The Proctor House Museum - 96 Young Street, Brighton
The Proctor House Museum is a Victorian style mansion and barn built in 1867 by the Proctor family who were one of the first families to reside in the village of Brighton. The construction was started by John E. Proctor who ordered the materials through his town store in 1853, and the home was added on to by other family members through the late 1800's. It is situated on 100 acres of parkland, and is a living museum open to the public that reflects the life and times of one of Brighton's most prosperous families.
Around 1900, many sightings of a fiery ball in the immediate vicinity of the Proctor House was reported, but never fully explained. This among several ghost stories are currently attached to the home, which allowed it to be added to a local ghost walk tour that takes place during the summer months. The staff of the Proctor House Museum is very open to discussing their visitors from beyond, and claim that there is more than one spirit within the home and on the property. The most prominent story involves the main builder of the home - William Proctor. William made his family fortune by running steamers across Lake Ontario and into Rochester, New York. It was rumoured that the items on the ships were not all legal - that some of the supplies was alcohol that was transported during probation. From these profits, William Proctor made mortgage loans to the locals.
A local man named John Nix Jr. took one of those loans from William Proctor, but then fell ill. William foreclosed on John while he was on his deathbed. Soon after John passed away, his family gathered all of the furniture and belongings and left the home. After realizing he had no assets to take, William Proctor seized the body and sold it to the local hospital as told in one story or held it until the family paid his debt in another. Either way, it is said that the ghost of John Nix Jr. haunts the Proctor House Museum as payback to William Proctor's dirty deed.
In 1970, this property was donated by John W. Proctor and the remaining Proctor family. In a letter to the editor of the Brighton Independent Newspaper, John W. Proctor stated... "We would like to think that our ancestors were no better and hopefully no worse than any other family. Proctor House should be a memorial to the Proctor family and to the two brothers killed in WW II. It is also donated to the community as a monument to all the original families who lived through a really tough time to make this great community." This museum is open to the public year around with cost to the patron, and is located just off Main Street of the Brighton village. We are very interested in obtaining more information concerning this site. If you have any stories to share please contact our researcher in the area at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.