BOOKS
Haunted Niagara
(currently being written)
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BOOKSHaunted Niagara(currently being written) |
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Niagara is said to be the most haunted region of Canada and for over 25 years now I have been collecting these stories and others. During a period of unemployment I decided to dig out my notes on the history and tales of some of the popular tourist sites to some of the hidden locations of the area's ghost stories. Within this book you'll find an assortment of phantoms from Black Dogs to Will 'o' Wisps, stories to put a smile on your face or a chill up your spine.
The old Grand Trunk Railway Tunnel is now popularly called "The Blue Ghost Tunnel" because of a ghostly blue image that appears on photographs. Still in as good of shape as when it was first constructed in the 1870s, this 665-foot long tunnel once allowed trains to pass under the old 3rd Welland Canal (1881-1933) until abandoned in 1915.
Fort George was constructed to defend the mouth of the Niagara River. Unfortunately the fort was so poorly designed and in the wrong location that during the War of 1812 the British and Canadians had to abandoned the fort to engage the invading American army. Restored in the 1930s this popular tourist attraction hosts ghost tours during the summer that claim frequent sightings (even I have had an encounter).
The old Indian Trail Marker Tree was an elm that stood beside Thorold Townline Road until chopped down in 1984. Bent into its eerie shape by the former Natives of the region to act as a sign post, legend has it that their spirits used to gather here.
Macklem House was built by Dr Thomas Macklem, a member of Chippewa's founding family in the 1850s. Until the building was destroyed by fire in 1930, it enjoyed a colourful history from being a place where Dr Macklem autopsied corpses to being a smugglers' den.
The old Port Dalhousie Gaol (North America's 2nd smallest jail) was where rowdy drunken sailors slept it off till their shipmates collected them in the morning. The 2 cells may be gone however one prisoner apparently never left.
The Queens Hotel was the place to stay back in the days when Ridgeway was the hub of the old Bertie Township. A popular drinking spot till torn down in the 1960s to be replaced by a Beer Store, the stories handed down include one ghost.
The Screaming Tunnel was constructed for a railroad line that would never be laid. Instead it allows hikers on the Bruce Trail to pass beneath the existing CN railway line. Two popular legends explain the origin of the ghost said to scream whenever a match is lit within the tunnel at night.
The Morgan-Neff log cabin (c1841) got around before ending up as the first of a collection of historic buildings at the Marshville Heritage Village in Wainfleet. Yet a century ago when this early home originally stood by Morgan's Point it had a spooky reputation.
Bertie Hall in Fort Erie today houses the Mildred Mahoney Dollhouse Collection as well as a display in the basement commemorating the building's role in the Underground Railroad. Not only is this unique museum haunted but so is a 1924 dollhouse on display. |
You never know what you might find in the Niagara Region; you could dig a pond and find Mammoth skeleton, go nut gathering and find the remains of some long forgotten W.W.I soldier, or fall down a hill drunk and wake up in a cave of Native treasures. Myself, I once sat on a rock and discovered a long forgotten cemetery and a mystery. Tales of buried treasure and other mysteries abound in Niagara, in this planned 2nd book are also stories of witches, shipwrecks and my personal favourite, sea serpents.
Jordan Historical Museum and the gravestones of Nancy High. After I found the first gravestone the museum staff later unearthed several others. But why does Nancy High have two?
The Split Rock according to Native legend was split by a lightning bolt hurled by the Creator acting on the prayers of a Neutral maiden to free her Seneca lover who was chained to the rock. 
Lowbanks Cemetery along the shore of Lake Erie not only contains the earthly remains of past local residents but also reputedly buried here is a mysterious treasure. 
The Comfort Maple, Canada's largest Sugar Maple tree, has stood for more than 650 years in a small park just outside the village of North Pelham. |
Battle of Ridgeway Museum is located on the site of the only Irish-American victory during the Fenian Raids (1866-72). 
Fort Erie Railroad Museum is composed of two historic railroad stations, a steam engine, etc. 
The Clarence Street Liftbridge is one of the few operating vertical liftbridges left along the Welland Canal. It is the southern most bridge in Port Colborne. 
Mohawk Island Lighthouse (constructed in 1845) has been abandoned since the last keeper and his son perished in an ice storm while rowing for shore in 1933. Today the island is a bird sanctuary and home to thousands of gulls, cormorants, etc.  |
Scott Baltjes has assisted on the following books by Robert Livesey:
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Available from Little Brick Schoolhouse Publications, www.littlebrick.com.
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