New Brunswick has plenty of ghost stories. Lumber camps, old asylums, jails, grand hotels and stretches of coastline all seem to have one. I can’t claim a formal poll of locals, so this ranking follows how often these tales get retold and how chilling they are. Here are seven, counting down to the scariest.
7. Rebecca Lutes Grave, Moncton
It’s one of Moncton’s most popular ghost stories. It’s a cemetery legend, so it works best told after dark. Treat it as a creepy detour rather than a full-blown haunting.
6. The Capitol Theatre, Moncton
It’s one of Moncton’s most iconic buildings, and one of its most famously haunted. Old theatres tend to attract ghost stories, with empty seats, dim backstage corners and creaking floors. If you catch a show there, keep an eye on the balcony.
5. The Fire Ship of the Bay of Chaleur
This one is a legend of the water. For many years, a flaming ghost ship has been seen patrolling the Bay of Chaleur. The tale goes that a pirate tried to kidnap two young women from a First Nations community there, and that night a huge fireball in the form of the ship appeared. Thousands of people have reportedly seen it since, which makes it the province’s best-known phantom of the sea.
4. The Algonquin Resort, St. Andrews
Not every haunted place is gloomy. The Algonquin’s paranormal history is so famous that the hotel offers special ghost tours. It’s a good pick if you want your chills with a nice dinner and a view of the bay. Just request a room away from the long, quiet corridors.
3. Andrew’s Gaol, St. Andrews
Jails are naturally unsettling, and this one has a dark story. It’s said to be haunted by the ghost of an Englishman named Tom Roland Hutchings, a Royal Air Force member who was convicted of murdering a young woman named Bernice Connors after a dance in Black’s Harbour. A ghost tied to a real crime keeps the story from feeling like pure fiction.
2. Centracare, Saint John
A place once called the “Provincial Lunatic Asylum” would be haunted, perhaps not surprisingly. The imposing building on a bluff above the river opened in 1848, and it carries a lot of sad history. The ghost stories here are as much about the people who lived and suffered inside as about anything supernatural.
1. The Dungarvon Whooper, Miramichi
Many consider this the best New Brunswick ghost story, and it’s the scariest because it’s about sound. On some dark nights along the Dungarvon River, a horrifying howl is heard. The story goes that it’s the ghost of Ryan, a murdered lumber camp cook. The terrified loggers abandoned the camp and refused to return. There’s no building to retreat into and no tour guide to reassure you, only the river, the dark woods and a cry from the trees. That’s why it takes the top spot.
Final tip: Many of these places are best enjoyed through guided tours, local storytellers or a good collection of regional ghost lore. If you visit sites like cemeteries or old buildings, respect posted rules and private property.
