The Carleton County jail was built in 1862. For over a century, it was the main detention centre in Ottawa.
Since the jail closed in 1972, the building has been used as a hotel and was renamed the Ottawa Jail Hostel, counting on the historical character of the place to lure clients. Some of the cells have also been kept in their original state.
There would have been three executions, like the one for Patrick J. Whelan. At that time, more than 5000 people had attended the hanging of this man charged with murder.
The hotel employees and guests reported that Whelan would be one of the many ghosts that haunt this place. Some of them would even have seen him at the end of their bed or in his death row cell.
Some excavations in the hotel led to the discovery of unmarked graves. That suggests that many people died in this place.
This hotel is now one of the most haunted places in Ottawa. You can also visit the death row that remained intact.