KERROBERT ‑ The website The Most Haunted Places in Saskatchewan, Canada | Haunted Rooms America has the Kerrobert Courthouse listed in the fourth spot for most haunted places in the province.
This report says for years staff have reported sounds of disembodied whispers emanating from empty rooms and right next to people. This same report says the courthouse’s most common occurrence is the sound of disembodied footsteps with a concentration of activity on the main stairway and the courtroom in the early hours of the morning.
This iconic building, located at the heart of Kerrobert, was recognized as Municipal Heritage Site in September 1982. The courthouse was deemed no longer a judicial centre and closed in 1996, but today houses municipal offices as well as the museum, library and courtroom gallery, thanks to the Kerrobert Restoration Society’s efforts.
One of the more notorious cases that is believed to be at the heart of these hauntings dates back to a 1931 murder trail, which was defended by John G. Diefenbaker, a future prime minister of Canada. Some believe one of the ghosts at this location has something to do with an old skull that was locked in the basement evidence room from this trial.
For years, there have been tales circulating that Kerrobert Courthouse is haunted. Some people say this building doesn’t give off the impression of anything more than a century-old building reflecting majestic architecture. However, some residents who grew up there say they were afraid to walk through the property at night.
In past years, a group in the community has organized a haunted tour as a fundraiser. This year, this will not be the case, however people can take in a self-guided tour that includes ghost stories to read as they walk throughout the building. These tours are available during open hours of 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
The Kerrobert and District Historical Society has compiled the eerie collection of events that have purportedly taken place inside the building. These stories have been collected over the past 10 years, compiled specifically for these haunted tours, although these tales have been shared for many years prior to this collection.
The Sask. Ghost Hunters Society, the Canadian Ghost Hunters Society and the TV show “The Other Side” are just some of those who have visited, trying to capture evidence of paranormal activity. Each have left with audio clips, sightings and eerie feelings that cannot be explained. Descriptions be found on the internet.
Did Kerrobert Composite School kids see half of man walking up the stairs and disappear? This experience was not talked about for several weeks, as those who experienced it were so frightened.
A former judge in Kerrobert, who served prior to the courthouse closing, shared many stories about his belief that something isn’t right at this building. He said one of his judge friends stayed in the courthouse with his wife during a court case and reported that during the night, the door handle was shaking as though someone was trying to get in. The judge and his wife never stayed there again.
This same judge went on to write a fictional story under the pen name, John Morrow, titled “Mr. Justice Delaney.” The museum has kept a printed copy of this story and it has been shared with the high school English class at Kerrobert Composite School.
At one point, two firemen went up in the attic and were convinced they heard footsteps while they were up there. Those same two firemen stated they got an uncomfortable feeling walking up the back stairwell and one watched the hairs on the other’s arm stand straight up.
Kerrobert’s previous mayor was working late one evening and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a strong feeling of dread and an intense need to get out of the building, which he did. He didn't stop to put a single thing away, but hustled out of the building and vowed to never work there in the evening again.
It was reported that in 2017, during a Halloween night of haunted tours the Kinettes conducted, the elevator battery and backup battery quit. It was unusual for both to quit at the same time. Experts agree that in order for a spirit to manifest itself, make physical contact or move things, they need energy. It is widely understood phone batteries die quickly in this building. It was assumed the spirts were active that night in 2017 resulting in this occurrence.
The current library location was previously the council chambers and before that was the courtroom. In 2020, the librarian found a white powder on the table in the one room. She wiped it away and found it there again the next day. As well, for days, there was a persistent smell in the room resulting in her taking all the books off the shelves looking for what she was sure was a dead bat. It took about three days for the smell to dissipate and the white powder to stop showing up. But the cause of powder or the smell was never determined.
Town office staff reported hearing someone laughing in the back room upon arrival one morning. They also reported a misty fog floating in the centre of the room.
Many people have reported a hostile feeling as they come near the doll room. One fellow who took in a haunted house event said he felt a strong need to keep his back to the wall and he refused to go back there the second night. He strongly advised no one else go in there. Each year, the museum hires summer students and each year they have all stated they hate working in the doll room.
People often have their wedding photos taken in this historic location. One couple said they checked their wedding photo and found the face of a man looking over the bride's right shoulder.
A volunteer was working in the jail room cleaning out boxes and emptied many, ensuring they were turned upside down so nothing was left inside. She placed one box on the floor and a summer student came in to check on her and said, “Are you keeping that knife?” The volunteer took a startled look and the box, which had been empty seconds before, had a large knife sitting in the middle.
During haunted tours in 2019, several alarming incidents were experienced. In fact, one visitor took a photo of the exterior building that night that shows what appears to be a figure in front of the cameraman, when the photographer clearly knows there was not. The next week, the Catholic priest did a sermon on ghosts.
In 2021, a museum summer student had just cleaned the room that used to house the judge’s chambers. When she returned shortly afterward, there was a lump in the bed that hadn’t been there before, and upon checking, the umbrella that normally sits in the sitting room was found under the covers.
Reports of floating objects, objects being moved in rooms without anyone being in them, fuzzy or fog-like apparitions, voices, cries, the feeling of being touched by someone or something even though no one else appeared to be in the room and repeated tales of an uneasy feeling of dread or the need to be leave immediately are all part of this document from those who have reported their experiences.
A YouTube video of a CTV crew spending the night in the courthouse appears to show a fuzzy white object moving in the lower staircase.
Kerrobert Recreation Director Bobbi Hebron, , who has her office in the building, says, “I love working here but will not work here at night alone. It’s scary.”
