a young age and received his first set of watercolour paints when he was eleven.¹ He had little formal training, but learned by studying other artists and copying prints.¹ He eventually became known for his landscape paintings, many of which were inspired by the countryside around his hometown.¹

Watson’s career took off in 1880 when he exhibited The Pioneer Mill at the first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy.¹ The Marquis of Lorne, Canada’s Governor General, purchased the painting as a gift for Queen Victoria.¹ The Queen acquired another of his paintings, The Last Day of the Drought, the following year.¹ His work eventually reached audiences beyond Canada, with exhibitions in cities including Paris, London, Glasgow, and Chicago.¹ He also became the first president of the Canadian Art Club.¹

Today, his former home is a museum and art gallery, where we got to learn more about his life, his art, and some of his more unusual interests.

We toured the rooms one by one, stopping to hear stories from our guide along the way. One of my favourite spaces was the art gallery room. Added in 1906, it has high windows that let in natural light without taking up valuable wall space.² The house didn’t get electricity until 1915, so that natural light would have been especially important.² The room is still used as an art gallery today.²

I also loved seeing some of the tools Homer used to create his paintings. His paint palette and brushes have been preserved, along with one of his easels.¹ According to the house’s history, he died in 1936, leaving an unfinished painting on his easel.¹

The Spiritualist

The room that really caught my attention was the front parlor.

Homer Watson was a Spiritualist who believed in communicating with the dead, and the front parlor was one of the spaces where he held séances. Spiritualists believed they could connect with the spirit world, through séances or mediums.

And he wasn’t the only notable figure interested in spiritualism. William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s tenth prime minister, was also a Spiritualist and became friends with Homer. The two participated in séances together, including one held in Homer’s parlor on a Friday the 13th.³

One of the artifacts I found most interesting was a collection of spirit cards. These were used during séances to record messages believed to come from the other side. Some feature Homer’s own handwriting, and the gallery has transcriptions to help visitors understand what the cards say.

Homer’s interest in Spiritualism became especially significant after the death of his wife, Roxanna, in 1918.³ The two had been married for nearly four decades, and she had been an important source of support and artistic advice throughout his career.³ After her death, Homer struggled with his painting until he experienced what he believed was a visit from her spirit.³

According to the story shared by the gallery, Homer was sitting in his studio when he saw Roxanna at the bottom of the staircase, surrounded by a curious amber glow. He recalled her telling him, “Do not despair. All is well, Homer.”³

The house still displays the chair associated with this story. Seeing it in person, alongside the staircase, made the story easier to picture. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it’s an intriguing piece of the house’s history.

I was particularly taken with Watson’s painting, Untitled (River by Moonlight). The dark, moody blue tones and the moon peeking through the clouds made it especially beautiful. I later learned that Spiritualism influenced Homer’s artistic outlook, too. He saw his creative work as something connected to a greater spiritual force, making the relationship between his art and his beliefs even more interesting.³

Doon Presbyterian Cemetery

Of course, no Stone Stories post would be complete without a cemetery visit.

The staff were happy to point us in the right direction when we asked where Homer was buried. His grave is at Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, just a short walk from the house.⁴

The large Watson family monument commemorates several members of Homer’s family.

It bears the names of his parents, Ransford, who owned a local sawmill, and Susannah, as well as his older brother, Jude Nathan, and his sister, Phoebe. Jude Nathan died in a brickyard accident, while Phoebe continued to live and work in the family home after Homer’s death.⁴ An inscription on the side of the monument also remembers Homer’s only son, Charles, who died at birth.⁴ One side of the monument is dedicated to Homer and Roxanna.

After learning so much about Homer during our visit to the house, it was nice to finish the day by visiting his grave. Between his artwork, his family history, and all the stories about his interest in the spirit world, there was certainly a lot more to him than I knew before our trip.

I’m glad we made the stop in 2024. I’d recommend Homer Watson House & Gallery to anyone who enjoys a bit of art, local history, and a few ghost stories.

October is an especially good time to visit, as the gallery holds its annual Spirit Season fundraiser, featuring haunted history tours, paranormal investigations, and other spooky events.⁵ Check the gallery’s website for the current schedule if you’d like to plan a visit of your own.

Thanks for reading!

References:

Homer Ransford Watson | Homer Watson History & Archives
Homer Watson House | Homer Watson History & Archives
Spiritualism Tour | Homer Watson House & Gallery
Doon Presbyterian Cemetery Tour | Homer Watson House & Gallery
Spirit Season 2026 | Homer Watson House & Gallery

Some places just have a presence.

You can’t help but notice them. The Bell Mansion in Sudbury, Ontario, is one of those places. It’s grand, full of history, and, if the stories are true, maybe even haunted.

Despite its spooky reputation, it’s also been a popular spot for wedding photos, with its striking architecture offering a mix of romance and a touch of haunted charm.

But while the mansion still stands for now, its future is uncertain, and its past lingers in more ways than one.

