Nova Scotia’s Haunted Girl – Esther Cox
Episode 91 is out now. You can listen on any of your favorite podcast streaming services (or below). Here you’ll find photos and newspaper articles from the Canada’s oldest and strangest Ghost story.
Esther Cox, Making Headlines
In the late summer of 1878, whispers in Amherst began to spread. At first, it was small things. A knock in the night. A bed that shook without reason. A young woman who seemed to draw strange forces wherever she went.
That young woman was Esther Cox. She lived with her sister’s family in a modest wooden house on Princess Street. Soon, the odd disturbances in their home spilled into the town itself. Neighbors came to see. Ministers and doctors came to listen. Newspapers began to take notice.
By 1879, the headlines grew bolder. Stories of flying objects, ghostly raps, and even words scratched into the walls filled the pages of Maritime papers. Esther’s name was everywhere. To some, she was the victim of a violent haunting. To others, she was the cause.
Amherst had never seen anything like it. And across Nova Scotia, people were reading about the girl who could not escape the spirits that followed her.
Walter Hubbell Investigates
In 1879, a new name entered the headlines. Walter Hubbell, an actor from Philadelphia, heard about the strange events in Amherst. He came to see for himself.
Hubbell had worked in theaters across North America. He knew stage tricks. He knew how illusions worked. At first, he believed the haunting would prove to be another fraud.
But instead of leaving, he stayed. He moved into the Teed home for six weeks. He claimed to see it all — the raps, the flying objects, even messages scratched onto the walls. He filled notebooks with what he witnessed.
Later that year, Hubbell published his story in a book called The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story. It sold thousands of copies. His words carried the Amherst mystery far beyond Nova Scotia, making Esther Cox’s name known across Canada and the United States.
Read Walter Hubbell’s Book by clicking here
Esther Cox, After the Noises Stopped
After the haunting ended, Esther tried to build a quiet life. In 1882, she married a man named Adam Porter in New Brunswick. They had a son together.
The marriage did not last. Years later, in 1896, she married again. Her second husband was Peter Shanahan. With him, she moved to Brockton, Massachusetts.
In Brockton, Esther lived far from the headlines. She raised her family and stayed out of public life. The strange raps and flying objects never returned. She died there in 1912, at the age of 52.
Amherst, Nova Scotia Today
Today, Amherst honors Esther Cox’s story in creative and community-driven ways.
A vibrant mural stands in downtown Amherst. It depicts Esther, dramatic scenes from the mystery, and ghostly motifs. The artwork brings the legend to life in bold color.
Every fall, the town hosts Esther Fest—a celebration of the paranormal. The festival runs in October and offers ghost walks, psychic fairs, ghost hunts, and a “Great Amherst Street Party.” It invites locals and visitors to explore the story in a fun, spooky atmosphere.
Amherst hasn’t forgotten Esther. The mural and festival keep her name alive. They remind us that some stories haunt a town in the best possible way.
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