HAUNTED CANADA 🍁 Ghosts, Hauntings, and True Crimes
Haunted Canada: A podcast of Canada’s most creepiest ghost stories, hauntings, true crimes and mysteries. Hosted by professional storyteller Nadine, producer of the awarding winning Edmonton Ghost Tours.
HAUNTED CANADA 🍁 Ghosts, Hauntings, and True Crimes
Episode 24 - The Headless Nun. French Fort Cove, New Brunswick and The Haunted Beck House Penetanguishene, Ontario
Episode 24 of Haunted Canada
- The Headless Nun. French Fort Cove, NB
- The Haunted Beck House. Penetanguishene, ON
For more information about this podcast please visit us at:
http://www.HauntedCanada.com
To learn more about the Edmonton Ghost Tours visit us at:
http://www.EdmontonGhostTours.com
Written and Produced by Nadine Bailey
Music by: Mountain Sound AudioJungle
Music Standard -Mystery Logo Audiojungle
References
https://globalnews.ca/news/100640/rousing-ghost-of-mount-royal/
https://www.charactermattersmiramichi.com/home#Upcoming-shows
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-acadia
Headless Nun Picture-Photo Credit to CBC
https://mynewbrunswick.ca/folklore/the-headless-nun/
https://barrie360.com/haunted-simcoe-penetanguishene-centennial-museum/
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/27939037?source_impression_id=p3_1603984506_pK7JUPhblVCGe97x
https://www.thetravel.com/facts-about-canadas-most-haunted-house/
Alberta’s most popular Ghost Tour sharing the haunted and darker side of Edmonton.
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Welcome to Haunted Canada, dean. If you want to support the creation of this podcast, please take the time to leave a five-star written review. Share this podcast and tell a friend. You can also support us through the link in the show notes titled Show your Support, buy Me a Coffee. If you have a ghost story, haunting or true crime that you would like for us to cover on this podcast, please email me through the website hauntedcanadacom. This podcast is ever-evolving and when I go back and I listen to some of the first episodes that I recorded, I love them and I see how much I've grown, from doing the stories at a slower pace to slowly improving the pace and the rhythm over time, and I'm always trying to present the best stories for all the listeners. Now on with the show.
Speaker 1:Welcome to episode 24 of Haunted Canada, where we're going to delve into two ghost stories from across Canada. First we're going to talk about the Headless Nun in French Fort Cove, new Brunswick. Then we're going to venture to the town of Penetanguish King, ontario, to talk about the historic and haunted Beck House. The story of the Headless Nun goes back over 250 years when, in the small community of French Fort Cove, new Brunswick, is the legend of Sister Marie in Canoe who, in 1758, was attacked, brutally murdered, with her head being cut off as she walked home one evening, and to this day, the vision of the headless nun is still seen wandering throughout the historic community of French Fort Cove is still seen wandering throughout the historic community of French Fort Cove.
Speaker 1:Sister Marie had been sent from France to assist and to work with the Acadians who lived in the area. An Acadian were people from France who settled in the Maritimes in the 16th and the 17th century. The Acadians worked very hard to build a life for themselves and their families. However, in 1755, tensions began to build between the French and the British over who actually owned the land, with over 10,000 Acadians being pushed out of their homes, off their land, and being sent back to France, england or to other parts of British North America, while others escaped the deportation and ended up living in other colonies. During all this upheaval, many of the Acadians banded together and built a fort to try to protect themselves from the British. Hence the name French Fort Cove.
Speaker 1:Sister Marie worked very hard to gain the trust and the respect of those who lived in French Fort Cove and the surrounding areas, and became known as a beloved woman of faith who always went above and beyond to help those who lived in the area and were in need. Sister Marie was living in the community when all the uprests and upheaval was happening between the Acadians and the British, with Sister Marie witnessing firsthand the injustices that were done to the Acadians. It was around this time that Sister Marie had buried a considerable amount of money to be kept hidden in case the British came to French Fort Cove. Now there's actually two local legends or stories as to where this treasure came from. One story is that Sister Marie had been given a considerable amount of money by France that was to be used to help the Acadians in the area. Yet as the unrest and the uncertainty continued with the British, sister Marie ended up burying that money in a secret location that only she knew about, while the other story reports that the Acadians who were living in French Fork Cove at the time feared that at any moment the soldiers would come and would take all of their possessions. So the Acadians gathered up whatever valuables they had from coins and jewelry, and gave it all to the person that they trusted most, sister Marie, as they knew that she would protect it. Sister Marie again feared that the soldiers would come at any time. So she of course buried that money and all the valuables in a secret location that only she knew about. It's believed that a gang of soldiers somehow found out about the buried treasure and that Sister Marie knew of its location.