The Bell Family

William Joseph Bell, better known as Willie Joe, was born in Pembroke, Ontario, in 1858.¹ He started in the lumber industry at just 18, working as a scaler and lumberjack in Quebec.¹ By the time he moved to Northern Ontario in 1896, he had already made a name for himself.¹ He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming Vice-President and General Manager of the Spanish River Lumber Company in 1901.¹ His influence didn’t stop there; he also ran a hardware company and sat on the board of National Grocers Ltd.¹

In 1886, he married Katherine Skead, the daughter of an Ottawa senator, and the couple eventually settled in Sudbury.¹ Beyond business, they were generous community builders. Their greatest gift may be Bell Park, a beautiful green space on Ramsey Lake, which they donated in 1926.² A gift that continues to benefit Sudbury today.

The park remains one of the city’s most beloved gathering spots, offering accessible recreation for people of all ages. Just as Bell Park connects residents with nature, the Bell Mansion connects them with the city’s past, standing as a reminder of the Bells’ influence and Sudbury’s early growth.

The Bell Mansion

Built in 1907, the Bell Mansion, also known as Belrock, is beautiful. Made from local stone in the Arts and Crafts style, the house once sat on 155 acres, stretching from Elizabeth Street down to Ramsey Lake.^3,4That land is now Bell Park, but back then it was all part of the Bell’s massive estate. The mansion itself is a 6,000-square-foot beauty, complete with a coach house, greenhouse, and a separate house for the servants.⁴

On December 3, 1955, disaster struck when a fire gutted the home, leaving little more than stone walls standing.⁵Only one room survived—the conservatory.⁵ The Nickel Lodge Masons bought the property, but their rebuilding plans never came to life.⁵ For more than a decade, the mansion sat empty until the Centennial Committee of the Chamber of Commerce led renovations in 1966.⁵Two years later, ownership was transferred to Laurentian University, which leased the space to the Art Gallery of Sudbury.⁵

For decades, the gallery displayed countless exhibits within the mansion’s walls. But what fascinates people just as much as the art are the ghost stories.

Over the years, people have reported eerie sounds such as rustling skirts, heels clicking across the floor, and even ghostly horses neighing outside.⁶ Many believe Katherine Bell still keeps watch over her home.⁶Staff and security have both described phantom footsteps, loud crashes with nothing disturbed, and objects disappearing only to reappear days later.⁵

The most memorable stories involve a woman’s voice that can be heard eerily singing throughout the house. It’s seems to be loudest in the conservatory, the only room spared by the fire.⁵ Some say Katherine is still rehearsing for one last ghostly concert.⁵

She may not be alone. Visitors claim William Bell also makes his presence known, through heavy footsteps and sightings of a tall figure in a dark suit and top hat, quietly watching over the gallery.⁵

Another mystery once puzzled visitors: the sound of children laughing and playing inside the house, even though the Bells never had children of their own.⁵ The voices eventually faded, but the questions remain. Who were they, and what tied them to the mansion?⁵

In 2024, I visited to photograph the exterior. Though currently closed to the public and sadly in visible disrepair, the mansion still has an undeniable elegance, and definitely still has stories to tell.

Calvin United Church Cemetery

For all their ties to Sudbury, the Bells aren’t buried there.

Instead, they rest in Calvin United Church Cemetery in Pembroke, Ontario, a peaceful spot along Boundary Road East where six cemeteries line the street.

William Joseph Bell died in January 1945 at the age of 87 from complications of a leg injury,and was buried in the family plot.⁵ When Katherine Bell passed away in her home at age 90 in 1954, she was laid to rest beside him.⁷William’s parents and three siblings are also buried in the family plot. Their large pink granite monument is simple and understated. It’s a sharp contrast to the grandeur of the mansion they left behind.

On my way back from Ottawa in 2024, I stopped in to visit their graves. Despite their prominence in Sudbury, I was surprised they weren’t buried there. With the help of reference photos, I eventually found their gravestone and was able to pay my respects.

Today, the fate of the Bell Mansion is uncertain.

In late 2024, Laurentian University announced it would list the property for sale, saying repairs were too costly.⁸The Art Gallery of Sudbury, which had long occupied the mansion, has already relocated as part of Laurentian’s insolvency process.⁸

In response, local advocates launched a petition urging that the grounds remain open to the public and that the heritage designation be respected.⁹ Many argue the mansion is too important a piece of Sudbury’s history to lose.¹⁰ That is one of the reasons I felt it was important to photograph it and share its story.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there’s no denying that this house has a past worth remembering.

Thanks for reading!

References:

The History of Bell Rock | Local Color
Appreciating the legacy of Bell Park | Sudbury.com
Bell Mansion provides touch of elegance | Northern Ontario Business
Turning Bell Mansion into a historical teaching tool | Sudbury.com
Haunted Museums & Galleries of Ontario by Andrew Hind | Book
Ten haunted habitations and spooky sites in Greater Sudbury | Sudbury.com
The History of The Bell Mansion | Art Gallery of Sudbury
Historic Bell Mansion in Sudbury, Ont., listed for $1M | CBC
Sale shouldn’t limit access to Bell Mansion grounds, petition states | Sudbury.com
Bell Mansion’s heritage should be protected, local history buffs say | Sudbury.com

Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle

Tag: October Stone Stories

October Stone Stories: Homer Watson, Spiritualist