Haunted Saskatchewan: Government House, Regina – Part 1: The History

Welcome, my ghouls, to the next location in the Haunted Saskatchewan series. This time, we are heading into a location near downtown Regina – the Government House. This time, I have split up the posts into three sections, allowing you to choose where you want to start:

1. The history of the Government House building; 
2. The paranormal activity that staff members have experienced; and
3. The potential ghost(s) haunting the location.

If you like learning about the history of locations, particularly in the time of the Canadian Pacific Railway expansion across Saskatchewan, check out Section 1. 

If you want to read about the paranormal experiences, feel free to jump to Section 2.

If you want to hear about who we think haunts the Government House, jump to Section 3.

Section 1: The History

Let’s go back to 1882. The Canadian Pacific Railway route through southern Saskatchewan had been decided, and the territorial capital of the North-West Territories was based in the Battlefords. Given the importance of the railway to Western Canada, it was decided that the territorial capital should be moved to the growing city of Regina in 1883. With this change to the territorial capital, a new residence had to be built for the Lieutenant Governor, the Queen’s representative, to live.

At the time, the location that was chosen to become the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor was an open field in the middle of the prairies. The edge of Regina was approximately 4 km away from the chosen site. This particular house was actually the second Government House to be built near Regina. The first was built in 1883, and it was a further 1 km west of the current site. The original Government House was considered only a temporary residence until the more grandeur building could be built. 

The new Government House building was planned to induce a feeling of an English country estate. The hope was that the large residence would imply an authority over the area. The original building was finished in 1891. It had a gardener’s cottage, stables, a windmill with a well, an icehouse, a henhouse, and extensive vegetable gardens. The Government House was also connected to the Regina telephone system.

Further extensions were added to the building through the early 1900’s, including:

• A greenhouse added in 1901;
• The heating system replacement in 1907-1908;
• Electricity and a connection to the city’s water system at the same time as the heating system replacement;
• A sun porch in 1921; and
• Further additions in 1928.

The Lieutenant Governor then moved out of the building in 1945 and all the furniture was auctioned off. The Department of Veterans Affairs took over the building, painting the walls white and filling the rooms with hospital beds. A convalescent home was then opened in 1945, giving a place for veterans to live when they returned home from the war if they didn’t have anywhere else to go.

By 1958, a new building was built for the veterans, leaving the building open again. This time, the Department of Education took over the building and turned it into an education centre for adults. The building became known as the Saskatchewan House and continued to be use for education until 1977. Some of the original pieces were still being used in the building, such as the clock in the main hall.

Finally, the building became empty again in 1978. Its condition was poor, and there was discussion about potentially tearing the building down. However, the history of the building was considered important, so the Saskatchewan House Committee, which had been formed in 1969, was successful in having the building declared as a historical site in 1971. This committee would later become the Government House Historical Society.

Once the historical property declaration was complete, renovations to the building started in 1978. It was decided to return the main portion of the house into the time period around when Saskatchewan became a province, or more specifically 1989-1910. Pieces from that time period were found and brought into the building to help recreate the look and feel of the period as part of the museum. The Government House Museum officially opened in 1980.

Finally, in 1984, it was announced that the Lieutenant Governor would be returning to use the Government House. Although they kept a large portion of the house a museum, the north wing was returned to being a quarters for the Lieutenant Governor. 

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References

Government House Saskatchewan website, https://governmenthousesk.ca

Parks Canada website, https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=755

Plaques within the Government House Museum

Tour guide, Government House, 2022