GHOSTLY TALES OF ALBION MILLS
No record of Albion Mills' early history is complete without reference to the local ghosts which are the object of many tales that have been passed on for generations. The ghosts, according to tradition, resided in a certain house which was believed to be haunted. The home had belonged to a worker at one of the mills who lost his life in a workers' quarrel. The ghost was reported by local people for many years as it flitted around the old house, over the stream, and through the woods.
An Unknown Force:
It seems that late one night a woman, sleeping in an upper room of the house, suddenly felt the bed covers being pulled off toward the bottom of the bed. Reacting instinctively, she quickly pulled them back up around her neck. Again and again this weird exchange happened until with a mighty yank from the unknown source, the bedding was flung away from the bed. The woman ran from the room screaming. She fainted dead away and eventually was revived by relatives hours later.
The White Apparition:
Late at night a gentleman was driving along in his rig with two lady friends when all of a sudden the horses reared up and snorted in fright. There before them was a white apparition blocking the way. As the thing approached the side of the carriage, the man took down his buggy whip and lashed out at it. The whip simply passed through the middle of the hideous vapour, having no effect one way or the other. It continued on its way to the house, and the horses, relieved of its presence, started on again. Collecting their wits, the threesome galloped off to tell their unusual story to others.
References:
1. Hamilton Mountain News. November 27, 1991. p. 13.
2. Pen and Pencil Sketches of Wentworth Landmarks, 1897. pp. 133 - 136. Special Collections, HPL.
3. Saltfleet, then and now: 1792 - 1973. p. 108. Special Collections, HPL.
4. Stoney Creek News. June 5, 1963. pp. 35, 36.
