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Parkwood Estate

On March 5th, 2005, the Paranormal Seekers were offered an all inclusive, private, after hours tour of The Parkwood Estate.

With us, we took our two video camcorders (one with night vision, one without), one digital camera, a 35mm camera and a Fun Saver camera. We met our 2 tour guides at the tourist entrance to the side of the house, just off the parking lot. We prepared for the experience by firing up the camera lights and were off!

We entered at the Foyer, where Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin would make their grand entrances when greeting their guests. We witnessed several orbs coming down the stairs and they were shooting in all directions.

As we walked past the Bowling Alley in the house, Brenda commented that she felt it becoming harder to breath. She noted that we are walking into an area of the home, which contained a lot of activity. When the video was played back (after the tour), there was intense static, which is related to the presence of paranormal activity.

Next, we walked into the Drawing Room that contained a grand piano. It was here that Jay and Brenda could both feel a presence as if they were being watched from the hallway, and from behind them. Brenda advised several times that she felt light-headed, and she felt as if Mr. McLaughlin was watching them. Brenda also said she felt there was a younger, female child in the room with us, possibly a grandchild. She eventually saw the blonde haired child, and said she appeared to be under the age of ten.

From the Drawing Room, we entered the Loggia (a living area, which was once an outdoor patio). Although Brenda said that she could not see anything at the time, she did note that we were still being watched, and the spirits knew why we were there. Jay said he could sense something/someone watching him, but did not know from where. The camera and video did not pick up much from this room, except for once in a while it would refocus, appearing as if someone was walking in front of the it.

The Dining Room was next. It was here that the McLaughlin’s would entertain their family and guests for dinner. The video camera picked up a very large white and yellow orb moving from head level to approximately 1 ft from the floor. Both cameras also experienced vast amounts of orbs floating and whizzing about. We were also fortunate enough to capture a male figure standing next to the fireplace, looking on.

We then entered the Breakfast Room. The tour guides advised that this was one of Mrs. McLaughlin’s favourite rooms of the house. Brenda felt that this was a happy, cheerful room, but also felt that something was following her. She said that because of the amount of spirits present, her back and hands were as cold as ice. It got so bad that Brenda was almost shivering. She was also getting a negative feeling from behind us. She would keep watching the doorway from the direction in which we just came from, but when the staff asked Brenda if she felt anything, she shared that she was experiencing a strange sensation that we are not alone. She went on to say that it felt like something was watching us like a hawk, and that they did not trust us. Brenda speculated that the spirits knew why they were there and was the reason they wanted us gone.

From the Breakfast Room we went to the Library. This is where we encountered a Poltergeist. The moment we walked in to the room, we could all feel a presence around each of us. Brenda could feel extreme pressure and advised that they were not alone. The spirit(s) within that room were not pleased with our visit, and Brenda wanted to leave. Later, when we reviewed the videos, we were in shock when we heard voices and witnessed several dozen orbs shooting around the room. Brenda was describing that sometimes when she feels extreme negativity, she feels nervous and scared, she feels like a chicken. As clear as a bell, we could hear someone mocking her and immediately after she said the word “chicken”, the voice from the tape said “its chicken”. None of us could believe it and all had shivers at that point! We continued through the footage of that room and discovered that when Rachel was taping the doorway to the Library, the door was slightly ajar. It would then open a bit more, and return back to its original position. After that, a set of red eyes appeared that were at the same height as the door handle. The best part was, when Rachel first taped the doorway, we had not entered that room yet!

We proceeded from the Library to the Servant’s Hallway, then into the area where preparation was done. Brenda still felt like something was behind her, and made her a little nervous. Jay also noted that he felt like something was walking with them. He was feeling uneasy, but excited at the same time. We continued into the main Kitchen where Brenda said she did not really feel anything. Brenda commented that whatever was following us previously was not in the kitchen with us now. However, she did still sense it in the hallway from which we came and was aware that the pressure from the spiritual activity in the Library had let up.

After the kitchen, we ventured down to the Basement. Once our full tour of the basement was complete, Brenda stated that only one of the machine rooms contained a lot of paranormal activity, but our cameras were able to pick up one orb coming down the staircase.

From the Basement, we went to the Art Gallery located on the second floor of the Estate. This was originally designed as the daughter’s playroom, but as they got older it became the entertainment room. We continued from there to the third floor where the maid’s sleeping quarters were. Jay was drawn towards a long dark hallway, thinking he had seen something. He decided to venture down on his own with a camera, and when he re-joined us, he wanted Brenda to come down the hall. Jay could sense a presence there and wanted to see if Brenda could as well.

We continued back to the second floor, to Mr. McLaughlin’s bedroom. We lead the way with our night vision camcorder, which recorded several orbs shooting around the room. These orbs also showed up on our 35mm film & Fun Saver camera. Brenda knelt down beside Mr. McLaughlin’s bed, on the same side as his night table, and channeled. At first she could feel someone’s hands on her shoulders, it felt as if they were peering over her head to see what she was looking at. After that, she felt someone lying on the bed. Brenda did comment it was a male and from the size of the outline she was seeing, it very well could have been Mr. McLaughlin himself! Brenda said he felt like she was reading him a bedtime story. She continued to say that he preferred to lie on his left side, that he never liked having his back to an open door, no matter what room of the house he was in.

From Mr. McLaughlin’s room, we walked down the hallway to Mrs. McLaughlin’s bedroom. As we entered, Brenda was suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, indicating that something was eating at Mrs. McLaughlin’s abdomen, such as cancer or an illness that she had been suffering from. Brenda also felt that at one time Mrs. McLaughlin had a fall that had injured her lower back to the right, and hip area. Brenda sensed that Mrs. McLaughlin had something wrong with her leg and could not move it. Once Brenda shared this information, the staff confirmed that Mrs. McLaughlin did in deed have a fall during the construction of the Adelaide house, which is now known as the Girl Guide’s of Oshawa House.

