The Salisbury Hotel

The Salisbury Hotel

Salisbury Hotel circa 1882

   Opening originally as the New Road Inn, the Salisbury Hotel was built by John Harvey the founder of Salisbury Township. It was the first hotel in the township and was situated on the only road that led to a bridge over the Para River. Harvey had designed his new town, and a new road to lead people away from the Main North Road, back through Salisbury.

 This hotel was used for meetings that decided much of Salisbury’s future. Local laws and legislation were decided here, local council formation, the location of Mills, Post Offices and even how the train line would pass through the township were all decided in this hotel.

 Usually, I write about spooky stuff, ghosts, hauntings, etc, but in this case, I couldn’t find any local legends or ghost stories associated with this hotel. I spoke to the current publican of the hotel very recently, and she assures me this hotel Is not haunted, however, it has some interesting history, including the story of an inquest into the suicide death of Scottish immigrant James Carstairs.

Salisbury Hotel 2019 - Allen Tiller

   On the 14th of Oct 1854, James Carstairs, known locally as ‘Scotch James’, hung himself a bedroom of the Birchall family home. Evidence at trial indicated that Carstairs had been overseeing the kitchen of the Birchall farm. During that time, he had gotten Fanny, the 16-year daughter of Mr Birchall pregnant. When Fanny’s father heard of her condition, he left the vowing never to return. This, it is claimed led to Carstairs suicide.

 On the day in questions. Carstairs woke at 6am went into the kitchen, lit the fire and set the kettle on the stove. He then left and went back to his room.
 At 7am, Elizabeth Birchall (Fanny’s sister) and another staff member, Elizabeth Symes awoke. For whatever reason, the girls peered through Carstairs window and could see him standing motionless behind the door. The two women called out to him, but he did not react or reply. They called over My Symes and Mr Munday who went to check on Carstairs. They found he had hung himself with a very thick rope.
 

Salisbury Hotel circa 1890

Fanny Evett, during the inquest, claimed she had only ever had consensual sex with Carstairs, however, she had been raped in her fathers front garden, but stated in court, she was already pregnant at the time. She was unmarried, and had never told Carstairs the child was his, nor pressured him for marriage.

 Carstairs body was cut down by Mr Webb and placed on a couch until a doctor arrived to examine it. Carstairs body was then moved to the New Road Inn for an inquest. No Judge could be found in the area to preside over the inquest.
  It took two full days for a mounted constable to search for someone to hold the inquest. Otto Schomburgk J.P. eventually presided over the inquest, but, in the meantime, Carstairs body had come to decompose.

 The inquest into the suicide of Scotch James was the first held in the New Road Inn. Later the same year, 1854, the hotel changed its name to the Salisbury Hotel.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Sources:

 'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY.', Adelaide Observer, (28 October 1854), p. 11.

'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY. —SUICIDE.', Adelaide Times. (26 October 1854), p. 3.

Shields, Brian P 1983, History of Salisbury, Salisbury Public Library Service, Salisbury

'SOMETHING DISGRACEFUL.', Adelaide Times, (18 October 1854), p. 2

 'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY.', South Australian Register, (26 October 1854), p. 3.

The White Ghost of Port Wakefield

The White Ghost of Port Wakefield

On a previous blog, I featured the story of the Grey Ghost of Port Wakefield. I explored whether the mysterious apparition may, in fact, have been a real grey horse terrorising the local community. Remarkably, just a week after the Grey Ghost had caused fear and pandemonium, another unusual tale emerged from Port Wakefield.

It was a hot summer night in the newer part of town, and a local woman couldn't sleep. Restless, she wandered her yard, checking the garden and inspecting a freshly stacked pile of firewood that was delivered earlier that day.

As she glanced towards the woodpile, she noticed a man quietly stealing smaller logs and stuffing them into his bag. She let out a startled scream, catching the thief completely off guard.

The man looked up to see a woman dressed in white, her figure glowing in the full moonlight. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, and she was still screaming. Convinced he had encountered a ghost, the terrified thief turned and bolted.

In his desperate attempt to escape, he ran headlong into an iron fence, rebounding with such force that he was flung backwards into the wall of a stone washhouse and tumbled inside. In his panic, he kicked over the washing copper, scattering dust and ashes from the fire pit used to heat it.

Somehow managing to regain his feet, the hapless intruder scrambled through a window, collided with a wheelbarrow and finally collapsed in a heap after rolling across the lawn.

But his ordeal was not over. The woman’s small dog attacked, and the unfortunate thief sprang up and fled into the night without his trousers. The little dog had torn them to pieces, along with a well-worn slipper he had left behind in the chaos.

By then, the woman had regained her composure. The following morning, she reported the extraordinary incident to the police.

Whether the thief had genuinely mistaken the woman for a ghost or had been thoroughly frightened by an unexpected encounter in the moonlight, one thing was certain: he had paid a rather embarrassing price for trying to steal a few logs of firewood.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

The Grey Ghost of Port Wakefield 

  In February 1918, fear gripped the small town of Port Wakefield as a mysterious apparition, dubbed the Grey Ghost, began appearing throughout the district. For an entire week, the strange figure terrorised residents, leaving a trail of frightened witnesses and increasingly bizarre reports.

  The first sighting occurred on a Monday night at approximately 9:30 pm, when the apparition was spotted between the railway line and Smith’s Corner. A young woman returning home became the first known victim of the mysterious figure. As she walked along the street, the ghost approached her and calmly asked, “How are you?” Terrified, she hurried home and collapsed as soon as she was inside.

