Kitchener gallery is the site of famous ghost story

It's one of the region's best known local ghost stories. 

“Phoebe Watson is Homer Watson's sister and she currently resides with us to this day,” Ralf Wall, Marketing Specialist at Homer Watson House and Gallery told the Mike Farwell Show on Friday. 

Phoebe Watson died in 1947.

Homer Watson was a famous artist. 

Wall said that Homer was very interested in spiritualism after his wife passed away and his whole house was full of his search for contact with the extra life. 

He said that Homer held seances there with his friend, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and that after Homer passed away, Phoebe continued his efforts, even hearing from Homer that he wanted her to stop touching his paintings.

“And after she died, she continued to hang around, and there's been lots of evidence of that,” Wall added. 

He explained that visitors to the gallery who were asked if they needed help have responded that they were already assisted by a lady in a period costume. 

Wall said, “We don't have anyone in period costume at the gallery and they always describe her in the same way: old lady, bun in her hair, full Victorian dress. This has been going on for decades.”

Recently, he said he's had a few encounters with Phoebe tapping him on his shoulder to get him out of her way.

“A couple weeks ago, our front door sign slammed down really hard and when I went to go pick it up, she closed the door behind me and locked it,” Wall said.

He said it was a little unnerving the first time he encountered Phoebe, but when he told his coworkers the next day, they just laughed. 

“She actually likes to help a lot of people. She was very social in her time, and she speaks to paper most of the time. If you're looking for information, sometimes you will find a piece of paper lying on the floor, like an article from 1919 on something you're researching that should be locked away in a cabinet.”

Wall added that mediums have visited the gallery, found more spirits there, and called it a gateway or cross-portal.

“A coworker of mine couple summers ago, heard children laughing and playing in the gallery and we were already closed. Went searching for them, couldn't find them anywhere, eventually pinned the noise down to the basement, but it just sounded like two kids playing hide-and-seek. But, we could not find them anywhere.” he said.

Wall added that Phoebe has a few favourite spots: the basement, where the kitchen once was; her pottery studio; and the main gallery hallway.

He said, “The general vibe is actually very positive around here, even when you have those extra visitors popping in. There's never any sense of negativity or anger or get out, even when I was locked out of the front door, it was more playful.”

Wall also noted that there isn't an increased spiritual presence in the gallery during Halloween. 

“But because you are a little more open during this time of year, you probably sense more going on because you're looking for it,” Wall said.

He said Homer Watson House and Gallery has been a major stop for mystery tours with over 100 people visiting every weekend. 

The gallery holds ghost hunts with ghost hunting troops, including events this weekend.

Wall said the event planned for Halloween includes ghost hunting with infrared cameras and EKG readers.