Halloween season is here, and with it comes trick or treating, candy – and ghost stories! And that’s one thing that Charlotte County has no shortage of! With histories dating back over 200 years, many of the communities that make up our area have their fair share of spooky tales, passed down from generation to generation.
The Charlotte County Courthouse in St. Andrews was built in the 1840’s and is the oldest courthouse in Canada! It’s also reportedly home to ghosts of those who met their end on its grounds. Including Thomas Hutching, an English sergeant who was hanged on the grounds on December 16th of 1942, after being found guilty of murder. His ghost has supposedly been seen numerous times over the decades, always sporting an especially angry expression. A separate apparition has also often been seen carrying a rope.
Just outside of St. Andrews, you’ll find Ghost Road; a name not chosen by accident. Legend has it the road was home to the tragic culmination of a love triangle. As the sordid tale goes, two men who had hitchhiked to the area looking for work both fell in love with the same woman. Upon discovery of his rivals secret meeting place with their shared romantic interest: a large rock along the now-named Ghost Road, one man ambushed and killed the other. According to local superstition, many an unlucky traveler since have picked up a hitchhiker along the road, only for the man to disappear the second they turned their head.
So turn the lights down low this Halloween, maybe even light a few candles! Gather the family around and share these ghostly stories from own local history!
