Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter
In 1831, Charles Symmes, a native of Massachusetts, politician, founder of the village Symmes Landing (Aylmer) and nephew of the famous Philemon Wright, built his very first inn: L’Auberge Symmes on Front Street. According to a legend, his daughter Hannah Symmes, aged 12, is said to have left her soul in the attic on a very cold winter evening. From then and to this day, her spirit haunts the place.
The young girl was suffering from a mental illness that would complicate the course of her life. Considered very taboo at the time, her father often locked her in the attic to hide her from the eyes of others. She spent entire days there.
In 1858, Charles Symmes organized a festive evening at the inn, to mark a new alliance between Robert Conroy, John Egan, Harvey Parker and himself to inaugurate the new construction of a flour mill and a sawmill. These new businesses would constitute an important source of investment for Aylmer’s economy. Guests were warmly welcomed with excellent gourmet food accompanied by fine liquors. Meanwhile, Hannah Symmes was once again hidden in the attic, where she would die in a terrible way from the cold.
Legend or not, the story of Hannah Symmes continues to touch people. In recent years, several teams of paranormal investigators have gone to the scene to investigate the young girl’s story. Teams such as: Ghost Trackers, Bytown Paranormal, Outaouais Paranormal have been able to capture, for some of them, laughter, tears, singing, etc., coming from Hannah.
Furthermore, a medium who is part of the Bytown Paranormal team also got a surprising answer from Hannah. When asked if someone came to see her and take care of her, the young girl answered the name Elizabeth. According to sources, Elizabeth could either refer to her sister Elizabeth Symmes or her grandmother, known as Elizabeth Wright.
On the other hand, a student at Ottawa’s Heritage College named Julia claims to have seen the young girl during her visit to L’Auberge Symmes as part of one of her school projects. Her experience had a profound impact on her.
The tombstone of young Hannah Symmes rests in the Bellevue Cemetery in Aylmer, where the other members of her family are. As for her soul… that’s another story.
To keep the legend alive, a program of activities will take place in her honour at L’Auberge Symmes. For more details, visit the Facebook page of Tourisme Outaouais or the Musée de l’Auberge Symmes.
Photo caption: Old painting of L’Auberge Symmes
Photo credit: Library and Archives of Canada (Facebook)