Ghost busters take search to Drumheller
Calgary crew hunts apparitions in home of dentist who died in 1936
For some in the badlands town of Drumheller, it’s believed the spirit of one of its most prominent early citizens still lingers in the same home in which he tragically died.
On Saturday, a team of Calgary ghost hunters will try to make contact with Dr. Robert James Johnston Sr. in the house where he died 82 years earlier, his body discovered by his young son lying next to a discharged shotgun.
The 45-year-old’s death was determined to be accidental at the time, with investigators determining the gun fired while he was packing it into his vehicle for a hunting trip.
But there are signs Johnston’s spirit remains restless long after his demise.
Melissa Wilton, an investigator with the Calgary Association of Paranormal Investigations, said the quest to find evidence of Johnston’s continued presence in the home will be part of a global effort dubbed the World’s Largest Ghost Hunt on Saturday.
The story of Johnston’s death, the town’s first dentist and pharmacist, was one that intrigued Wilton and her Calgary-based team of investigators.
“Whenever something traumatic happens, it leaves an impression. Sometimes a spirit is left behind or there’s an energy imprint,” Wilton said. “When it’s something as traumatic as dying in one’s own home, there’s going to be something left behind.”
Just days after his Oct. 10, 1936, death, the Drumheller Mail reported the shocking discovery of the “popular citizen” on its front page.
A few years later, his teenage daughter Marjorie died of a blood infection, though its origin was never determined, Wilton said.
Over the years, those who’ve lived in the house have reported unusual occurrences, from the sounds of creaking floorboards, scarcely heard whispers and even sightings of an apparition of a young girl.
It’s most recent resident, self-described skeptic Justin Bolin, said since they’ve moved in there have been strange events, but nothing that immediately led him to believe he had a supernatural roommate. “The odd time a door will close, and the latch would close as well,” said Bolin, a 42-year-old teacher at the Drumheller Institution and school board trustee.
“At night, sometimes you hear footfalls on the floor. When I saw the door to the basement close, I figured it was just the cat, but I don’t think he could figure out the latch.”
While he’s never witnessed it, Bolin said his girlfriend, whom he said is also generally skeptical, saw the ghostly figure of a young girl on her knees, apparently praying in an upstairs bedroom.
Wilton and her team conducted a preliminary investigation on Sept. 1, taking temperature and electronic readings, making recordings called electronic voice phenomena (EVP) and taking photos in every room.
While she admits, there were no obvious signs of a supernatural presence during their visit, one photo taken in the same basement carriage house in which Johnston died captured a fiery anomaly that wasn’t witnessed by any of the investigators at the time.
An earlier visit from a team of Drumheller-based paranormal investigators managed to record a two-second EVP clip, which Bolin said was so clear that even seasoned investigators were excited.
The disembodied voice simply says, “Check out down the stairs.”
Wilton and a team of about 10 ghost hunters will return to the Johnston home this weekend, with a haul of paranormal gizmos in tow, and will be live-streaming a room-to-room tour of the home on its Facebook page as well as that of the World’s Largest Ghost Hunt.
While the broadcast will only be live between 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wilton said any findings after that will be documented as well.
As part of the global ghost hunt, which is aiming to raise funds for
At night, sometimes you hear footfalls on the floor. When I saw the door to the basement close, I figured it was just the cat, but I don’t think he could figure out the latch.
historic properties, the Calgary group will be helping to raise funds for a pair of charities close to Bolin’s heart, the Chris Bolin Memorial Scholarship and the B is for Brady fund.
While Bolin is bemused by all the interest in his home and is coming around to the belief he may indeed have a spiritual tenant, he said he has no feelings of terror.
“I don’t have a bad feeling here,” he said, noting they keep a portrait of “Dr. Bob” on their mantel in his honour. “It’s pretty comforting actually that he’s around.”