The Old Courthouse

This Gothic Revival-style courthouse has been a unique landmark since the early days of Canada’s colonial settlement. On this spot, Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant-Governor, John Graves Simcoe, proposed this site as the province’s capital, which led to the construction of this fortress-like castle, a building unlike any other in Upper Canada at the time. This courthouse has been a staple in the region since it opened, becoming particularly notorious for the public hangings that took place in the courtyard. Many notable trials and hangings took place here, leading many to believe the grounds are haunted by those wrongfully convicted, famously including the ghost of Marion “Peg Leg” Brown. 

Marion Brown was born in San Saba, Texas, in 1873. A cowboy known for hopping trains, Brown lost his left leg in a train-hopping accident at 19, earning his peg-leg and accompanying nickname. At the age of 25, Brown was jailed for burglary and the alleged murder of four men. He escaped prison and did what he did best – hopped a train and left town. 

This train ride led him to London, Canada, where he was said to have departed the train and assaulted a railway watch guard who confronted him for trespassing. With his peg-leg as a unique identifier, a man-hunt for Brown ensued. Constable Michael Toohey of the London police caught up to him and Brown is said to have resisted arrest, firing two shots at Toohey, killing him instantly, without a single witness to the crime. A simple hat found next to Toohey’s body was enough to convince the public that Brown was, in fact, Toohey’s murderer. A nation-wide search for Brown began.

Months went by without success, until Brown was supposedly found and arrested in Washington state. He was extradited back to London to stand trial for Toohey’s murder. Brown’s defense lawyer argued that the evidence was circumstantial, the jury was already primed to find him guilty, and that Brown was being used as a pawn to satisfy the public when the police repeatedly failed to find the real murderer. The prosecution brought 80-90 witnesses to testify, but not a single one was witness to the actual shooting. Despite this, the jurors unanimously found Brown guilty and he was sentenced to be hung on May 17, 1899. Brown smiled and told the court “an innocent man has been convicted.” 

When Brown was hung, it was said that lightning and thunder struck. “Grass will never grow over my grave,” he allegedly said, prior to his death. He was right – his remains were found in an unmarked grave in 1985 while digging to expand the courthouse parking lot, having only been covered by years of dirt and cement. 

The ghost of Peg Leg Brown is said to haunt this historic building. Unexplained shadows have been reportedly seen within the halls on the anniversary of his hanging, as he lay unable to rest, unjustly hanged for a crime they could not prove he committed.