by Jason Burnett
Let me tell you about the Halcrow (pronounced hell-crow by the older generation) House. For those of you that don’t know, the Halcrow House is the lonely, dilapidated concrete constructed house that sits atop Ten Mile Point, across from the Trading Post. You know, the one with cinder blocks in the doors and windows and vines trying to take over the house?
Many photographers have tried to capture whatever that feeling is that you get when you drive by the house but none successfully in my opinion. You cannot capture what you don’t understand.
Here is what I know… You may be surprised at some of the connections you have on the island. Talk to someone in your family like I do with Grandma Moyra Size. You might just learn something.
For example, my great Grandpa Harold Size and great Grandma Nelly Size (nee Moggy) got married at the Halcrow House.
I’m sure it was a stunning house back in the day with picturesque views of Loon Island and the amazing fields behind it but not anymore. Now it is the subject of warnings to my own children.
You may recall last Halloween we discussed the ‘Man in the Bridge’ but as my family and I travel further onto the Island to Sheguiandah and on to Manitowaning, the Halcrow House is always the subject of my next cautionary tale! As I tell my kids Jonah, Nolan, and Keith, “Never look into Halcrow House because you don’t know what’s looking back!” But it’s so tempting, right? You can see in through the upper windows and say to yourself, “What does it look like in that old house and what is its story?”
While I am not privy to the actual story of Halcrow House and certainly mean no disrespect to the Halcrow family, I can tell you that whatever is in there now gets stronger as Hallowe’en approaches.
I think it’s female although I cannot tell you exactly why I think that. It’s just the feeling I get. How do I know she gets stronger as Hallowe’en approaches?
Simply put, it’s her eyes which have an effervescent glow to them which can be clearly seen in the upper windows when it’s late at night. The closer we get to Hallowe’en, the brighter those eyes get. That misty shade of glowing green eyes still haunts me. As I tell the children, never look in the windows because if you catch her eye she may just come for you.
My name is Jason Burnett and my family comes from Manitoulin Island so I know a little bit about this Island and I can tell you one thing… most tourists that see Halcrow House get it wrong. They always think that Halcrow House has the windows and doors blocked with cinder blocks to keep trespassers out. The truth of the matter is much more insidious as the blocks were actually put there to keep whatever resides there now… IN!
