This article details the haunted history of Oshawa, Ontario, sharing stories of paranormal encounters and historical crime. Alicia Bertrand invites submissions of spooky tales. The tales include ghostly encounters at the public library, a haunted market, and a museum with spirited apparitions. Legends of duels, tragic deaths, and macabre crimes are also retold.
Category Archives: true crime
The Gavel vs. Wrecking Ball: The History and Partial Demolition of the Peterborough Courthouse and Jail
By Alicia M. Bertrand, M.A. March 24, 2024 Peterborough’s courthouse has stood atop a hill overlooking parts of downtown Peterborough and casts a sense of authority over its citizens since 1842. The courthouse is one of the earliest courthouses constructed in Ontario. The threat of solitary life in a tiny jail cell of the PeterboroughContinue reading “The Gavel vs. Wrecking Ball: The History and Partial Demolition of the Peterborough Courthouse and Jail”
Featured on Murder Most Foul Podcast
November 28, 2023 By Alicia Bertrand, M.A. in collaboration with Jim Sulanowski If you remember the Ancestry by Alicia article “Rebecca Cornell’s Death: How Elder Abuse, Ghosts, Guilt, and Legal Testimonies Mattered in 1673”, you’ll recall details about the death of Rebecca Cornell and how her ghost led to the eventual hanging of her sonContinue reading “Featured on Murder Most Foul Podcast”
Getting Away with Murder: The Life of Charles W. Austin Jr.
By Alicia M. Bertrand, M.A. The following is a case study into the life of Charles William Austin Jr.[1] A boy who would be arrested, convicted, and acquitted along with his co-worker for the murder of their boss. Using newspaper accounts and government documentation, census, and death certificates, the murder case is explored. The lifeContinue reading “Getting Away with Murder: The Life of Charles W. Austin Jr.”
Ancestry by Alicia 