Speaker 1:The greedy sailors kept a watchful eye on Sister Marie, waiting for the right time to attack her. One day Sister Marie was asked to go to a nearby community to help a pregnant woman who was getting ready to give birth. Of course, sister Marie gathered up whatever she needed for the birth and headed out to walk the distance to the woman's home. Sister Marie spent most of the day and the evening providing the woman with exceptional care, helping to welcome her new baby into the world. Once the mother and the baby were well settled, sister Marie once again gathered up all of her items and walked back through the woods to her house in nearby French Fort Cove.
Speaker 1:As Sister Marie was walking home late that evening through the dark woods, with only the light of the full moon to guide her towards French Fort Cove, she was brutally attacked by the sailors who demanded to know the location of the buried treasure. Yet no matter how much Sister Marie was beaten to give up the location of the treasure treasure. Yet no matter how much Sister Marie was beaten to give up the location of the treasure, she never did. The sailors became so angry that Sister Marie would not tell them the location of the buried treasure that one of the sailors killed Sister Marie by using a sword to cut off her head. The next morning, as the sun was rising over French Fort Cove, the dead body of Sister Marie was found in the woods, and when her body was found, it was discovered by the community that her head had been decapitated. Yet no matter how much searching was done, sister Marie's head was never found. Sister Marie was so loved by the Acadia community as she had helped so many people, that her body was returned to France for burial. Yet sadly, her head was never found and many people believe that without her head she was never able to fully rest, even in death, and that her spirit is still seen wandering throughout French Fort Cove today, still looking for her head and guarding the buried treasure. To this day, people who are in the area of French Fort Cove have often seen the headless nun wandering throughout the backwoods of the community late at night, as many believe that her spirit is not at peace.
Speaker 1:Shortly after Sister Marie's murder in 1785, it's when the sightings of the Headless Nun began. It has been well documented over the 200 plus years that many people have witnessed seeing the Headless Nun on the very path where she was murdered. Many believe that Sister Marie is still looking for her head on that path, while also protecting the treasure that was buried in that very area. One ghostly interaction was documented in a local book called Mermachy Tales Tall and True, written by Doug Underhill. It was said in that book that a person was walking along the woods and encountered the headless nun when the headless nun offered this person a thousand guineas for her lost head.
Speaker 1:For those who are brave enough to wander throughout the dark and the dreary wooded areas of French War Cove, they've often reported being approached by a nun asking them where is my head? While others report seeing the headless nun carrying her decapitated head, others report seeing the headless nun carrying her decapitated head, asking people where am I buried? The tales of the headless nun approaching somebody walking along the area to help her look for her head is another story that was documented in Doug Upperville's book when he wrote about a man by the name of Patty who was actually staying at the local Royal Crotel when one evening, when Patty was out for a walk in the area of French Fork Cove, he was approached by the Headless Nun who offered Patty money to help her find her head. Of course, when Patty saw the Headless Nun he was terrified. So Patty ran out of the area and went back to his hotel room. But that night it seems that the Headless Nun paid a visit to back to his hotel room. But that night it seems that the headless nun paid a visit to Patty in his hotel room.
Speaker 1:In the dead of night Patty was awakened to find the headless nun standing in his hotel room, asking him to help her find her head. Patty was so scared that the very next morning, as soon as the sun rose, he packed up his bags and he left the area. Patty drove to the nearby city of St John, new Brunswick, and stayed at a different local hotel. But it seems that the headless nun had not given up on Patty just yet Because again, that very next evening, while Patty was asleep in his hotel room, the headless nun appeared again to him, asking him to help her find her head, patty must have been terrified, as any of us would have been, when the very next morning, when day broke, patty packed up his bags and he left for the United States, and he was never bothered by the headless nun again, while there are other stories documented in that book that speaks of a man who was walking in the French Fort area when he was approached by the headless nun. The nun reached out and touched the man on the back of his head, and where the headless nun's three fingers touched the back of the man's head, there was left three white patches of hair. This terrified the man and he went into a torment. In the coming days, weeks and years he became so fearful of the headless nun that he was constantly looking over his shoulder. He ended up acquiring a twitch in his neck and eventually it drove him insane. Others have reported that when they're walking on those paths in French Fork Cove that they often get the feeling as if someone is grabbing them by the shoulder, yet when they turn around there's nobody there. And others report that when they're walking in that area along the pathways, that they can feel someone or something touching them on their shoulder or or fingers on the back of their neck.
