75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9, Canada
The Ottawa Jail Hostel was the Carleton County Jail, better known as the Nicholas Street Jail or Ottawa Jail.
The Nicholas Street Jail was Ottawa’s main jail for over a century. This facility was built in 1862 next to the courthouse and connected to it by a tunnel. Designed by Henry Horsey, the jail was the site of Patrick J. Whelan’s hanging on February 11, 1869, for the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. More than 5,000 people witnessed Whelan’s hanging, a large number considering Ottawa’s size at the time.
View of the gallows (doors closed) from the jail’s exercise yard. Note the hatch above the window.
The judge promised Whelan he would be buried on his family’s plot in Montreal, but due to concerns that many would riot at that site, Whelan’s body was secretly buried in an unknown location on jail grounds. Staff and guests have reported that Whelan’s spirit is one of many who roam the hostel, appearing at the foot of guests’ beds or in the death row cell. The third (official) and last execution in the jail took place on March 27, 1946, when Eugene Larmont, who had killed an Ottawa police detective, was hanged. The building was used as a jail until 1972, when the outdated facility was closed. The original gallows, however, remain intact and fully functional. The jail had utterly inhumane conditions for inmates, and modern excavations on the jail grounds uncovered numerous unmarked graves. Up to 150 male, female, and juvenile prisoners were forced to share 60 small cells (1x3 meters) and 30 larger cells (2x3 meters), as well as six solitary confinement cells.
Among the inmates were murderers, the mentally ill, or those imprisoned for minor offenses such as drunkenness and hooliganism.
After the jail closed its doors in 1972, Hostelling International saw potential in the vacant building, purchased it, converted it, and opened it to tourists. The upper floor, once used as the death row cell, was restored to its original condition so visitors could tour the space.
Given the building’s unique history, it’s perhaps unsurprising that rumors circulate about ghosts inhabiting the Ottawa Jail Hostel. It is said that the spirits of inmates once held against their will inside the building roam the premises at night, slamming doors, appearing at the foot of beds, and voicing their disembodied voices through the hallways and common rooms.
When the jail closed in 1972, the hostel company acquired and converted the building but left much of the structure intact, allowing guests to spend the night “in jail.” The upper floor, which formerly served as the jail’s death row, was largely restored to its original state, and daily tours are conducted there.
In July 2011, the former jail’s inner courtyard was transformed into an outdoor bar for the summer months.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Jail_Hostel
