The Lacombe Home was built by the legendary
Father Albert Lacombe, a priest of the Oblate Order and one of the best known and most revered early missionaries to work in Western Canada. The Lacombe Home was built on 200 acres of land near Midnapore donated by equally legendary local cattleman
Pat Burns. As well as the land, Burns also donated beef, dairy products and dairy cattle to the home. Lumber, coal, cash, even transportation of materials were all donated to build the home by well heeled friends of the Father.
Officially opened in 1910, the home continued in operation until fire claimed it in 1999. Several ancillary buildings survive, including the water tower, the site now the campus of
St. Mary's University. St. Mary's, which had its beginnings in 1985, moved to the site in 1999, offering a liberal arts program. The buildings from the Lacombe Home which survive have been repurposed for use by the university and new buildings have been added to the campus. In 1986 St. Mary’s College became St. Mary’s University College and in 2014 the university changed its name from St. Mary’s University College to St. Mary’s University.
It seems that a couple of the old buildings from the Lacombe Home, and even the woods behind the campus, have been sites experiencing paranormal activity. There have been reports of a ghostly 13 year old girl seen in a hallway and...
St. Mary's College - In the woods next to St. Mary's College, it is haunted. There is no activity reported in the daytime, but in the nighttime, weird things usually happen. One witness reports his arm rose up on its own, and his partner couldn't push his arm back down. Others felt hands around their neck.
From Haunted Places In Alberta
Others have reported ghostly encounters in the campus's landmark old water tower, as well. The university has even capitalized on the "hauntedness" of the campus, holding an annual
Ghost Tour each fall for the last few years. The
Ghost tours consist of reenactments, ghost stories and a tour of the haunted spots on campus.