from cia mind control experiments to villainous barons of industry the story of this mansion will
leave you on the edge of your seat hi everyone ken here welcome to this house today we are exploring
the mind-bending history of raven's crag make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never
miss an exciting episode of this house sir hugh allen became the wealthiest man in canada after
building up his father sandy allen's business the allen royal male steamships brought hundreds of
thousands of european immigrants to canada as the company grew sir hugh allen created his own bank
the merchants bank of canada and used the bank's money to expand his interest into mining
manufacturing communications and railways despite his success he was quickly becoming
the most despised man in canada he had gained a reputation for paying 10 year old kids just
one dollar per day to work in the mines he kept many of these kids in servitude for life as he
would deduct most of their wages for any and every mistake that they would make on the job site a mix
of industry pioneering and child labor extortion made him the wealthiest man in canada with his new
wealth he purchased 14 acres atop a mountain in montreal on which he would build his dream house
designed in the italian 8 style the 300 foot wide home would boast 34 rooms with a 75 foot tower
soaring above the clouds the mansion was clad in the heavily textured and rough montreal greystone
though many of the architectural elements were smoothened in sharp visual contrast
standing at the front door sir allen could see his ships arriving in the bay and on a clear day could
see the silhouetted mountains of vermont in the distance entering the home you would pass up a few
steps from the vestibule to the main hall complete with fluted columns with corinthian capitals
wayne scotting hugged the perimeter above the marble floors with a heavily ornamented plaster
ceiling soaring above the receiving room stretched from the main hall directing your view through the
rounded window out towards the estate's lavish gardens a fireplace sat recessed to one side in
a niche the drawing room with rococo influence was adorned with artisan plaster work and hand
stenciling on the walls and ceilings with dramatic corbels connecting the paneled walls to the freeze
two crystal chandeliers were suspended opposite each other the gilted mirror above the fireplace
reflecting light from the window set on the opposite wall the dining room staying
true to the italian eight style with appropriate doors and italianate fireplace had a mix of east
lake and louis xvi furnishings all set below a dramatically coffered ceiling the ballroom
once housed 300 guests for a ball in 1872 in an event that was meant to honor the governor-general
but this ball would be the last major event in the house as sir allen attempted to bribe government
officials for an advantage with his railways he was shunned from society and his wife lady matilda
allen would die in disgrace her funeral being held in the library just 18 months later in 1882 sir
allen died at his daughter's house while writing a letter sir allen's funeral was not a sad event he
had been a monster terrorizing the working class and corrupting the government with bribes he left
his entire estate to his son montagu in a state valued at eight million dollars or the modern day
equivalent of about 230 million dollars montague had just finished his studies in paris at the
young age of 22 years old he had never spent much time around his father and was nothing like him
he immediately began giving money to charities in 1885 he hosted his first ball for 240 guests he
became wildly popular for his generous deeds and was regarded as a lively and intelligent young
bachelor he went on to marry his good friend from childhood marguerite mckenzie also known
as martha who was described as having a taste for adventure and a mischievous sense of humor
the young couple reshaped the public's opinion of the allen family and reshaped the house itself by
adding on massive additions until the 34 room mansion would boast 72 rooms with over 53 000
square feet the massive house required a full-time live-in staff of 19 people who were paid 575
dollars per month or the modern-day equivalent of about nineteen thousand dollars per month montague
was considered to be one of the most generous and liked men in canada so it was especially sad when
tragedy struck the family during world war 1. in 1915 the allen's two youngest daughters drowned
when the lusitania was struck by a german torpedo their son hugh joined the royal naval air service
and was killed on his first combat mission just two years later in 1917 their only surviving child
fell victim to pneumonia devastated by the loss of their children and without an heir to leave their
fortune montague began selling his businesses and giving away his money to charities mostly dealing
with wounded and returning soldiers by 1938 the property taxes at raven's crag had climbed to
50 000 per year or the modern day equivalent of over one million dollars per year the couple now
aging were not interested in wasting their time attempting to sell the house they attempted to
donate it to several organizations being turned down several times due to the size of the home
after many rejections they successfully gifted the estate to the royal victoria hospital following
the donation in 1951 montague passed away with martha following him to the grave in 1957 they had
both passed away believing they had done one final last good deed helping those who were unwell with
a beautiful estate to recover in but they would be rolling in their graves had they known what would
happen next raven's crag had been serving as the allen memorial institute for psychiatric patients
since 1943 but later on in 1957 during the cold war it was infiltrated by the united states cia
as one of the many psychiatric hospitals from which they would run the top secret black budget
mind control experiments known as mk ultra using a combination of psychedelics electroshock therapy
and hypnosis the goal of mkultra was to develop techniques that could be used for mind control
and information gathering the program lasted until 1973 and details of mkultra were made
public after a 1975 congressional hearing was held to investigate the illegal acts of the cia
both in the united states and abroad it is unknown how many of the patients at the
hospital were unwilling participants in mk ultra but it could number in the hundreds most recently
raven's crag was used by mcgill university's department of psychiatry though much of the
mansion had been renovated over the years it still retained much of its original exterior appearance
which part of ravensgrag's history was the most shocking to you did you have a favorite room
let me know in the comments below while you're there make sure to hit that subscribe button so
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