Spooky Canada: Ottawa Jail Hostel 2019 50-Cent Lenticular Coin
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Product Overview
In the early hours of April 7, 1868, Thomas D'Arcy McGee—a Father of Confederation—was shot and killed on Sparks Street in Ottawa. Patrick Whelan was hanged for the crime at the Carleton County Jail despite proclaiming his innocence to the end. The jail is now operated as the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel. Many guests have reported waking up in the night to see the image of a man, standing at the end of their bed, who fits the description of Patrick Whelan. His restless spirit still seems to be haunting the hallways of the old jail...
This lenticular, large-format, 35-mm, 50-cent coin brings you a ghostly tale set in one of Canada's spookiest buildings. The two-image lenticular design by Emmanuel Julian Madail Monzon first shows a visitor entering the former jail during an evening tour, where the bar door is left ajar. When the coin is tilted, the door is closed and the eerie ghost of a former inmate—perhaps Patrick Whelan—appears behind the terrified visitor and looks directly at the viewer. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
• Diameter: 35 mm
About the Carleton County Jail
Ottawa's former jail was built in 1862. Its 90 cells housed up to 150 prisoners at a time—men, women and children. It is said that the ghost of Patrick Whelan appears near guests' beds or in his cell at night. Some claim to have seen him wander the hallway that leads to the gallows, all the while reciting the Lord's Prayer—just as Whelan did in his final moments.
In 1868, the 28-year-old tailor Patrick James Whelan was accused and convicted of the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. On the morning of February 11, 1869, a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators gathered outside the Carleton County Gaol to witness one of Canada's last public executions. Just before his execution, Whelan declared he was innocent but also claimed to know the identity of the killer. By all accounts, death did not come quickly to Whelan: he struggled for several minutes at the end of his rope.
Whelan maintained his innocence to the end. His last wish was to be laid to rest in the family plot; instead, he was unceremoniously buried beneath the gallows. Whelan's descendants continue to hold out hope for an exoneration. In 2002, they added soil from the old jail's courtyard to the grave of his widow—incidentally, in the same Montréal cemetery that is McGee's final resting place.
Today, the presumed murder weapon, a .32-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, is part of the Canadian Museum of History collection. It was purchased at an auction in 2005 for the sum of $105,000.
After the prison closed its doors in 1972, Hostelling International converted the building into a hostel. Much of the original structures (including the gallows) were left intact to provide guests with a unique stay. Daily tours allow visitors and guests to learn about the building's history and its many strange occurrences... like the paranormal activity depicted on this coin.
Includes:
• Fifty-Cent Spooky Canada Lenticular Coin, 2019
This lenticular, large-format, 35-mm, 50-cent coin brings you a ghostly tale set in one of Canada's spookiest buildings. The two-image lenticular design by Emmanuel Julian Madail Monzon first shows a visitor entering the former jail during an evening tour, where the bar door is left ajar. When the coin is tilted, the door is closed and the eerie ghost of a former inmate—perhaps Patrick Whelan—appears behind the terrified visitor and looks directly at the viewer. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
• Diameter: 35 mm
About the Carleton County Jail
Ottawa's former jail was built in 1862. Its 90 cells housed up to 150 prisoners at a time—men, women and children. It is said that the ghost of Patrick Whelan appears near guests' beds or in his cell at night. Some claim to have seen him wander the hallway that leads to the gallows, all the while reciting the Lord's Prayer—just as Whelan did in his final moments.
In 1868, the 28-year-old tailor Patrick James Whelan was accused and convicted of the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. On the morning of February 11, 1869, a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators gathered outside the Carleton County Gaol to witness one of Canada's last public executions. Just before his execution, Whelan declared he was innocent but also claimed to know the identity of the killer. By all accounts, death did not come quickly to Whelan: he struggled for several minutes at the end of his rope.
Whelan maintained his innocence to the end. His last wish was to be laid to rest in the family plot; instead, he was unceremoniously buried beneath the gallows. Whelan's descendants continue to hold out hope for an exoneration. In 2002, they added soil from the old jail's courtyard to the grave of his widow—incidentally, in the same Montréal cemetery that is McGee's final resting place.
Today, the presumed murder weapon, a .32-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, is part of the Canadian Museum of History collection. It was purchased at an auction in 2005 for the sum of $105,000.
After the prison closed its doors in 1972, Hostelling International converted the building into a hostel. Much of the original structures (including the gallows) were left intact to provide guests with a unique stay. Daily tours allow visitors and guests to learn about the building's history and its many strange occurrences... like the paranormal activity depicted on this coin.
Includes:
• Fifty-Cent Spooky Canada Lenticular Coin, 2019
