The Baldoon Mystery is a legendary
ghost story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
that is part of the
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
of
Wallaceburg, Ontario
Wallaceburg ( 2016 population 10,098) is an unincorporated community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southern (Southwestern) Ontario, Canada. Originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumbe ...
.
Legend
According to the tale, the family farm of local resident John T. McDonald was disturbed by a
haunting
The list of reportedly haunted locations throughout the world, that are locations said to be haunted by ghosts or other supernatural beings, including demons. Reports of haunted locations are part of ghostlore, which is a form of folklore.
Ar ...
attributed to the
curse
A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particula ...
from a
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
; they heard noises of people marching through their kitchen, saw bullets and stones come through windows, and witnessed fires starting around the house. The McDonalds enlisted the aid of a woman who told them to make a
bullet out of silver and shoot a black-headed goose with it, and if they wounded the bird, the witch would be wounded also. After McDonald used the bullet to break the wing of the goose, he encountered an old woman seated in a rocking chair on her front porch with a broken arm, and after that point, there were no more disturbances at the McDonald farm.
References
{{Reflist, 1
External links
The Baldoon MysterySkeptoid #426. August 5, 2014,
Brian Dunning"A History of Wallaceburg and Vicinity 1804 to the Present". Pages 20–22 Canadian ghosts
Culture of Ontario
Canadian folklore