Speaker 1:The legend of the missing treasure is still well known about the community, with many people still searching the woods of Frenchport Cove for the buried treasure still to this day. There is one scary tale about the headless nun that dates back just after the nun was murdered. Legend has it that a few weeks after the nun's murdered body was found, a group of English soldiers were marching through the very area in Frenchport Cove where Sister Marie was so brutally murdered when, all of a sudden, the soldiers just vanished. For months, other English soldiers searched the area with no sign of the missing soldiers ever to be found, until one day one of the missing soldiers wandered out of the deep woods of French Fort Cove. The soldier's uniform was shredded into pieces and many described the soldiers as having madness in his eyes. When the soldier was questioned as to what had happened and to where the rest of the soldiers were, his response was that the last thing he remembered was that his platoon was walking through the woods of French Fort Cove when they were all attacked by a headless nun. The legend of the headless nun has actually been turned into a theatrical performance and a walking tour called the Headless Nun Experience, overseen by a theater troupe called Character Matters in Miramichi, new Brunswick. Many of the guides and actors on this performance have had their own run-ins with the Headless Nun over the years. One of the guides actually reported seeing a phantom hand reaching out to him in the mist on the tour as the guide was telling the story of the headless nun. While other guides have reported that when they're on the walking path late at night that they'll often hear the screams of a woman off in the distance, many believe that those screams are that of Sister Marie.
Speaker 1:The Miramichi in New Brunswick is filled with many stories of local legends and lore, including the famous story of the Dungarvan Whopper, a story that I covered in Episode 7 of this podcast. The legend of the Dungarvan Whopper goes back to when a young Irish cook by the name of Ryan took a job working in a local logging camp. Yet soon the camp foreman discovered that the cook had a considerable amount of money. The camp foreman got greedy and wanted that money, attacking the cook and killing him. The foreman tried to cover up the murder by telling the other men at the logging camp that the cook had fallen ill and died. The cook's dead body was taken into the woods and buried. Yet as soon as the men were walking back to the camp, they began to hear the sounds of someone or something screaming off in the distance. To this day, the legend of the Dungarvan whooper is talked about and told over many a campfire. The whooping sounds are believed to be that of the Irish cook Ryan, who was so brutally murdered, and that the whooping is Ryan calling out from his grave. The legend of the Dungarvan Whipper has been taken so seriously that an exorcism was done by a Roman Catholic priest at the gravesite of the Irish cook Ryan, known as the Whipper Spring, known as the Whopper Spring. Whether it's the ghost of the Headless Nun that is still seen wandering throughout French Fort Cove looking for her head and guarding the buried treasure, or the legend of the Dungarvan Whopper, it is well known that New Brunswick is filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of stories of ghosts, hauntings, murders and mysteries.
Speaker 1:The Beck House, built in the Queen Anne Revival style, located in the town of Penetanguishing, ontario, is a beautiful three-story home with a slated roof that was built in 1875, built by lumber baron Carl Beck and wealthy businessman who owned many different businesses, including a lumber company. He helped build a railway to the west and he owned a general store in town that today operates as the Centennial Museum. Carl was also the mayor of the town from 1892 to 1895. He also bought the first vehicle in the area, a 1903 Oldsmobile, and ended up donating the land to which the Presbyterian church was built. 1903 Oldsmobile and ended up donating the land to which the Presbyterian Church was built. Sadly, carl Beck's wife and two daughters died in the Beck home, and it is believed that it is those three spirits, and the spirits of many others that still haunt the historic home to this day.
