Seances and the Supernatural in Canadian Society

When someone we love dies, the relationship does not always feel over just because the person is gone. Séances grew from that ache: the wish to reach someone we are not ready to let go of.

Beginning with the ghost rappings of the 1850s, this lecture traces how Canadians tried to speak with the dead through séances. It explains what happened inside these gatherings and why people believed a message from the other side might be possible.

It also looks at Canadian stories tied to this history. Some involve Susanna Moodie. Others involve Homer Watson. One of the strangest involves William Lyon Mackenzie King and his private attempts to contact the dead.

The final part connects older séance practices to modern paranormal research and the Spiritualist church today.

This is for anyone interested in ghosts, historic houses, and why people keep looking for signs from those they have lost.

Ann McDougall is the author of A Ghost in the Room: Supernatural Adventures in Historic Houses (Tidewater Press, 2025). She is a Toronto-based writer with nearly 20 years of experience working in historic house museums. Her writing has appeared in The National Post and was longlisted for the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize.

Agenda

6:00 PM doors open. Guests are welcome to arrive early, order drinks, and have dinner before the lecture begins.

7:00 PM lecture begins, followed by Q&A.

8:15 PM wrap up. Guests are welcome to stay for conversation and another drink.

Agenda

6:00 PM doors open. Guests are welcome to arrive early and order drinks before the lecture begins.

7:00 PM lecture begins, followed by Q&A.

8:15 PM lecture wraps. Guests are welcome to stay for conversation and another drink.