At one time Grafton boasted no fewer than six inns. United Empire Loyalists, mainly from Vermont and Massachusetts, settled the village around 1798. British and Irish immigrants followed closely behind.
In the background is the Grafton Village Inn, or Pepper’s Tavern as it was known in 1833. The building in the foreground is the local town hall.
The settlement was known as Haldimand Corners, named after Sir Frederick Haldimand, a Swiss-born citizen who later became governor-in-chief of Upper Canada from 1778 to 1786. In March of 1832 the village was renamed Grafton in honour of the former home of resident John Grover from Massachusetts.
In November 1833, the Cobourg Star newspaper printed an excerpt from a letter written by a visitor to the Grafton Village Inn.
Our respected host, Mr. Pepper, late of Grovers Inn has taken possession of this beautiful new establishment, the Mansion House. A sign has just been elevated displaying the British Arms in bold relief under which are emblazoned the national emblem. His table we found well supplied with substantials, not forgetting the luxuries which have ever distinguished it.
John Arklands purchased the inn in 1835 and operated it until 1855, when it was purchased by Benjamin Brown. Three years later Brown severed a portion, fifty-eight by fifty-eight feet (nineteen by nineteen metres), from the hotel lot and sold it to the Municipal Council of Haldimand for the township building site.
In 1892 Michael Mulhall bought the inn and he raised a family of twelve children there. He severed the west side of the property for the site of Haldimand Telephone System. The Mulhalls sold the establishment in 1921 and it went on to have several owners. During this time the hotel fell into disrepair.
In 1988 Peter and Camilla Dalglish purchased the inn and embarked on major renovations three years later. Their dream was to restore the Grafton Village Inn to its former glory. The couple hired Mark Kieffer to begin the renovations, which continued for five years. Mark’s objective was to give the building a more open and spacious interior. The main floor was restored to its original design, with the trim and mouldings accurate reproductions of the originals.
During these renovations marvellous discoveries came to light. Old coins, dating from as early as 1814, were found, as well as an assortment of tools. This was when “Fran’s” gravestone was discovered in the basement, where it had been used as a corner foundation support. A fragment was placed on a windowsill upstairs, and not long after the renovations were completed Fran made her presence known.
A portion of Fran’s headstone, discovered in the basement of the Grafton Village Inn.
Lynn Maclean has worked at the inn for the past three years. Does she believe in ghosts? “I am normally the type of person to have to see before I believe. However, there are things that happen here that you cannot explain, like doors unlocking on their own.”
Fran seems to become active at night after the inn is closed. The problem is that she never locks the door upon her return. Wine glasses that hang above the bar drop and break on their own. Lights go off and on by themselves.
Lynn is not the only employee who believes Fran exists. The chef, Terri Hubbs, added, “I believe in spirits. There are many things happening here that have no logical explanation. Here at the inn the doorbell rings whenever someone enters the building. This is part of our security system. Yet you can find the door open during business hours without having heard the bell.
“Our security system would wake the village up if it went off and yet once in awhile you will discover the side door open and no alarm ringing.”
It would seem the alarm system is not ghostproof.
Terri has never seen Fran but she has heard her. “I can hear the rustling of a dress on the stairs, yet no one is visible.”
The washrooms for the inn are located in the basement. Apparently Fran frequents the ladies’ room. Terri said, “We had to disconnect the electric hand dryer in the women’s room. It wouldn’t stop running.”
When the walk-in fridge was installed, one worker had the fright of his life. “The man who was installing the compressors felt something or someone touch him on the shoulder. Of course there was no one there,” said Terri.
Jackie, the assistant manager, has heard her name called when no one was there to call it.
Another employee, Marilyn Popert, who has worked at the inn for the past few years, has had her own share of experiences. Marilyn spends a great deal of time in the basement doing the laundry. She is quite accustomed to Fran’s presence there. “I spend hours in the basement. I don’t even realize any more that I am talking aloud to her. The lights often flicker off and on when I am downstairs. Yet there is such a sense of peace when she’s around.”
Marilyn recounted the plumber’s experiences, “When he was working on the pipes they would begin to rattle at the other end of the building. No one was in that area of the basement at the time.”
On another occasion the heat became quite intense from the boiler and no one could adjust the temperature.
“People are very intrigued about the story of Fran. One resident has said we need to convince her that she is lost and needs to be directed on her way,” said Marilyn.
It seems this corner of land, this inn, the cemetery just behind it, the millpond, and the tombstone in the hall window, have a lot of spirit activity. Could any connections be made? Could Fran’s full name and history be discovered? There are more questions than answers.
I decided to ask a close friend of mine, another Fran and a well-known Scottish seer, to join me. Sheelagh Fran Gunn is a very gifted person. Her ability to hear and see what others cannot is remarkable. I believe she even has the power to call forth the wind.
We visited the inn in mid-August. Sheelagh went immediately upstairs to view the tombstone on the windowsill. She touched the stone and knew, “Francis Marie was her name. She died in December of 1837. Another individual was buried with her. I am getting the initial G. His name might have been Grant or Graham.”
We had some lunch before touring the entire building. As we sat down at the table my attention was drawn to the window. A worker was shovelling earth from a new trench at the back of the old municipal structure next door. I knew the man had made a discovery. He looked shocked and drawn. I excused myself to ask him about it.
“Have you found anything?” I asked.
“Bones,” he said.
“Where?”
The man replied, “In the trench, but now they’re in that pile of soil.”
I was excited, but horrified. Had he actually dug up a grave while Sheelagh and I were looking for ghosts? What a macabre coincidence!
Then he shouted, “Wait a minute. I just found more bones right here in the wall of the trench.”
The Grafton Village Inn as it looks today, after renovations.
At that moment his boss came around the corner of the building. He asked us what was going on and we showed him the bones and indicated the nearby cemetery. The poor man turned pale. I suggested that he keep all the bones together and notify the proper authorities. With that I returned to the inn and joined Sheelagh on the tour. Although I was shaken by the discovery of bones, she was strangely indifferent.
In the basement Sheelagh moved slowly. “I can sense her presence here. She is very close to the old doorway, which is situated not too far away from where her gravestone was discovered.
“She is not a lost soul. She can’t leave even if she wants to! She is bound