A supernatural tour of the Ottawa region with ghostwatcher Mark Leslie as your guide. Come along with paranormal raconteur Mark Leslie as he uncovers first-person accounts of ghostly happenings throughout Ottawa and the surrounding towns ― the whole region is rife with ghostly encounters and creepy locales. Discover the doomed financier who may be haunting the Château Laurier. Experience the eerie shadows and sounds at the Bytown Museum. Listen to the echoing howls of former prison inmates at the Nicholas St. Hostel. And feel the bitter sadness of the ghost of Watson’s Mill in Manotick. You’ll marvel at the multitude of ghosts that walk the streets and historic landmarks of Canada’s capital. " ... the kind of book one should send to friends and relatives who live elsewhere and think Ottawa lacks both history and character . . . Ottawa's ghostly history is wonderfully creepy and fascinating." - The Ottawa Citizen Ottawa has long been a very special place for me. I first moved there when I was nineteen to attend Carleton University in 1988, I lived there for ten amazing years and I have several dear friends who live there. Ottawa is also the place where I first discovered the thrill of going on historic ghost walks, the place I lived when I sold my very first short story (in 1992). Returning to Ottawa multiple times with my girlfriend in 2014, 2015 and early 2016 to explore, participate on the Haunted Walks tours, take photographs and do research in such a marvelous and dynamic city (and one that we both adore) was a delightful experience, and a unique one for this author, particularly since the majority of books that I write have been done in seclusion. When I released my first non-fiction paranormal book, Haunted Hamilton , I described it as my "love letter to the city" where I currently live. Putting Creepy Capital together had a similar "love letter" feel, but perhaps also one in which it felt like I was returning to a city that, no matter how long it has been since I've lived there will always feel like home. Mark Leslie is the author of Creepy Capital and Tomes of Terror as well as many other books on the fascinating and paranormal. He is also the editor of Campus Chills and Fiction River: Feel the Fear . Mark lives in Waterloo, Ontario. The Grant House at 150 Elgin On a chilly Halloween eve in 2014, just days prior to the grand re-opening of Beckta Dining & Wine, owner Stephen Beckta drank champagne from a 140-year-old glass that once belonged to the Grant family, who used to live at that residence. When questioned as to whether he felt concerned regarding the stories he had heard about the building’s history and the alleged spirit that still resided in the building, Beckta shrugged with a laugh and said: “Not at all.” But not everybody else is so brave in their approach. The building at 150 Elgin Street was originally built for Doctor James Alexander Grant in 1875, designed by Bradish Billings Jr. The home, considered a mansion, would have cost approximately $11,000 to build at a time when the average home’s cost was less than half of that. Born on August 11, 1831, in Inverness, Scotland, James Grant came to Canada not long after his birth when his parents settled in Glengarry, Ontario, about an hour’s drive south-east of Ottawa. There, Grant’s father set up a medical practice and established himself as a one of the region’s most distinguished physicians. Grant followed in his father’s footsteps by receiving his undergraduate degree at the University of Queen’s College (Queen’s University) in Kingston, Ontario, then moved on to study medicine at McGill College in Montreal, Quebec. He became a medical doctor in 1854 and established a practice in Ottawa. Grant married Maria Malloch in 1856 and the two had a dozen children together. Further following in his father’s manner, Dr. James Alexander Grant ran a very successful medical practice. Due to his renowned skills and relentless work ethic he became known and sought out by many of the more prominent members of the local community. Grant published several articles in medical journals in Canada and England and his vast interest and knowledge in the scientific fields led to his role as a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada. In addition, he served as president of the College of Surgeons on Ontario and the Mechanics’ Institute and Athenaeum of Ottawa. Grant also served as the official physician for the Governors General from 1867 to 1905. Grant also became involved in the political scene. He served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party between 1867 and 1874, as well as between 1893 and 1896. After saving the life of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Louise, after her sleigh accident near Rideau Hall, Grant was knighted “Sir” James Grant and he was awarded the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and King George (KCMG). Grant died on June 5, 1920, after having lived at his Elgin Street home for nearly hal