CTMHV ghost stories shared during Wicked Wednesdays: Haunted Heritage Tours
by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative
The long, winding pathway at the Canadian Transportation Museum & Heritage Village (CTMHV) leads visitors to the many area homes and buildings housed on the museum grounds that are historically significant to the region. While these homes and buildings tell the history of the area, some of the buildings have earned their own stories, due to the paranormal activity that seems to occur.
On and off for over a year, the Purple Theatre Company has been telling those ghost and paranormal stories during its Wicked Wednesdays: Haunted Heritage Tours, which are currently ongoing, due to the Halloween season. The actors with the organization take a group of interested visitors from home-to-home on the site, sharing those stories of paranormal activity.
Rebecca Mickle, a member of the Board of Directors with the Purple Theatre Company, wrote the script for the Haunted Heritage Tour.
Since 2018, the Harrow resident has been collecting stories about hauntings from Windsor-Essex to compile into a book that will be called "Ghost Stories and Legends of Windsor-Essex." The book is finished, but it is in the process of being prepared for publishing.
It focuses only on locations where members of the public can visit, such as the CTMHV, Park House Museum, and Fort Malden.
Included in that collection of stories, Mickle said she had stories from the CTMHV she obtained when she participated in a tour with Education Coordinator Courtney Gregorian.
Though Mickle said the tour she took with Gregorian was to collect stories for her book, the Purple Theatre Company met with the CTMHV about a possible partnership, which eventually led to the Wicked Wednesday theatrical ghost tours.
The stories told during Wicked Wednesdays are pulled from her soon-to-be-published book, which includes an entire chapter dedicated to the ghost stories and paranormal activity said to have happened at the CTMHV that were obtained from museum staff or outside sources.
"They are all recorded in truth," she said.
The Wicked Wednesdays tour started in September of 2025.
"We started selling out right away, which was really exciting," Mickle said. "I think people really love to learn about local history. But when you package it with ghost stories, I think it adds a different layer."
This unique combo also helps attract people out to the CTMHV who may not have gone to learn about history, but to hear the ghost stories, bringing in a new crowd of visitors. Mickle believes that's exciting.
"We actually had people come who said they had never even heard of Heritage Village before, but they were going to go in the daylight without the ghost stories. It is always nice to hear that."
So far, the response to the Wicked Wednesday theatrical ghost tours has been amazing. The Purple Theatre Company even hosted some over the summer, which did very well.
"There's always a good time to listen to a good ghost story," Mickle said, adding that the response has been positive.
Every so often, she said patrons experience their own paranormal stories during the tour. "I think it adds a little extra layer that will bring people out."
The tour has been changed since last year, with organizers adding more stories. That way, people who attended last year can return this year and hear something new.
Mickle's favourite ghost story from the CTMHV includes Dolores, a mannequin dressed as a nurse who is housed in the Ambulance Museum.
It is not known whose spirit is attached to the mannequin; however, she moves.
"She will be positioned somewhere in the Ambulance Museum, and then staff will come around, and she'll be in a different spot. There have been a couple of times where she has fallen apart."
Mickle has had several experiences herself where she has positioned the mannequin at the beginning of the tour, and when the group arrives at the Ambulance Museum, Dolores is in a new position. The way that the tour is set up, everyone walks as a group from one end and ends up at the Ambulance Museum near the end. During that time, everyone is accounted for, so it would be unlikely someone went in and moved her.
She added that the Ambulance Museum used to have a light switch board visitors could have fun with. Those lights were known to go on and off at different times.
“I think what is exciting about that is that the other buildings are really old; they have all of this history about where they came from, who lived in them. I think the mystery about what makes Dolores really exciting is that we don't know who she is. She could be anyone. There are a ton of ambulances in that museum," Mickle said.
The Purple Theatre Company is also partnered with South Detroit Films, which is starting to film a new TV show called “A Town Full of Ghosts| about haunted Amherstburg. It is hoped to do a second season at the CTMHV.
Part of the collaboration is telling ghost stories, which are also coming from her book, but the opportunity is also providing youth with professional on-set training.
"It is an exciting thing," she said.
Mickle has always been interested in history and the paranormal when they are together. She's also been a fan of horror stories and ghost stories.
In her early teenage years, she took part in her first ghost tour in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
"It was fascinating. It was so cool to learn about the history of the buildings and then hear the ghost stories," Mickle said. "My mom looked at me and said, 'You would be great at ghost tours. You should do this someday.' It's kind of funny it came to that."
For her, the magic happens when she can combine the history of a building with a good ghost story.
The Purple Theatre Company plans to host Wicked Wednesdays at the CTMHV until the end of October. They are trying to arrange to be able to host a Ghost of Christmas Past Tour that combines local legends with classic Christmas ghost stories this holiday season.
Those interested in learning more about Mickle’s book and when it will be published can follow her on social media, where she can be found under R.S. Mickle Author.
For photos with the article, visit our website this week: www.essexfreepress.com.
