2009
The Ghosts of Muskoka
I decided I would take the long way home and drove through Bala early this morning. It was dead quiet and I noticed an empty Bala Bay Inn parking lot so I did a little u-turn and headed back for a few quick snaps.
The Bala Bay Inn was built in 1910 by Ephraim Browning Sutton from Leads in Yorkshire, England. Initially it was named The Swastika Hotel and due to the unpolitical correctness of the times it was renamed to the Sutton Manor in the early ’30s. In 1945 the name was changed to The Bala Bay Lodge, and in 1998 to The Bala Bay Inn.
E.B. Sutton died in room #319 of the hotel in 1917 and many of the staff and patrons say the Inn is haunted by him. There are Muskoka ghost tours and even seances that have been held here for you paranormal types.
Please click on the image for a 1280 pixel sized photo
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns
Another fantastic shot, Ed! It was so sad to be there when they shut down for the season!
That is an impressive shot Ed…very nicely done!!!
Dawn and I stayed there two years ago, can’t remember what room we stayed in but we didn’t come across any ghosts! :0)
The first year we were at the Rosseau Market there was a lady(vendor) beside me whose husband wrote a book about the Bala Bay Inn and conducted tours as well…can’t remember their names?
Cheers
Looks like most of muskoka now, quiet and ghost like
One of your best HDR shots to date.
A lovely photo Ed! I hear that there is a good dining room there.
I was at the Bala Bay Inn for dinner last fall(2010) and a shortened version of the “ghost” tour. While I didn’t see any ghosts, I did find many orbs that turned up in my photographs. It is a lovely place.
The Bala Bay Inn most definitely is haunted. I confirmed it today (may 12/2016).
In 1998, myself and a friend were snowmobiling in the area, we were looking for a place to stop for lunch.
I had no knowledge that the Inn even existed at that time. We shut down our sleds and walked through the front doors into the lobby. As soon as we walked in I could sense a presence standing on the 2nd floor overlooking the lobby and the patrons coming into the hotel. I sensed that it was a previous owner or something checking out the people entering his establishment. When the waitress served us our lunch I decided to be bold and asked her ” how is your ghost?” She was shocked at my question and related a few experiences that had happened to the staff.
I havent thought about it for almost 20 years, then today it came to me to take a look on the internet.
I was right! I knew that it was the founder or something and even wasn”t suprised at his appearance in a picture on the site.
Just behave when you are staying at the Inn.