Crescent Oil
In February 2018, TOPS was called in to help the owners of Crescent Oil, a wholesaler and distributor of oils and equipment, located in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. The building was constructed more than 120 years ago. It is also the site of one of Hamilton’s first cold-case files. TOPS was invited to investigate the reports of activity occurring in the location and the possibility of an intelligent haunting.
History
The Crescent Oil building was built in 1896. In August 1917, prohibition was looming on the horizon for Ontario and Hamilton has already passed the Temperance Act. Hard liquor was taboo, although beer could be purchased and alcohol could be acquired for medical purposes. On August 19, 1917, Dr. Douglas MacRobbie, a altruistic physician who offered his services to people who couldn’t afford care, was brutally murdered in the Crescent Oil building. His body was found in a pool of blood in one of the rooms on the upper floor. He was only 42 years of age. After a night of excessive drinking at Crescent Oil, the three witnesses at the scene - all potential suspects - claimed they were too drunk to remember what had happened that night.
Click here to read the full story in the Hamilton Spectator.
Claims of Activity
Staff at Crescent Oil have reported seeing shadow figures and hearing disembodied voices. The entity seems to pick on the women working in the building, more than the men. Footsteps have also been heard when no one else is in the building to make them. Objects have gone missing from the office on the second level where Dr. MacRobbie’s body was found, which is known as “the death chamber.”
The Investigation
Tim, Jenn, Frank, Tyler, and Caroline made up the investigative team. Dr. MacRobbie himself was contacted using a spirit box in the office area where his body was found. Evidence was also found suggesting the spirit of the night watchman, Herbert Asselstine, may still linger on the property.
In addition, evidence of a female spirit was captured in the basement. The team believes she may have been a prostitute from the nearby brothels at the time. There are rumors Hinting that Dr. MacRobbie may have had a temporary office in the Crescent Oil building, from which he secretly treated some of the prostitutes working for a local mob boss, Rocco Perry, who operated brothels in the area. Some evidence was found of an underground tunnel which may have led to one such brothel. Is it possible that the female spirit is a prostitute who died during one of MacRobbie’s secret procedures?
Our Evidence
Details Coming Soon!