As darkness fell on the evening of October 24th, spooky organ music emanated from within St. Peter’s, while the churchyard came alive with the shades of early inhabitants of Erindale, then known as Springfield village. A talkative crew, this chill of ghosts, they recounted tales of local controversies and other events in their lives.
Visitors were led through the dimly lit gravestones of St. Peter’s cemetery to engage with costumed storytellers at several lantern-lit stations.
History Brought to Life
Colonel Peter Adamson and his sidekick, Frank “Chase” Capreol, were loud in their promotion of an industrial awakening for the sleepy village of Springfield, advocating for mills and other developments along the pristine Credit River.
Opposition to their plans was strong, led by the Rev. James McGrath, Rector of St. Peter’s Church, and supported by his key parishioners, including Mrs. Elizabeth Harris, doyenne of the well-known Benares mansion.
Other village gossips decried the actions of the infamous Markham gang for stealing their horses and cows. And Dr. Dickson, sorrowfully pointing to the four small white crosses on the graves of his children who died of diphtheria, advocated for keeping the City’s disease and poverty from ravaging their village.
At the end of the churchyard tour, visitors were welcomed into the narthex for cider, sweet treats, and tours of our beautiful church and Bell Tower Museum.
All the while, Tom Agnew set the spooky mood with a fantastic repertoire of organ classics.
Matthew Wilkson, of Heritage Mississauga, happily described this year’s Haunted Mississauga as the best and biggest event yet. There’s little doubt there will be a return to St. Peter’s in the future.
Many, many thanks to the volunteer actors from Heritage Mississauga, and to our parish volunteers who opened our church doors to the visitors and made them feel welcome.