Marion “Peg-Leg” Brown and a Few Thoughts on Dark Tourism

Happy Halloween!! True to the spirit of the day, our Public History group completed our historical walking tour project of the infamous murder case of Marion “Peg-Leg” Brown. A well known case in London, Marion Brown, a one –legged vagrant from Texas, rode the rails to London in 1898, and after assaulting a worker at the Grand Trunk Rail Station, he then shot and killed Police Constable Michael Toohey at the corner of Ontario and Elias Street. Brown escaped, and the London newspapers reported in detail the long search for the one-legged “tramp”. After numerous others were falsely arrested for the crime, Marion Brown was finally captured, convicted, and hung in May 1899 at the Middlesex County Courthouse. Brown claimed innocence, and rumours of his ghost haunting the old courthouse still remain. The walking tour covers the case in key areas of London’s downtown core, including the old courthouse and the Via Rail station where the initial assault occurred.

Historical Walking Tour Brochure made by the Public History MA students at Western University, 2018. Photograph by Louisa Orford.

This project came together smoothly, and we all seemed to enjoy the research and topic, which has made me wonder about the allure of “dark tourism”. Halloween is a favourite time of year for many people, particularly those who enjoy the thrill of being scared. For many, there is also a morbid fascination with gruesome stories, and when the story is rooted in historical truth, it can be even more bone-chilling.  

Edmund Burke, an 18th Century philosopher, wrote about the concept of the “sublime”, arguing that a sublime experience is one that is terrifying, but can create awe and fascination for people if it is experienced from a safe distance from the actual terror. Watching a horror film, for example (or The Haunting of Hill House, which has become extremely popular on Netflix), is a safe distance. Our walking tour of Marion Brown, while a real murder case, even if experienced at night, it is still consumed at a far distance from the actual events.

Connor Prairie in Indiana, however, uses second-person interpretation to involve visitors in their re-enactments of what slavery was like in the 1800s. While the ethics of doing this particular interpretation of slavery for the public is a serious issue to consider, a large part of why people participating can become so uncomfortable is because it becomes too real.

Dark tourism it seems can be tricky to navigate, and I fear it can easily slip into ethical dilemmas or a commercialization of tragedy if not careful. However, public historians also have a role in not sugar coating the past just to make it palatable. As I blogged about last week, the Wellington County Museum and Archives now embraces the darker, sadder history of the building, when previously the “stigma” associated with it being the County’s Poorhouse prevented these stories from being told. While the building became a museum in 1975, “If These Walls Could Speak”, the first exhibit to truly document the stories about the people who lived and died at the Poorhouse, did not open until 2006. Where there was once shame and silence pervading the building, it has now become an educational centre for learning about the growth of social welfare systems in Ontario. It highlights the importance of recognizing the stories of people who were forgotten and considered the lowest members of society. The exhibit was the recipient of an Ontario Museum Association Award of Excellence in 2007.

As I wrote last week, the programming at WCMA embraces the “spookiness” of the Halloween season by telling stories from the Poorhouse through lantern-lit performances, and, whether you agree with the validity of “ghost hunting” or not, they have also been inviting paranormal investigators to explore the building and discuss their findings. While I don’t agree with turning museums into haunted houses, entertainment does have a role in education. Part of the success of dark tourism for museums is its ability to attract a potential new audience to the space. For some of the participants of Spirit Walks at WCMA, while their intention to come many have been the thrill of walking through a spooky “haunted” building at night, they accidentally find themselves learning.  More often than not, the people who came for the thrills wind up returning to the museum at a later date to learn more about the history of the Poorhouse, go through the exhibits, and actually view the building in the light of day.  

With dark tourism, I do think intention is important to success. Seeking only exploitation, commercialization, and entertainment, while disregarding ethical boundaries, is where dark tourism fails. When the goal is to educate and engage, to enlighten and think critically, to gain new perspectives and reach different audiences, I think it succeeds. There are many dark stories that need to be told, and not letting them become buried underneath stigma, shame, or silence is one of the roles of the public historian.

And for those taking our historical walking tour of “Peg-Leg” Brown, enjoy! J