The Coffin Surfing Ghost

The story of Simon McTavish and his angry afterlife

Simon McTavish was one of the most important citizens of Montreal during the late-18th and early-19th centuries. Born in Scotland around 1750, he came to North America in the mid-1760s and eventually found his way to the Montreal area.

Working as a fur trader, he rose up the ranks of his profession and became the chief founding partner of the North West Company. A gifted businessman, he became one of the richest individuals in Montreal by the turn of the 19th century. Known as a generous man, he helped the Chief of the Clan MacTavish after he fell on hard times and was forced to sell his seat. McTavish bought it back and gave the chief’s eldest son a job in Montreal.

On July 6, 1804, Simon McTavish died and left behind an estate of £125,000, mch of which went to help various organizations including two hospitals in Montreal.

His nephews built a memorial to him within the grounds of his property on the slope of Mount Royal. It consisted of a 20-foot column enclosed by a walled mausoleum.

As time went on, people forgot about the impact of McTavish on the city and Canada.

His mansion, which was his dream home, was left to his family. It was soon boarded up as his French-Canadian wife quickly remarried and moved to England with the four children.

So, McTavish’s body was left behind, abandoned in its mausoleum.

Legend has it that before the home was torn down in 1861, McTavish’s spirit could be seen dancing on the roof of the home. Others reported that he was seen standing at the windows, staring out at what was once his property.

One construction worker involved in the demolition fell from the roof and died. People said it was McTavish who pushed him for taking part in destroying his home.

With the home gone, people reported that the spirit of McTavish was taking his coffin for a moonlight toboggan ride down Mount Royal.

Eventually, even his mausoleum disappeared when it was torn down and covered by dirt.

And for the past 150 years, no one has sighted the ghost of McTavish. It appears that with the burying of his resting place, so too did his spirit eventually fade away.

Today, five-foot granite block dedicated to McTavish marks the spot where the mausoleum once stood.

McTavish’s ghost may have finally disappeared, but his legacy in the history of Montreal, even somewhat forgotten, will last for years to come.