Otherworldly archives

University of Manitoba home to ghostly legacy.

Seances, levitation, and eruptions of ectoplasm were just some of the paranormal activities allegedly documented by a Canadian spiritualist and his wife during the early twentieth century.

Between 1918 and 1935 Dr. Thomas Glendenning Hamilton and Lillian Hamilton studied paranormal phenomena in their Winnipeg home. Sparked by the death of their son, the Hamiltons conducted experiments that purported to use scientific methods to explore the psychic realm.

A wall of cameras was set up to capture phenomena from every angle. Using thorough documentary techniques, the Hamiltons accumulated more than 1,300 notes and more than 700 images that purportedly describe and depict ghostly activity.

The collection is held at the University of Manitoba Archives.

U of M archivist Brian Hubner said that since it has been made available to the public, the collection has become world-renowned and has served as the inspiration for art, poetry, and even movies.

The Hamiltons’ work garnered attention from other spiritualists of the time, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. Doyle is said to have returned to the Hamilton seances as a spirit after his death.

To watch a video interview with Archivist Brian Hubner, visit: CanadasHistory.ca/GhostlyArchives

“Teleplasm” appears to issue from the mouth of medium Mary Marshall during a seance held May 22, 1932, in Winnipeg.

Medium Mary Marshall drew this scene of a train wreck during a seance in 1950. Marshall claimed that her hand moved at the behest of a spirit named “Walter,” who had died in the accident.

Below: Mary Marshall takes part in a seance on October 27, 1929. In the photo, a “teleplasmic mass” emanates from her mouth; upon closer inspection, the faces of two British soldiers who died in the First World War can be seen in the teleplasm.

Above: Medium Elizabeth Poole, second from left, allegedly levitates a table during a seance in Winnipeg on March 20, 1927.