Around 10 pm that same evening, a young man returning from a fishing trip had his own frightening experience. As he passed a large haystack, a figure at least seven feet tall emerged from within the baled hay. The apparition let out a series of low, rumbling moans, sending the young man fleeing home, where he promptly locked the door behind him.

The following evening, a young couple walking home encountered the ghost under even more alarming circumstances. A cold hand suddenly touched their heads, turning them toward the apparition and forcing them to look directly into its eyes. Standing at least seven feet tall and shrouded in a fine mist, the figure was a terrifying sight.
The young man abandoned his companion, scrambled over a nearby fence and disappeared into the night. His companion screamed and raced to the nearest house, forcing her way inside before locking the door against the unwelcome visitor.

By Wednesday, tales of the Grey Ghost had spread throughout the town. Two young men decided they had had enough and took it upon themselves to capture the mysterious intruder. Armed and prepared for a confrontation, they waited for the apparition to appear.
After two hours, their quarry finally arrived. According to their account, the ghost rose from the ground before approaching a nearby horse. The animal appeared to fall under its spell, collapsing to the ground and becoming unconscious. The apparition then passed over several walls and fences before disappearing into an old quarry.

The two would-be ghost hunters considered following it but ultimately decided against descending into the disused quarry, preferring not to risk their lives in pursuit of the mysterious figure.

On Thursday night, two men passing near the quarry were engaged in a heated discussion about Russia when they suddenly realised they had company. Standing beside them was the seven-foot Grey Ghost, its clothing resembling swirling smoke. They abandoned the area, and the two men promptly fled in opposite directions, reportedly reaching their respective homes in record time.

Friday night brought little relief. The summer heat made sleeping indoors unbearable, prompting one local man to settle down on his veranda for the night. In the middle of the night, he awoke to discover the Grey Ghost standing just beyond his picket fence.
The apparition made strange gestures towards him while groaning loudly. The startled man wasted no time retreating indoors, where he locked the doors and windows.

Despite the different circumstances surrounding each encounter, witnesses consistently described the apparition in much the same way. It was an imposing figure, standing somewhere between seven and eight feet tall, with terrifying eyes and a grey, mist-like appearance. It reportedly emitted a pungent stench, produced deep, rumbling moans and seemed capable of passing through or climbing over walls and fences with remarkable ease.

For an entire week, the Grey Ghost of Port Wakefield had kept the townsfolk on edge. But the mystery was eventually solved, not by the armed men who had hunted it, nor by the frightened residents who had encountered it, but by a young boy riding his bicycle home.

For nearly a week, the Grey Ghost of Port Wakefield had kept the townsfolk in a state of fear. Despite several sightings and an attempt by two young men to capture the mysterious figure, its identity remained a mystery.

The explanation came when a young boy riding his bicycle home accidentally collided with an old grey horse feeding beside the road. Startled by the impact, the animal reared onto its hind legs, striking out with its front legs and threatening both the boy and a nearby fence before bolting into the night.

The encounter offered a possible explanation for the strange sightings that had plagued Port Wakefield. The horse was grey, reportedly smelled foul, and could reach an imposing height when rearing onto its hind legs. Seen in the darkness, its unusual movements and towering silhouette may have been enough to convince frightened witnesses that they had encountered something supernatural.

However, the precise timing of the boy’s encounter is unclear. While the sightings had occurred over the preceding week, the available account does not establish exactly when the horse was identified or confirm that it was responsible for every reported incident.

The Grey Ghost may, therefore, have been nothing more than an old horse roaming the streets of Port Wakefield after dark. Yet the story leaves us with an intriguing question: did a frightened animal give birth to a ghost story, or were the townsfolk witnessing something they could not quite explain?

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019



Bibliography

1918 'More " Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', The Areas' Express (Booyoolee, SA: 1877 - 1948), 15 February, p. 3. 

1918 'A "Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', Burra Record (SA: 1878 - 1954), 13 February, p. 4. 

1918 'More "Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', The Wooroora Producer (Balaklava, SA: 1909 - 1940), 14 February, p. 3. 

A Black Mass at North Adelaide.

A Black Mass at North Adelaide.

  This remarkable eyewitness account was published in the Evening Journal newspaper in 1904.

  A person identifying themselves as only “B.S.S.” witnessed an apparition of a funeral near the corner of Barnard Street some years prior and recounted it for the newspaper.

 The witness had walked down Molesworth Street, along Hill Street, and when at the corner of Barnard Street, near the hospital, witnessed an intensely black shape moving in the street. On this night, a very well-known lady in the area, lay dying in the Calvary Hospital just metres away from where the witness was standing.

 The witness watched on as the black shape paused in the road, and then marched onto vacant land nearby. Walking closer to get a better view, the witness realised it was a funeral procession occurring in the night in front of them. A coffin, covered in black velvet was being held by four men, while two walked in front, and four behind. All the men wore ‘hose and doublet’, small cloaks or capes, swords at their sides and feathers in their caps.

 The funeral procession stopped. They turned back towards the hospital slowly vanishing as they returned toward it, and where the dying woman lay.

 The woman would not die, and in her final hours, called desperately for her individual ancestors. Was it them, dressed in black, bearing swords and holding the coffin, or was it death coming to collect his dues?

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019


Bibliography

1904 'GHOSTS, OR WHAT:', Evening Journal, 18 October, p. 1. , viewed 22 Apr 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200827889