18: The Great Amherst Mystery

In 1878, the small town of Amherst, Nova Scotia became the stage for one of Canada’s most chilling and violent hauntings.

When nineteen-year-old Esther Cox narrowly escaped an attempted assault, strange disturbances soon followed—objects hurled across rooms, violent knocking that answered questions, and spontaneous fires that defied explanation. Witnesses swore the events were real. Skeptics called it hysteria.

Enter Walter Hubbell, an actor turned investigator, who lived in the house and documented every terrifying detail. His account would become The Great Amherst Mystery—a case that still blurs the line between trauma, belief, and the supernatural.

Was Esther haunted by something beyond this world—or by the echoes of her own pain?

So, gather close, and let’s talk spooky.

Sources & References

• Hubbell, Walter. The Great Amherst Mystery: A True Narrative of the Supernatural. New York: W. Briggs, 1879.
• Norris, Laurie Glenn. Haunted Girl: Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery. Nimbus Publishing, 2012.
• “Cox, Esther.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 14. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cox_esther_14E.html
• Smith, Barbara. Ghost Stories of Canada. Heritage House, 1993.
• CBC Archives. Haunting History of Amherst, Nova Scotia.
• McEwan, Graham. Ghost Stories of the Maritimes. 1987.

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Stay spooky 👻