The Imp of Clark Alley

History & local legend

In January 1880, York’s Clark Alley acquired a reputation for a spirit that could change its shape. The alley ran between Beaver and George streets.

Sometimes the apparition resembled a suspicious-looking man whom observers compared to a horse thief. At other times it appeared as an enormous liquor jug walking on two legs, or as a rolling beer barrel with a tap at each end. People reportedly chased those forms through the alley without catching them.

Another encounter involved a newsboy. As the ghost hunters approached, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a sheet of paper covered with writing they could not decipher.