The Haunted Ottawa Jail Hostel Coin

Canada is a country that offers a diverse and abundant array of modern collector coinage. One such coin commemorates what is considered to be one of the most haunted places in Canada: the Ottawa Jail Hostel.

Built in 1862, the Nicholas Street Jail was the main jail house for Ottawa. Considered inhumane by today's standards, this jail consisted of 60 small cells and 30 larger cells that would house up to 150 prisoners at a time. An additional six solitary-confinement units and a death row were in the prison. These 150 prisoners consisted randomly of men, women, and children with crimes from minor infractions to murder and mixed in were those with mental-health issues.

The cells lacked adequate ventilation, heating, lighting, and even toilets. Those inmates lucky enough to be assigned work details would get a temporary reprieve to cut wood or shovel snow. Yet it was not uncommon for people sent to the Nicholas Street Jail and never be seen again. The jail also served as an execution ground with the last prisoner being executed March 27, 1946. The jail would be closed after over 100 years of service in 1972, where the property was sold to Hostel International and converted into a hostel.

Since being converted into a hostel, numerous paranormal experiences have been seen from both staff and guests at the Ottawa Hostel Jail. These often manifest as disembodied footsteps and voices, knocking sounds from inside walls, objects moving, and even doors opening and closing on their own. In other areas of the hostel people have reported sounds of chopping, scratching, and screaming. There is one entity that has been hostile to guests who have reported being grabbed, pushed, or scratched by something unseen. Many believe this is ghosts from the former prisoners who are trapped on the property from the mishandling of their remains and with the discovery of unmarked graves in areas of the property as evidence.

The legend of the hotel and its haunting grew after being featured on the Canadian television show Mystery Hunters in 2002 and the show The Girly Ghosthunters in 2005. Whether the property is haunted or not, people flock to the hostel to take a tour, visit the bar, or stay the night in the hopes of experiencing their own paranormal or ghost encounter.

In 2019 the Royal Canadian Mint released a non-circulating coin featuring the haunting at the Ottawa Jail Hostel. The obverse features the traditional Queen Elizabeth II bust, while the reverse is a circular lenticular inserted design of a young woman in front of the jail entrance door and, when tilted, an apparition appears of a ghost behind her. The ghost design is based off inmate Patrick Whelan, who was executed at the gallows in 1869. It is said that Whelan was promised a burial at his family plot but his remains were interred in the yard. His ghost has been reported by guests appearing at the end of their beds at night. The coin with a mintage of 100,000 today remains affordable for most collectors and usually sells below $50 USD.