Description

Haunted by history: Tilt this coin for a scary encounter with a ghost from the past

In the early hours of April 7, 1868, Thomas D?Arcy McGee?a Father of Confederation?was shot and killed on Sparks Street in Ottawa. Patrick Whelan was hanged for the crime at the Carleton County Jail despite proclaiming his innocence to the end.

The jail is now operated as the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel. Many guests have reported waking up in the night to see the image of a man, standing at the end of their bed, who fits the description of Patrick Whelan. His restless spirit still seems to be haunting the hallways of the old jail?

(Story credit The Haunted Walk of Ottawa)

This lenticular coin brings you a ghostly tale set in one of Canada?s spookiest buildings. Today, the old Carleton County Gaol is better known as the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, and it is a welcoming place to stay in the nation?s capital. But the former prison is said to be haunted by the many ghosts of its past, including the spirit of a famous historical figure, who appears on this coin with a simple tilt.

A Haunted Hostel?

Spending the night in an old jailhouse may be scary enough for some. But guests staying at the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel have also reported strange and mysterious happenings?from weeping voices to slamming doors, and a ghost that haunts a death-row cell at night.

That restless spirit is believed to be the jail?s most famous inmate, Patrick James Whelan. In 1868, the 28-year-old tailor was accused and convicted of the murder of Thomas D?Arcy McGee. On the morning of February 11, 1869, a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators gathered outside the Carleton County Gaol to witness one of Canada?s last public executions.

Whelan maintained his innocence to the end. His last wish was to be laid to rest in the family plot; instead, he was unceremoniously buried beneath the gallows. Whelan?s descendants continue to hold out hope for an exoneration. In 2002, they added soil from the old jail?s courtyard to the grave of his widow?incidentally, in the same Montr?al cemetery that is McGee?s final resting place.

KEY FEATURES

• New supernatural themed-coin. Back by popular demand! Canada’s ghostly historical secret is the focus of our new Spooky Canada. It follows the success of our Haunted Canada coins issued between 2014 and 2016.
• Tilt the coin and a ghost appears. The two-image lenticular design shows a chilling encounter with the ghost of a former inmate?perhaps Patrick Whelan, at the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel in downtown Ottawa, not far from our Ottawa headquarters. The former jail is one of the most haunted places in Canada.
• Custom ?spooky? packaging. Your coin is packaged in a custom folder that invites you to enter the old jail? if you dare. Swing the gated door open for a look inside?you?ll find images and a ghost story to share with (and scare) your family and friends.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• A spooky history. The shifting design highlights the story of Patrick Whelan, a real-life historical figure at the centre of a ghost story that will make you want to leave the lights on.
• Share your stories. This haunting tale is a great way to set the mood for swapping more ghost stories, whether they?re local legends or your own original take on this scary storytelling tradition.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Ottawa?s former jail was built in 1862. Its 90 cells housed up to 150 prisoners at a time?men, women and children.
• It is said that the ghost of Patrick Whelan appears near guests? beds or in his cell at night. Some claim to have seen him wander the hallway that leads to the gallows, all the while reciting the Lord?s Prayer?just as Whelan did in his final moments.
• Just before his execution, Whelan declared he was innocent but also claimed to know the identity of the killer. By all accounts, death did not come quickly to Whelan: he struggled for several minutes at the end of his rope.
• Today, the presumed murder weapon, a .32-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, is part of the Canadian Museum of History collection. It was purchased at an auction in 2005 for the sum of $105,000.
• After the prison closed its doors in 1972, Hostelling International converted the building into a hostel. Much of the original structures (including the gallows) were left intact to provide guests with a unique stay. Daily tours allow visitors and guests to learn about the building?s history and its many strange occurrences? like the paranormal activity depicted on this coin.

DESIGN

The two-image lenticular design by Emmanuel Julian Madail Monzon shows a ghostly encounter in one of Canada?s most haunted buildings. The first image shows a visitor entering a former jail during an evening tour of the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, where the bar door is left ajar. When the coin is tilted, the door is closed and the eerie ghost of a former inmate?perhaps Patrick Whelan, who was hanged for the 1868 assassination of Thomas D?Arcy McGee, a Father of Confederation?appears behind the terrified visitor and looks directly at the viewer. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.