|
 Hopkins' Tomb
N 42° 52.511 W 079° 18.639
17T E 637976 N 4748338
The Tomb of Samuel Hopkins, 1822-1899. A local businessman said to have amassed at least part of his fortune through less-than-legal means. Located in Oakland Cemetery, just west of Port Colborne
Waymark Code: WM9HYR
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 08/24/2010
Views: 14
Samuel Hopkins was originally born in Ireland, and came to Toronto with his family in 1831, where he signed up for the military at the age of 16. It was while he was stationed at Port Maitland Ontario that he met and married his first love, Joanne Jones. When Gold Fever broke out in California Sam left his family to strike it rich, and set out to the gold fields on foot. It took him six months to get there, whereupon he was to fall victim to bad luck by becoming too ill to work. By 1851, he had made his way back to Dunnville, and moved his family to Port Colborne, where he both opened, and purchased the businesses that were to make his fortune. It was during this time that his first wife passed on, and he met his second wife, Catharine Thomas, who divorced him, and came away with a sizable part of his fortune. It was shortly after this that Samuel became ill, and passed on.
Some versions of the story have it that his last wishes were not carried out, either because of out and out greed, or a careless lawyer who drew up the will. One persistent story goes that anyone who circles the tomb three times will be cursed and suffer a tragic end soon after, as will anyone who defiles the resting place, as three young men in the early 1960's found out the hard way. Personally, I've been told that circling the tomb three times will bring you good luck, so who knows? Over the years, old Mr. Hopkins has been sighted walking around the cemetery, and beyond, sometimes on his own, other times with his faithful dog, who also has been known to put in appearances sitting on the steps of the tomb, guarding it from vandals, and chasing them away when needed. There have also been reports of strange noises coming from within the tomb itself, even though it has been sealed for many years.
If you're into geocaching, there is one located quite nearby,(GC1JB39 Hopkins Tomb, by Outsiders2). After finding it, I investigated the tomb itself, and found a consistent 2 degree F temperature drop from the front to the back, as well as extremely high EMF spikes at each corner of the tomb, and strange scratching noises from inside. I'll be back to do more investigating at a later time to try to determine just what is going on.
Public access?:
This tomb is located in a public cemetery so there are no restrictions, all the same, I would avoid coming at night.
Visting hours:
Any time during daylight hours would be best.
Website about the location and/or story: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. Photos you took of paranormal activity are great. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit
Tell your story if you saw, felt, or smelled anything unusual. Post pictures of what you saw.
Add any information you may have about the location. If your information is important about the location, please contact the waymark owner to see if it can be added to the description.
Be careful and do not enter areas which are off limits or look dangerous. No waymark is worth harm. Use your 6th sense, because sometimes there are unseen things which are telling you to stay out.
Use care when using your camera flash so you do not disrupt any possible nearby residents. Time lapse can be the best tool on your camera in many circumstances.
|