Currently (2011) this address is home to The Computer Clinic. It is a heritage building and originally the private residence of a local judge, and his family. Through the years it has served as a headquarters for the women’s suffrage movement, and as coffee house, and it was during this latter phase that rumours of a haunting began.
Staff of Magellan’s Global Coffee House reported experiencing the apparition of a lady in a wedding dress. On one dramatic occasion a staffer reported that the ghost walked right through her. The staffer quit her job on the spot. There were also reports of poltergeist activity, with appliances turning off and on with no human assistance.
The descendants of the two family's that lived at this address the longest have all stated they had not experienced anything ghostly in this location, and in fact much of the urban legends surrounding the "ghost" have been handily debunked. One explanation was that a former nanny who worked there committed suicide, and this caused the haunting. Upon investigation by the then owner this was proven to have never taken place. Another cause for the ghost was said to be a woman who drowned in the cistern. The property has never had a cistern. And yet another theory on the ghost's identity involved a fire where someone had died....this too proved to be false.
As for the current owners...they state on their website that "we can neither confirm nor deny the haunting rumours."
Have you experienced anything unusual in Saskatchewan? Can you add any further information to this report? If so please do contact us at admin@psican.org Your privacy will be protected, and confidentiality is assured.
Image above courtesy Doug Bellamy
We received the following report in July 2011 and the witness kindly gave us permission to share their experiences with our readers:
"Hi there, I was googling websites re: paranormal activity research, organizations, courses, etc. as this intrigues me and I am interested in further pursuing this as a serious interest, when I came across a website specific to hauntings in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Well, I work at one of the most haunted buildings in Regina, the Regina General Hospital, and could tell you numerous stories of experiences I have had here, but I wanted to touch on this specific "haunting" experience I had at 1800 College Avenue. I find that I am not one who can see ghosts (but I am working on that), rather I can "feel" them or sense their presence and wow, that sure happened one night at 1800 College Avenue (now the Computer Clinic).
I was there with a friend, having coffee when it was known as Magellan's Coffee House, when I excused myself to go upstairs to the second floor washroom. Well, no sooner was in the washroom (and needless to say, the hallway leading to the washroom was eerie enough) could I sense that someone was in there with me. I couldn't see the "person" but I could just tell someone was in there watching me. Well I tell you, I couldn't get out of there fast enough and literally ran down the steps, almost out of breath, to where my friend sat waiting, rather amused at my antics. I explained to her that I had the weirdest sensation in that bathroom, now keep in mind, I had no idea this place was haunted. I explained to her that I didn't know how else to say it but that I could tell someone was in the bathroom with me. Okay, now fast forward about 4 or 5 years, when my friends and I were on a "Ghost Tour of Regina" around Halloween time.
Of course, the first stop was my place of employment, the good ole Regina General Hospital. We were heading down College Avenue towards the old University of Regina campus (and I have another personal "feeling" experience about that building but I can save that for another time), when the bus we were riding in passed the Computer Clinic (previously Magellan's Coffee House), the old house located on the corner of Broad Street and College Ave. Anyway, our host was announcing that we were about to pass another haunted place, and pointed to 1800 College Avenue!
Well the story he told just sent shivers up my spine, and luckily, I told my friends my own personal experience before he told his story, which in turn, sent shivers up their spines as well! He told us that a mother had explained to him a ghostly experience she had when her young daughter was going to the washroom at Magellan's. She was taking a long time so the mother went up the stairs to see what was going on. She stood outside the bathroom door and could hear her daughter talking to someone.
Knowing her daughter should be alone, she frantically rapped on the door and her daughter calmly opened it. When the mother asked "Who were you talking to?" the daughter pointed to an empty spot down the hall and said, "My new lady friend, she just walked by you"! Well, I thought to myself, okay, this lucky young lady was fortunate enough to see the "Magellan Bathroom Ghost" but I definitely did sense her when I was in there.
Another story I have is very similar to the experience at 1800 College Avenue. Just a couple of blocks west on College Avenue stands the old U of R campus. I was taking a night class there a few years back and whenever I would need to go to the basement of the building, whether it be to use the washroom, or to buy a drink from the vending machine, I experienced the exact same thing.......the eery feeling that someone was there with me. To the point where I would get chills and almost feel like I was having an out of body experience. I just knew there was someone or something close by me in that basement. Well, once again, fast forward to the Ghost Tour of Regina, and on one of our stops we visited the old campus. During our tour, the guide was explaining how the building was used for a variety of reasons, such as housing men who had returned from war and were quite injured, whether it be physically or mentally, (it was recorded that one of these war vets jumped to his death from the roof of the building) as well as children who suffered from a severe flu or plague of some kind (I can't remember which), many of whom died there. As we were leaving the campus, he said to us "We don't have time to go through the entire campus but I will let you know that the most haunted part of this building is the basement" to which I replied "yes, I can totally believe that"!
Unfortunately, I have never had the fantastic experience of actually seeing a ghost, but I do believe that my deceased mother appeared to me in a dream the day that she died. My daughter, who was 11 at that time, was very distraught that her grandma had died. She said to me that night, only a few hours after my mom had passed, "I wonder if grandma is okay?", to which I replied, "Oh, I'm sure she is; she is with her mom and dad, her brothers, and many friends". I had such a vivid dream that night - an old friend of mine and I were standing in Wal Mart talking and all of a sudden my friend said to me, there's your mom", I looked over and in slow motion, my mom was walking towards me. She passed me, not saying a word, but was smiling at me. I said to my friend, "That was strange, my mom is dead, how can she be here". The next morning I recalled the dream and knew at that time, that was my mom's way of reassuring me that she was doing good and was happy. I have never had a dream like that where someone who was deceased appeared in my dream, so I did take it as a sign.
Thanks for allowing me to contribute my stories!"
Our thanks and appreciation goes out to this witness for sharing her experiences in Regina with us.
