Amherstburg's oldest building came by water

Amherstburg's oldest building came by water. Park House was built near Detroit and is said to have been taken apart and floated downriver in 1798. Staff have long told of a woman in black upstairs and a rope bed that looks slept in. (CBC Windsor)

Witching Hour is our nightly local history and folklore feature. Ghost stories and legends are retold as stories people tell, not reported as fact. Sources are listed below the story.

A house that changed countries

Park House stands on the Amherstburg waterfront, but its story starts across the river. Parks Canada says the house was built near Detroit in the 1700s. After Britain handed Detroit over to the United States under the Jay Treaty of 1796, it has "long been contended" that its Loyalist owners moved the house to Upper Canada by floating it down the Detroit River.

CBC Windsor reported that the house was taken apart and floated downriver to Amherstburg in the summer of 1798. It is the oldest building in Amherstburg. It has been a museum since 1973 and was named a National Historic Site in October 2018.

The stories staff tell

Ghost stories have followed the house for years. In a 2019 CBC Windsor report, the museum's curator described a woman in a black dress seen in the upstairs bedroom. Staff told of a rope bed that looks slept in an hour after it has been made, a door that locks itself, and footsteps on empty stairs.

None of these accounts can be proven. They are stories passed along by people who work in and visit the house, and they are told here as stories.

Visiting

Park House is a museum in Amherstburg. Check with the museum for current hours before visiting.