HANGMAN’s GRAVEYARD has been selected as recommended viewing by Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press.
Sunday, Dec. 6
• A team of archeologists excavates an old burial site at Toronto’s infamous Don Jail inHangman’s Graveyard. They end up finding the skeletal remains of 15 men who went to the gallows between 1880 and 1932. What follows is an investigation into who the men were. (History Television)
Full picks HERE
HANGMAN’s GRAVEYARD has been selected as a Critic’s Pick in today’s Globe & Mail.
The Hangman’s Graveyard
Prepare to feel goose bumps while watching this snapshot of dark Toronto history. In September, 2007, a team of archaeologists headed by Dr. Ron Williamson excavated an old burial site located beneath the city’s infamous Don Jail. The team stumbled upon the skeletal remains of 15 unlucky men who perished at the end of a noose at the old jail between 1880 and 1932. This program identifies the victims and the crimes that sent each man to the gallows.
Read Entire Critic’s Picks HERE
Wonderful piece in today’s Toronto Star by Brendan Kennedy
Few buildings arouse the fascination and curiosity of Torontonians like the old Don Jail.
With good reason. The Don’s history of hangings and hauntings is lurid; its stature, impressive and imposing.
At Doors Open Toronto in May, history buffs and true-crime junkies waited more than four hours to explore its decrepit cells and eerie gallows.
And on Sunday, their thirst for gruesome mysteries will be satiated again with an hour-long documentary about the discovery of the remains of 15 men, all hanged at the jail and buried in unmarked graves. ….
Read Full Article HERE
Great article in yesterday’s Toronto Sun from Joe Warmington
You never know what dark secrets of Toronto’s past are being kept by the very earth right below your feet.
And you never know when those secrets will be unearthed.
For years there were stories of how the property of the Old Don Jail held a hangman’s cemetery, containing the bodies of men executed in the 1800s and into the 1900s.
“But nobody knew for sure,” said Toronto’s Dr. Ronald Williamson yesterday. “It had been rumoured but had not been historically substantiated.” …..
Read Full Article HERE
As we approach the premier of Hangman’s Graveyard, we take a look back to September 2007 and the initial discovery of the Don Jail skeletons by Dr. Ron Williamson and his team from Archaeological Services Inc. The discovery made the front page of the September 27, 2007 edition of the Toronto Star.
Part of the Don Jail’s dark past has come to light in way that has archaeologists and history buffs all abuzz.
On Tuesday, three skeletal remains were uncovered below an adjacent north parking lot during excavation, all victims of the hangings that occurred at the old Don Jail starting in the 1860s.
The three skeletons, believed to pre-date the 1930s, were on display for the media Wednesday while a documentary television crew filmed the event, seen as a historical moment in the long, notorious annals of the jail.
Click HERE to read full article and related video.
Richard Turtle, who portrays Canada’s most notorious hangman – Arthur Ellis – in Hangman’s Graveyard, has written an article in the regional paper, the EMC, in advance of its broadcast on History Television.
Richard Turtle portrays hangman Arthur Ellis during the shooting of the soon-to-be-aired documentary Hangman’s Graveyard, on History Television Sunday, December 6. The local writer says it was a pleasant surprise to be approached by filmmakers during their final stages of shooting.
Read full article HERE.
We are pleased to announce that Hangman’s Graveyard is scheduled to broadcast on December 6, 2009 on History Television.
Hangman’s Graveyard is a dark and haunting tale of rogues, rakes and villains and a modern day investigation to uncover and identify the remains of inmates executed at Toronto’s notorious Don Jail. Inmates who were unceremoniously buried in the Murderer’s Graveyard directly behind the jail, in some cases buried mere feet from where they met their maker at the end of the hangman’s noose.
Preview screenings of the film-in-progress will take place on:
Saturday October 17 as part of the The Ontario Archaeological Society’s 36th annual symposium.
Wednesday October 21 as the opening film of DocFest Stratford.
Please stay tuned to our website for updates and more information as we gear up for this exciting television event.
We were absolutly thrilled to have writer and actor Richard Turtle play Arthur Ellis – Canada’s most prodigious hangman – in our upcoming film. Turtle, a man of many talents, has recently written a one-man play, Burying The Hangman, on dear old Ellis and is currently performing it across Ontario to rave reviews! Richard also writes for his local newspaper, the EMC (which serves the beautiful Bay of Quinte and Hastings area), and has written an article about his experience filming with us inside the Don Jail.
Turtle to portray hangman in upcoming documentary
By Richard Turtle
Filmmakers at Toronto-based Ballinran Productions Ltd., while in the final stages of documenting a dark corner of Canada’s past, stumbled on the locally written play Burying the Hangman and approached its performer and writer, Richard Turtle, to play the part of executioner Arthur Ellis in the docudrama, The Hangman’s Graveyard, scheduled to air on the History Channel this fall. So they asked me to do this thing. And I said yes. Without hesitation. I had already researched the whole subject and written a play about the man (for reasons still not entirely clear to me) and was offered a chance to do a tiny bit more. At the Old Don Jail. Yes. Absolutely.
Read full article HERE.
Andrea Williams, an archaeologist with ASI, has written a fascinating account on the tale of Frank McCullough, one of the most infamous criminals in Toronto’s history. McCullough was executed at the Don Jail in 1919 and his remains are thought to be in the Murderer’s Graveyard.
After his execution, the Toronto Evening Telegram opined that:
Frank McCullough will live forever in the calendar of crime as one of the most romantic figures in its history. From his murder of Williams, to his escape from the Don Castle, to the similar flight of his sweetheart, to the moment when for the last time he waved his hands in a brave farewell to the thousands who cheered from below, he has been a gallant blackguard.
Part 2: Escape from Death Watch
Check out Andrea’s Blog, Green Tea, for all sorts of interesting and amazing things.
