56 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2018 and other Scugog mysteries! THE PHANTOM? With Halloween almost upon us, this seems like the perfect time to dig into some of the strange phenomenons that have surfaced in Scugog over the past century. Some of these mys- terious events have never been solved or fully explained. THE PHANTOM STONES One of the most recent incidents began more than 30 years ago, when during the summer mysterious white stones of all shapes and sizes began showing up in front of business estab- lishments and homes throughout Port Perry. Even more odd than the stones, was the inscription found on each stone. In bold, script-styled printing the words “The Phantom” was painted in black paint. First to experience the phantom stones was Bill Barr when he arrived as his Stedmans store in the Port Perry Plaza on June 20, 1986. As he was unlocking the front door he looked down and found a surprise he never forgot. But he wasn’t the only one to discover the mysterious stones that morning. Others who arrived at work to find the stone were Jim Grieve of Port Perry IGA, Earl Cuddie at Scugog Township offices, Wayne Luke in front of Lukes Country Store and Larry Emmerson in front of his insurance office. One was also left at The Port Perry Star office, then located at 235 Queen St. About two weeks later, then Port Perry Star editor John B. McClelland found a rock on the front steps of his home, with a letter to the editor attached. The Phantom wrote “I’m enjoying your town of Port Perry, the lake, the beach, but especially the very nice shops and their handsome owners and staff.” The Phantom surfaced a few more times throughout the summer, but now, 32 years later the identity of “The Phan- tom” is still a mystery. A mystery which could still be solved if “The Phantom” felt compelled to resurface. NATIVE BURIAL PIT Other strange discoveries and sightings in Scugog go much farther back in our history and we will begin with an unusual discovery 140 years ago. On Friday, March 15, 1878 Joseph Baird, was out gathering sap in the woods on his Seagrave area farm when he discov- ered a large depression in the surface of the ground. It was circular in dimension, resembling the mouth of an old well, but when he began to probe the area, he came upon what appeared to be a burial site in which had been interred the remains of an estimated 150 bodies. Excavation found the circular pit was about eight feet in diameter and perhaps seven feet or more in depth. In the pit, all the bodies had been laid face downwards with their heads towards the outside of the burial pit. The discovery was reported in the newspaper and the man who came across the site wrote: “when I saw the place it pre- sented the most ghastly sight I ever witnessed. The mouth of the pit was bordered with about 100 skulls while the bottom of the hole presented literally one mass of bones.” The anonymous witness also reported that within a few feet of the pit was found a mound eight feet long, four feet wide Sketch depicting an “ossuary” for slain native warriors. One of the many “Phantom” rocks found in Port Perry.