Churchill House and
Marine Memorial Room
The Churchill House and the Marine Memorial Room is located in Hantsport, Nova Scotia. It was built by Ezra Churchill in 1860 for his son John Wiley Churchill as a wedding gift. The Churchills were the owners of Hantsport's largest shipbuilding company. At the time it was built, Churchill House was known as "The Cedars". In the front hall, at the bottom of the main staircase, there is a statue of the water spirit Ondine, which comes from Germanic mythology.
Also, the painting of the Lady of Shalot is located next to this staircase on the upper wall, directly painted onto it. This poem, by Lord Alfred Tennyson, was Mr. Churchill's favorite and he wanted it to greet him each day when he returned home from work and also anyone who visited his house.
The mirrors in the drawing rooms of the house were originally located at the Haliburton House in Windsor, Nova Scotia, where Mr.Churchill had lived for a few years. There used to be Francis Da Silva murals painted on the walls of the upstairs hallway, but in 1978, they were cut out of the wall and are now in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax.
Experiences
- There is an interesting story that goes along with the Lady of Shalot painting. Local legend is that at midnight, on the night of a full moon, the oarsman begins to row and the Lady of Shalot skims her hand into the water.
- Numerous, small bits of unexplained activity occurred during renovations.
- Cupboard doors have been heard opening and closing by themselves in the kitchen.
- Two museum interpreters, seperately and at different times, have heard footsteps upstairs. One of them has also heard the antique wheelchair moving by itself.
- A museum interpreter, in her peripheral vision, once saw a figure running down the main staircase, cut the corner, and enter through a doorway.
- The light on the statue of Ondine, turned off by itself, and then on again, in front of a museum interpreter. No other lights in the house flickered, or turned off, at this time. There was also no one else in the house.
Investigations
Agust 30th, 2005
Dwayne, Alison, and Rob visited the Churchill House on August 30th, 2005 taking both analog and digital pictures. Nothing appeared in the digital pictures, but what looks to possibly be a moving orb seems to be in one of the analog pictures next to an antique. It may just be something in the air, but since we're not sure, we thought we'd include the picture for interest sake. No fluctuations of any kind were noted and nothing was recorded on video. However, there is a strange voice that was captured on audio which we can't explain.
We would like to thank the staff of Churchill House for letting us do some research. If you're ever in Hantsport stop by for a tour of this fantastic house. You won't be disappointed.