The Paranormal Seekers also had a tour of all the daughters’ rooms (which were now used as office space). While observing the rooms no paranormal activity was sensed/confirmed by us, or our cameras.

We concluded our second floor tour and joined the spirits of Mr. & Mrs. McLaughlin in a walk down the grand staircase to the Foyer below. As we exited the Foyer, our tour led us through a secret door, which brought us into the Billiard Room. Our cameras are always first to enter a room so the energies that are there before us don’t mix. We managed to catch numerous orbs along with a very special guest! A ghostly image of spectra that was leaning over the pool table, and when it cleared, it appeared to be a male figure. Many stories dictate that others have felt as if someone has tugged on the back of their clothes, or were being watched, and all were uncomfortable in the Billiard Room. Within the Billiard Room, there is a table next to a window that has a model of a boat on it. Brenda felt very strongly that there should have been a high-back chair placed there, which was confirmed to be true in the past.

We have now made our way to the Pool area. By this time, our camera’s batteries had died due to the high levels of paranormal activity. The higher the activity, the faster they drain, which is quite common when using electronics in these situations. In the pool area Brenda advised the staff that she couldn’t see anything but told us (quietly) she would fill us in later. Later, Brenda did disclose that she witnessed a few different things, but none of it was bad. She saw a woman who appeared to be dressed in a 1930’s bathing suit, sitting on the stairs, which lead into the water of the pool. Brenda also said there was a small blonde haired girl running around the outside of the pool’s edge, who appeared to under the age of ten, and witnessed a young man treading water in the pool’s deep end. Brenda was sensing it was one of the McLaughlin’s daughters with her daughter and husband. The reason Brenda told the staff she sensed nothing earlier was to respect the deceased family’s privacy as they had requested her to.

We were not able to enter the Squash Court due to unavailable lighting, but were fortunate enough to take a peek at it! We did continue on to the Barber Shop though. This was the only room Brenda refused to enter in to. She could see things that were upsetting her, gory, gruesome things. She did tell us later that she saw someone falling, and hitting his or her head on floor, and while falling, cutting another person sitting in the barber chair on the way down. She did confirm that no one died from the fall or the cut, but the person who fell was feeling dizzy and was in extreme pain from hitting his or her head. The person who received the cut only experienced a sting from the wound.

We headed up the back stairwell to the Bachelors Quarters. This area did not connect to the rest of the second floor. It was very private and secluded. We caught several things on video and camera while touring this floor. There were several orbs, on specifically was blue which appeared to be with us throughout this part of the Estate. On film, we even caught an image of what appeared to be a maid, with a slightly taller maid standing behind her. The shorter of the two was surrounded by a bright red and yellow aura, indicating that more than one person was in the room at that time.

After we concluded our tour of the main house, we went outside to the Green House. Brenda acknowledged that Mrs. McLaughlin was following us around and was very calm. She was so pleased to show off her gardens! Although the gardens were peaceful, Brenda did not want to venture to the other side of the garden where there is a tiny bridge. She felt eyes upon us, giving her the sensation that whatever was there, did not want us to join them. The tour guides did offer us to view the area, but we declined.

After viewing the beautiful Gardens, we continued to the Carriage House. The Carriage House used to be the stable area, and garage for the horses, carriages, and automobiles. This amazingly architectural building has now transformed into a conference center. In the Carriage House, we viewed the McLaughlin room first. Brenda could feel the presence of horses, and could see one specifically; who belonged to Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin’s daughter, Eleanor. Brenda said the young woman who rode this horse was known to be somewhat of a tomboy. Her nickname came to Brenda as Billie. She described Eleanor’s outfit as a dark tan coat with a belt, tight riding pants with knee-high black riding boots, and her hair was swept back into a ponytail. Eleanor (Billie) told Brenda she would wear her hair like this to keep it from falling in her face. Brenda went on to describe a black pony in detail, which was the description of Eleanor’s horse. She then moved on to providing descriptions of the building during that time period. The stalls had a black iron design on them, and were very expensive looking. She said it was similar to how the Castle Loma’s stables looked at one time. Brenda indicated that the hay, saddles, and other pieces of equipment were stored to the left side of the building. She was even able to see one of the work hands shoveling hay with a heavy, metal pitchfork! Across the hall we could see the Buick Room. In this room Brenda noted that this once was a large open area, in which a huge sliding barn door was accessible at the back of the room. By this time, Brenda was channeling and told us, without knowledge of the vehicle itself, that the McLaughlin’s had previously kept a McLaughlin Buick in this area of the Carriage House. She went on to describe the vehicle as if she was looking right at it.

The tour was now completed. We said thank you and good bye to our tour guides and exited the grounds, but before we could leave The Parkwood Estate, we turned to wave to all the spirits that still inhabit the magnificent home!

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOUR

If you wish to know more take The Parkwood Estate Tour.

Tours are held Tuesday to Sunday, from 1:30pm to 4pm. The cost per person is $7.00. During the summer, hours are adjusted from 10am to 4pm. You can contact Parkwood at Tel: (905) 433-4311 or Fax: (905) 721-4765. You can even email them at info@parkwoodestate.com

The Parkwood Estate is located on Simcoe Street in Oshawa, ON (North of Bond Street, beside the Lakeridge Health Care Centre/Hospital). You can’t miss it!

Photo's are of a maid in the bachelors quarters and the front view of the estate. Unfortunetly we are unable to post more pictures of the inside due to an agreement with the museum. But as you can see for yourself all of the numerous faces in the windows of the McLaughin home.