The Baldoon Mystery, 1829–1831: A Haunting and a Silver Bullet
On a farm near Wallaceburg in what is now Ontario, the McDonald family reported stones and bullets flying through windows, fires and phantom footsteps. The story ends with a silver bullet and a witch with a broken arm. It was written down decades later and is told as local folklore.
Sources Neil T. McDonald, The Baldoon Mysteries (1871); Brian Dunning, Skeptoid #426 (5 Aug 2014); Wikipedia, 'Baldoon Mystery'
Baldoon was a Scottish settlement founded by Lord Selkirk in 1804 on marshy land near today’s Wallaceburg, in southwestern Ontario. In 1829, according to the story, the farm of John T. McDonald became the target of something unseen. Lead balls and stones came through the windows. Fires broke out. Furniture moved, and the sound of marching feet filled the house. Neighbours came to watch.
The witch and the goose
The family consulted a wise woman, who said a witch, perhaps a neighbour angry over a land dispute, was to blame. Following instructions, McDonald shot a black-headed goose with a silver bullet, breaking its wing. He then found an old woman nursing a broken arm, and the troubles stopped.
How we know it
The tale was published in 1871 by McDonald’s son Neil, with statements from people who said they had seen the events. Brian Dunning’s Skeptoid episode on the case points out how late the record is, and that the details match much older European witch lore. Wallaceburg keeps the story alive as part of its history.
Ledger status
Marked folklore. Map position is town level.
Sources
- Brian Dunning, “The Baldoon Mystery,” Skeptoid #426 (2014) — skeptoid.com
- Wikipedia, “Baldoon Mystery” — en.wikipedia.org
Part of the World Ledger, batch 1. Original text; no images are used.
Evidence ledger
Each claim in this file, the source it rests on, and how well it holds up: 1 corroborated · 1 disputed · 2 unverified. What the labels mean.
| Claim | Source | Type · date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| John T. McDonald's family near Wallaceburg reported a haunting in 1829–31.Account published about 40 years later. | McDonald (1871); Wikipedia | secondary · 1871 | corroborated |
| Witnesses described stones, bullets and fires inside the house. | Affidavits collected in McDonald (1871) | primary record · 1871 | unverified |
| A silver bullet fired at a goose ended the haunting and wounded a witch. | Legend | secondary · 1871 | unverified |
| A human prankster or family conflict explains the events. | Dunning, Skeptoid #426 | secondary · 2014 | disputed |
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