Local author Andrew Hind has dedicated himself to documenting the supernatural sites and macabre mysteries of Muskoka.
His latest book – Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2 – is now available and filled with spine-tingling anecdotes from the region’s darker corners.
Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2 includes spooky stories from more than 20 locations in Muskoka, with such iconic locations as Bigwin Inn, Inn at the Falls, and Muskoka Heritage Place.
“After 2021’s Muskoka’s Most Haunted I had no immediate intention of writing another regional ghost book – it wasn’t intended as the first in a series. But, in the wake of that book’s release, many people stepped forward to share stories of their own,” says Hind. “Rather than keep these fascinating, and sometimes frightening experiences to myself, I decided a new book was in order.”
Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2 was released three years to the month of its predecessor. The stories range across the width and breadth of Muskoka and span the generations.
There’s the tale of a shadowy man said to linger within Ashworth Hall, a one-time Orange Lodge now preserved within Muskoka Heritage Place.
“He stands silent vigil over the building,” says Hind. “Speculation suggests this might well be builder Henry Demaine or original owner Stanley Ashworth..”
Another building on the museum grounds is even more famously haunted: the Spence Inn, a former coaching inn from the Nipissing Road.
“Over the years a few staff members have been so startled by experiences within the historic building that they refused to enter alone,” says Hind.
In other chapters, readers hobnob with spectres from the gilded age of Muskoka’s resorts at Bigwin Inn and meet the ghostly inhabitants of Bracebridge’s iconic Woodchester Villa.
Readers will also discover the origins of eerily-named locations like Skeleton Lake and Devil’s Gap.
Hind says he’s been interested in ghosts and the paranormal since childhood.
“Too much Scooby Doo, perhaps,” he says. “As an adult and historian, I love how a good ghost story often has a historical foundation. Many people who will not pick up a history book will read one about haunted houses and the restless dead. Ghost books allow me to pass on a bit of history while also entertaining readers. And I still love a good eerie story – who doesn’t?”
The book is available from Amazon and local retailers (currently Artisans of Muskoka in Huntsville, with others to follow in the coming weeks and months). It retails for $25.
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