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Rock Castle
Ghosts and a two storey privy on Hamilton Mountain

For decades Hamilton has been Canada's "steel town." It's a handle that has alternately pleased and aggravated Hamiltonians.

For years the nick name implied industrial productivity and success, but in recent times it has often referred to the more sinister aspects of industrial success - namely pollution and urban plight.

But whether the handle is a fair description of the city or not - it's one that's not going to go away.

One of the people who was responsible for Hamilton's early involvement in steel and therefore its subsequent nick name, was Alexander Carpenter.

One of the original steel barons, Carpenter gave Hamilton one of its first iron foundaries and steel mills. But the Carpenter family contributed to this city's architectural history as well. The Carpenters were the original owners of one of Hamilton's most valuable historical buildings - Rock Castle.

Rock Castle - the Gothic style mansion that sits perched on the edge of Hamilton Mountain has had a bird's eye view of the downtown for more than a century.

When the castle was originally built in the early 1850's, the view it afforded was somewhat different than today's panorama of apartment buildings and office towers, but was none the less spectacular.

Nestled between the mountain and Lake Ontario and with fewer than 30,000 people, Hamilton typified towns of that era.

But all that changed with the coming of the railway. Unparallelled growth and residential construction transformed the little town into a budding city.

And there was money to be made here, a great deal of money. And that attracted men alike Alexander Carpenter, who came seeking his fortune in the city that had just a few years before been a sleepy colonial village.

And his search proved to be fruitful.

Heavily involved in iron and steel, the Carpenters grew immensely wealthy and joined the ranks of Hamilton's rich elite. And like many prosperous men of his day, Carpenter was also heavily involved in municipal affairs and was even an alderman on Hamilton's first city council.

But being wealthy also carried certain responsibilities - namely the need to maintain appearances. This was undoubtedly one of the reasons that Alexander Carpenter chose to build his huge 30-room mansion right in the middle of what was then the city's most exclusive and fashionable neighbourhood.

Dressed with the same handsome stone as St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Rock Castle with its surrounding gardens was a welcome addition to the Upper John Street neighbourhood.

Although the names of the castle's builder and architect have been lost with time, it is interesting to note that when it was first built Rock Castle was most admired for its two-storey privy. Connected to the master bedroom by an open bridge, the privy was an innovation that only a man of Alexander Carpenter's wealth could indulge.

But as all men must, Alexander Carpenter also died. In 1871, Carpenter's daughter Margaret and her husband Hugh MacInnes bought the castle for $13,000, thus insuring that it would remain in the family for at least one more generation - or perhaps longer.

Local legend now has it that both Margaret and her father still haunt the castle, even though it's been one hundred years since any of the Carpenters have lived there.

Michael McLaughlin is the current owner of Rock Castle, which was converted into apartments in the '40s.

He said he bought the building from the city in 1980 because of his love for historical buildings, but freely admits that he hadn't counted on inheriting ghosts with the property.

He said he's personally encountered the ghost of Alexander Carpenter on one occasion and has had tenants tell of encounters with Margaret Carpenter. The encounters have included voices in the night and sudden temperature changes, he said.

But despite the strange visitations, Mr. McLaughlin said he's had no complaints from his tenants.

"They take them in their stride," he said. "I think it's wonderful - I've thoroughly enjoyed it. There's so much history there."

Special thanks to Dana Robbins for the article and Sheri Vandenakker for the photographs

West Hamilton Journal
October 20, 1982

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