last updated: November 18th, 2019
A friend of mine is a care giver at this place in Dundas that just turned 140 years old, and I was lucky enough to be invited in for an "unofficial" tour. Many of Hamilton's elderly population end up here, and i have to say that while the staff are awesome, the other guests - ones who have passed on but still remain in the building - make this place one spot i would not like to end up.
St. Joseph’s Villa was created in the early 19th century, when people became more aware of the need for organized care for the elderly and infirm. It was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton in 1894, and was made as a place to take care of elderly women. St. Joseph’s Villa was meant to provide compassionate care and support to those in need, which was in line with the Sisters’ commitment to serving the most vulnerable members of society.
Ever since that time, it has continued to operate as a place to take care of the elderly, and at times, sick children. The staff in the early days were mostly made up of nuns and priests, and some of them still seem to walk the halls, if you ask the staff.
My tour guide (whose name i won't mention) first took me up to the fifth floor, the only active floor in the original building. The villa's original space has been in need of renovation for years, but the cost of renovation has made it difficult for the villa to update. I was told the other floors are under renovation at this time, but floor 5 is known to be a place where both staff and patients hate to be. It seems like everyone here has stories of children that play hide and seek or wander the halls, and priests that stop by the rooms to talk to patients.
On my tour I was told that one particular room is not being used - the last three patients have complained of being kept up at night, and the most recent one said their "roommate in the closet won't let me sleep". I wanted to take a picture in the room, but even walking by it, i could feel my hair stand up on the back of my neck.
After a quiet walk around the fifth floor and talking to some of the staff about their experiences, my guide told me there was one other location in the building that was still used - sort of. The basement. Down there, the staff have one small corner of the space where there is an industrial laundromat where all the linens are washed. And although the rest of the basement space was under renovation, my guide was willing to take me into the depths of the building.
It was night, and the basement wasn't in use at this time. As we stepped off the elevator, I saw in the darkness that the hospital was using the bulk of the space for storage of old equipment - gurneys, chairs, and old machines littered the hall off into the darkness. One hallway was still open, though dark. At one end was the bright laundromat, lights left on as if to fend off anything that might still be down there. The other direction led to offices long abandoned that were used in the 30s through the 70s, and on the other side of the offices, the old bath and shower space - a huge room of green tile with tall baths where the staff would bathe the patients. This space also made my skin crawl, thinking of old pictures of bathtub therapy where patients would be kept submerged against their will in extremely hot or cold water to treat hysteria and other ailments. I was relieved when we headed back to the elevator, and after what seemed like an eternity, the doors closed on the darkness and we ascended back to the main floor.
Although it was a short visit to the Villa, I can confidently say that it was one of the most uncomfortable places I have ever been. The fact that people who work there and residents both have regular experiences, the feeling in the air, everything about this place is so unsettling. Oppressive is the word that comes to mind, and i'm sure there is more to the history of this place than has been written in books or found on the plaques on the walls.
It feels terrible to talk negatively about a place that does so much good for the community, but it's hard to think that the church officials that ran this place were always good and altruistic in their behaviour. Medical care still has its share of abuses to this day, and I can only imagine that some of the spirits that still haunt these halls don't stay here out of kindness.
