The Museum of the Paranormal in Niagara on the Lake houses several creepy items including a doll named Lizzie. Niagara on the Lake is known as Canada's most haunted town. (BOB TYMCZYSZYN/QMI AGENCY)
When the cool breezes of Fall fan our faces, it's a sure sign that it's time to check out some of the Niagara's mysteries.
Take, for instance, the Screaming Tunnel in Niagara Falls. Located on Warner Rd. just off Garner, this spooky spot will send shivers up your spine.
The stone walls of the dark tunnel keep it cold and unfriendly. It is said to be haunted by a young girl who may have died there. Stories, repeated over the years, tell of a farmhouse that once stood near the end of the tunnel.
It caught fire and a young girl ran screaming from the house into the tunnel because her clothing had ignited. She died in the tunnel. Local folklore says if you stand in the middle of the tunnel and light a wooden match, you will hear a scream and the match will extinguish.
Would you believe that Niagara actually has a museum dedicated to the paranormal? In fact, it is appropriately located in one of Canada's oldest towns, Niagara-on-the- Lake (NOTL), also coined as Canada's Most Haunted Town.
On a recent visit to 118A Queen St. with friends, the staff informed us the building itself is believed to be haunted. Doors have opened on their own, and loud crashes and the laughter of a child have been heard. Cathy Lechniak, known to the locals as H.H. Mum (Haunted Hamilton Mum), greeted us as we entered this historic building at the end of a cobblestone path.
It was once a blacksmith shop and the smithy "William" and his daughter have never left. The daughter was standing near the fireplace when a spark ignited her clothing. She died from her burns.
For $7 (seniors $6, children $4), you can visit the second floor and study a collection of artefacts related to the paranormal. A series of photographs in which ghostlike apparitions have been captured are on display. The eyes on an antique doll named Lizzie, have been seen to move by some visitors.
Among the oddities in the small upstairs room is Boris the tarantula. Fortunately, he spends his days in a cage.
It is believed by some that the War of 1812 has had a major influence on the town of NOTL. Evidence of paranormal activity is abundant.
The Haunted Hamilton Group, which set up the Paranormal Museum in April of 2011, also offers nightly ghost walks, from June to the end of October.
The winter schedule (November to March) provides tours Friday to Sunday nights. The walking tours, led by entertaining story tellers, are $13 (children $5).
Two streets east of the museum is the Olde Angel Inn (224 Regent St.), where guests frequently hear loud noises in the dead of night. Some locals claim this inn, with roots stretching back to the 1790s, is the most haunted location in NOTL.
Staff and guests believe the paranormal activity there is the work of British soldier Captain Colin Swayze, who was killed in the cellar during the war. The food must be good at the inn because it's always packed at meal times. Dine with the ghosts if you dare.
The entire Niagara region is considered one of the top locations in Ontario for spooky spots.
Certainly it has been recognized that the oldest British fort in Ontario (Old Fort Erie), built in 1764 and the location of the bloodiest battlefield in the country, is also the site of many paranormal experiences.
While the fort is closed during the winter, the Old Bank Bistro (41 Jarvis St.) is not.
This restaurant is in the old part of Fort Erie. Besides serving hot meals to visitors, it remains home to Richard Baxter, the owner and manager of what was once the Sterling Bank.
He died in 1926, but an abundance of spirit activity has occurred since, suggesting he is still greeting customers and holding staff meetings. So much so, that representatives of the Paranormal Investigations Society of Toronto travelled here in the spring of 2011 to further their research into the spirit world.
Visit the Old Bank in Fort Erie (open Monday to Saturday). Peter Koutroulakis and his staff will be happy to tell you about their spooky experiences.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment