The Tale of the Dagg Farm Haunting
In November of 1889, a mysterious entity began haunting the Dagg farm in Clarendon, just a few kilometers from Shawville, Quebec. Ghosts weren’t unheard of in the area, but what made this one unusual was its chattiness. Many people heard it speak, but the ghost seemed particularly drawn to 11-year-old orphan Dinah McLean whom the Dagg’s had adopted. Dinah’s presence seemed to aggravate the ghost which manifested with unexplained fires, thrown rocks, and moving objects such as butter tubs and wash basins.
Some people thought the farm was host to a demon. Others described it as a poltergeist. Percy Woodcock, a local journalist, tried to debate with the invisible entity, pleading with it to leave the child alone, but the ghost took out its angry rebuttal on Dinah who reacted as if she’d been slapped, and Woodcock had to back off.
The ghost remained invisible to adults, but children claimed it appeared in several guises, including a tall man with a cow’s head and big black dog.
Then after three months of harassment, the ghost appeared to the children as an angelic figure with long white hair and a crown. It exploded in a fiery ball and disappeared into the sky. It was never heard from again.
One might put the story down to childhood fancies, but more than 16 adults—including neighboring farmers and clergy—reported seeing and hearing its manifestations.
The Dagg Ghost as Inspiration
In Hallow Crossing, the Cedar Grove Inn has a haunted history going back nearly a century. Interestingly, when I started researching fairy mounds and fairy interactions with humans, I discovered that many fairy encounters were mistakenly believed to be ghosts. Both can be tricksters and chameleons in that they can easily change shape and appearance. There was also a long tradition of believing that souls moved onto a kind of fairyland and ghosts were those spirits who returned from it, either because they’d lost their way, or they had unfinished business in the human realm.
I love the idea of ghosts and fairies being kissing-cousins and decided to incorporate that in Hallow Crossing.
Ophelia Borden is a paranormal investigator who comes to the inn to investigate local mysteries, including the Dagg ghost and the White Woman, known to make appearances at Cedar Grove. Ophelia’a prying threatens to expose the Hallow Crossing—the gateway between fairy and human realms. As innkeeper, it falls to Joelle to protect the crossing and she finds herself at loggerheads with the pushy investigator.
I can’t say more without spoilers, but I hope you’ll check out the spirits of Hallow Crossing, now available in paperback and eBook!
If you’d like to learn more about the Dagg ghost, check out the resources below.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-valley-ghost-hunt-on-the-trail-of-the-dagg-shawville-poltergeist-with-video
https://arlenestaffordwilson.wordpress.com/tag/dagg-poltergeist
https://kentondejong.travel/blog/the-mystery-of-daggs-demon
If you're landing on this page out of the blue and want to find all the posts for 11 Days of Hallow Crossing, you can find them listed HERE. The list will be updated each day as new posts are published.
Visit the Fair Folk of Mullarkey page to get Hallow Crossing, now available in paperback, hard cover and eBook. And don’t forget to enter the Hallow Crossing Paperback Give-away.
Then come back tomorrow for more fun lore about Mullarkey Mills!
