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Haunted places · Haunted houses and manors

The Keg Mansion – the Maid's Ghost in the Massey House

When
since 1915 date from records made at the time
Where
Keg Mansion, 515 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Verdict
Legend

The old Massey mansion, now a steakhouse, is said to be haunted by a maid who reportedly hanged herself after the death of her mistress, Lillian Massey.

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43.67°, -79.38° · dimmed: other phenomena within 1,500 km

What happened

The Gothic Revival mansion on Jarvis Street was built in 1867–1868 for the McMaster family (sources differ on whether for Arthur McMaster or his uncle William, founder of McMaster University). In 1882 it was bought by Hart Massey, the farm-machinery magnate who gave Toronto Massey Hall, and it became known as Euclid Hall. His daughter, Lillian Massey Treble, died there in 1915, and the family left the house to Victoria College. It later housed the first studio of radio station CFRB and an art gallery, and since 1976 it has been a restaurant of The Keg chain. Its most famous ghost is a maid who, according to legend, hanged herself in the front foyer, in the oval opening above the main entrance, after Lillian's death; diners claim to have seen her swinging from a rope. There are also stories of a boy running up and down the stairs and watching the guests, of ghostly servants, and of an upstairs women's washroom where locked stall doors swing open and bags fall from their hooks. Some people feel Lillian herself watching them.

Witnesses

Accounts by restaurant staff and diners; the legend is retold by, among others, tour guide Jason Kucherawy (The Globe and Mail, 2011) and columnist Ronald Wolf.

Explanations and hypotheses

Lillian Massey is a historical figure, and her death in the house in 1915 is well documented. The maid's suicide, however, is not confirmed by any known record – her name is unknown, and versions disagree even on the place and the reason (grief, or a “dark secret” her mistress had protected her from). A Toronto group that investigates hauntings has reportedly refused to class the house as haunted. The story is part of the image of a popular restaurant whose patrons go looking for the “haunted” washroom upstairs.

Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.

Sources

  1. The Globe and Mail – Haunted Toronto: A paranormal primer (2011)
  2. Ronald Wolf – The Keg Mansion (OCNA syndicated column)
  3. blogTO – 515 Jarvis Street, Toronto (2021)

More: Wikipedia (en)