Speaker 1:When the mother died, it was the older daughter, mary, who was left to take care of the remaining seven children, her brothers and sisters. Young Mary was expected to run the house, cook the meals and raise the siblings, and this would have been a daunting task for any young woman. Eventually, however, mary ended up falling in love with a local man and left to get married and start her own family. Yet it seems that her father, carl Beck, was not happy with his daughter's decision to leave. He did not want Mary to leave or get married. He wanted her to stay in the house to care for him and the siblings. Yet Mary went against her father's wishes and left the home and married. This caused a great conflict between Mary and her father, and the relationship was strained for many, many years. When Carl Beck died, it seems that even in death he wanted to make sure to let his older daughter, mary, know just how angry he still was at her, because when the will was read, the entire estate was split equally among all the children except Mary, who was only left one dollar in the will. It is believed that this was Carl letting his daughter Mary know that he was still angry with her decision to get married and leave the family home. Mary was devastated when her father cut her out of the will and many believe that Mary is one of the many spirits that's still wandering throughout the Beck home to this day, that she's protesting and showing her angry for being left out of her inheritance.
Speaker 1:People who have stayed in the house or in the apartment over the years have reported that they'll often feel someone tugging at their bedsheets throughout the evening, while other people have reported hearing a female voice shooing them away. Today, the Beck House is divided up into several different apartments and anybody can actually rent the top floor of the house through Airbnb. In the Airbnb listing it's described as, quote the haunted house, apartment 302. And on the Airbnb page, they have done a wonderful job describing the home, stating that, quote as you pull into the driveway, this 1885 Victorian towers above you, your mouth drops in awe of the size. Up the porch to enter the small front door, a dimly lit winding staircase creaks. As you ascend to the third floor, original architecture painted many times over, oozes with history. Seventy years ago the house was turned into apartments, unloved for many of those years. Time has definitely taken its toll. Yet to the spirits within their big old house still stands proud and distinguished in all of its glory. If that description isn't amazing or creepy enough for you, the end of the Airbnb post says, quote if a short visit with the supernatural isn't enough for you, maybe a whole night will give you the encounter you're looking for. This is an absolutely amazing and spooky listing and I do know that if I ever travel through this area, that's where I'm going to be spending the night.
Speaker 1:The current owners of the house actually believe that there are up to 18 spirits roaming throughout the historic home to this day. Over the many years, guests have reported many different strange and paranormal activity, including doors opening and closing all by themselves, while also smelling cigar smoke in different rooms when, of course, there's nobody smoking, while also seeing the dark figure of a man wandering through the hallways. While other people have reported the ghost, the apparition of a woman standing in the third floor window just looking down at the people on the front lawn, many people believe that that figure of the woman standing in the window is that of an angry ghost who is often reported to be tugging at people's clothing or at women's hair. Who is this angry female ghost? Well, many believe that it could be Mary and that she's still angry with the fact that her father left her out of the will, while others believe that it is Carl's wife, who sadly died in the home so many years ago. Yet it seems that the appearance of the angry female ghost is not only seen in the third floor window, but also at the church next door and walking on the roadway. Many people have witnessed a woman in early 1900s clothing walking on the roadway between the home and the church nearby. While there have been many mediums and paranormal investigators that have visited the historic and haunted Beck House over the many years, the story always seems to be the same, that it's the spirits of Mrs Beck and the two children that died in the home and the spirit of Mary, the daughter that was left out of the will, and many other unknown inhabitants that still reside in the historic home to this day. And if you ever want to experience the ghostly inhabitants for yourself, you can actually rent one of the apartments in the back house through Airbnb and, as they say in their listing, this is a quiet, adult building with people, cats and ghosts.
Speaker 1:Well, everyone, that is the end of episode 24 of Haunted Canada and I wanted to thank everyone for listening and also thank you to the show sponsor, edmund Ghost Tours. I'll link it in the show notes. If you would like to support the continuation of the Haunted Canada podcast, to hear more episodes, please follow the podcast, give us a like and a five, a five star written review, as that always helps. Also, you can follow us on our different social media platforms. Or if you have a ghostly story, haunting or true crime that you would like for us to cover on this podcast or that I can read out to everybody here, please email us for the website hauntedcanadacom. Have a good night, everyone, and stay haunted ©.
Speaker 2:BF-WATCH TV 2021. Thanks for watching.