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In 1997 when we first started looking into ghosts in the Niagara area, I wrote an e-mail and Kyle Upton sent me this response to a request for information about Fort George where he still conducts the spectacular Ghost Tours...
Hmmmmm... anything on the phenomena on the site... where do I start?
Fort George was the headquarters for the British military in Niagara
during the War of 1812. It saw active service, was bombarded and
destroyed, rebuilt, and then left fall into ruin after the war. The
town of Niagara-on-the-Lake was not only turned into a battlefield
during the war, but also put to the torch as the Americans retreated
back to the States. I have worked at the Fort (during the day) for about
10 years, and five years ago I started running the ghost tours, drawing
upon stories of past staff members, visitors and residents of the area.
Before too long, I could use stories of my own experiences on the tours
as well as those of tour participants.
PHENOMENA:
Lets see, haunting phenomena of all descriptions: rapping, knocking,
cold spots, footsteps, moaning, crying, scents and strange breezes.
Apparitional phenomena:
...a little girl who follows the tour around, a
woman in and out of a antique mirror, another woman in another building,
an old man, a scary silhouette, a man in white and a man in a red cloak
(these are just the repeated sightings that I can isolate from the other
personalities, there are a whole lot more that could be one
of these, or something different).
Phantom phenomena (as in seemingly not aware of the surroundings):
...a guard on the wall (or, more precisely, half a guard).
Psychic phenomena:
...overwhelming feelings of terror, sorrow, anguish
and nausea.
Psychokinetic phenomena:
...piano playing, furniture moving, doors
shutting, doors opening, poking, playing with people's hair and violent
poltergeist phenomena (I'm pretty sure I was the focus, so don't blame
the ghosts for this one).
And the newest: November 1st during the 10:30pm tour, as we exited from the Fort, a
psychic was chased by a gang (she claims 40, I never saw more than five or six)
of fuzzy edged, misty-like apparitions who then stayed around as we took
pictures (I haven't heard whether the pictures show anything, only three of
the four of us saw anything). I've seen these guys before, but not in that
area, and I think that they're a 'come watch the nervous live people'
tour group from the other side -- you never know.
Well, how's that for a taste? I don't make up the stories, I don't have
to. I don't believe everything I hear, but I do believe everything I
tell.
We cannot recommend more highly the tours at the fort and all the staff that run them have some stories to tell of their own as well as those tested, tried and true ones from the regular tours. If you're in the area, stop by. Visit his website at http://niagara.ontarioghosts.org/.
The following is from our June 2001 Road Trip to Niagara...
At 6:30pm, we all met in the parking lot at Fort George, (a walk away from Niagara-on-the-Lake's main strip,) and the idea WAS to eat a small potluck meal and head into the fort but "Crabby Joe's" had done such a wonderful job of filling us, it was pretty much a "relax and lay on the grass" kind of moment.
At the appointed hour, Kyle and Mark (another ghost-tour guide,) walked up to us and welcomed us and three extra visitors to the fort for this GHRS private and extended ghost tour.
For over three hours, Kyle shared his tales as we wandered, took photographs, had recording devices going and generally "enjoyed" the atmosphere of this impressive reconstruction. Although the plan was for Kyle to tell us the story and then give us time for photos and our own look around, the enthusiasm and energy of the night was such that several people wandered about regardless. It's sad for those folks, though, as they missed Kyle's impressive abilities to tell a REALLY good story!
By the time of getting to the tunnel, however, most people were enjoying what Kyle had to say and were enraptured with his tales of the fort. Aside from one person's inability to understand that a powerful flashlight need only be flashed onto the chest of a person you wished to address as opposed to the face (and therefore the eyes,) everything went VERY well! (Don't get me wrong, this person was not being malicious, just new to late-night investigations!)
Now, from what I have gathered, most people enjoyed Kyle's stories and the tour and almost all said they planned to come back for the normal 90 minute affair BUT overall Ireland House had affected the majority more than any other place. This, however, is not the case in your humble correspondent's (Matthew Didier's) views of what happened to himself.
While inside the officers quarters and standing beside Mark, the other guide, near the Junior Officer's bedrooms listening to Kyle discuss the haunted mirror, (for those who were there, there's a GREAT story about the pianoforte that Kyle tells in his book,) I noted Mark was anxiously looking behind himself into the pitch dark of the sleeping quarters. After turning his head to look in several times, I offered him "The Intruder", my enormous Mag Lite, to look in and see whatever it was, he whispered in my ear, "I'm a little deaf but do you hear something moving in there?"
I admitted I had not but after switching places (to get a better "ear" view?) I listened waiting to hear the movements. A few minutes passed and I did indeed hear the sound of cloth or fabric being moved about. I admitted that I finally had heard it but it was obviously the wind blowing the sheets and curtains around.
It's about that time, Mark brought me up to speed and reminded me of something... The Officer's quarters are the home of many of the fort's more valuable antique items and is therefore sealed from the elements. The windows do not open.
Breaking with my own rule of trying to NOT take pictures during Kyle's speeches, I poked my head inside the doorway and quickly took about four pictures. More on this later...
"Matthew's Note": These images revealed nothing, I'm afraid.
We finished the three hour tour (hmmm... shades of Gilligan's Islands?) and were comparing feelings and stories while some did a "bathroom run". We had decided after that workout, the pot-luck lunch would be PERFECT for a midnight snack and a few made there way back to the parking lot.
It was then, I remembered my first experience at Fort George and wanted to take a picture of the area for the website. Okay, I know this has been LONG winded but I'm going to have to take you back AGAIN almost three years to Kyle, Sonja, my friend Mike and his wife Val, myself and a band of YTV people doing a shot on the ghosts of the fort. YTV had brought us in for affect more than anything which was fine with us, (no interview, no cameras on us and the fort, more or less, to ourselves!)
Please remember, I was just starting out the GHRS then!
Kyle was YTV's main interest and therefore his wife, Sonja, was stuck baby sitting us and while we waited for "who knows what", we got a VERY extended tour by Sonja for ourselves which included a lot of relaxing in the staff quarters.
Sadly for me, at about 2:30am, I ran out of film and realized that my spare rolls were in my friends car. (It was this incident more than any other that prompted the first purchase of the original "Black Bag of Death" in which I carry loads of extra film, tapes and batteries.) Even though I was not scared and sensed no "ghostly" elements, I realized that without the aid of a flashlight, I needed to stroll about 200 yards in pitch dark out of the fort and another 60 yards to the car to retrieve the precious film.
HOPING I wouldn't have to play brave, I told Mike, "Dude, I'm out of film and need to go to your car." hoping he would pick up on this subtle cry for company. NOPE! He flipped me the keys and I was on my own.
Realistically, I had TWO options. One was be brave and sally forth with confidence in my own abilities to brave the unknown and the second was to admit that I was scared senseless and meekly ask for assistance.
Guess which I did?
While walking to the gate alone, passing the first blockhouse and losing what little ambient light I had from the crew filming at the far end of the fort, I felt an overwhelming sense of panic and increased my pace. By the time I arrived at the gate, I was in a full sprint.
No, nothing got me and on my way to the car, I quietly chastised myself for silly fear!
I got to the car, loaded my film and then with a sense of "oh crap", I realized I now had to make the return journey.
While walking towards the main gates of the fort, another, different feeling got to me. The only way to describe it is the same feeling a kid gets on his way to the principal's office for being naughty. Just pure dread. About sixty feet out from the gate, again, I came to my senses!
"Matthew, you MORON! Your walking up a dark path towards a FORT! It's not SUPPOSED to feel like walking into a country inn, it's been DESIGNED to scare and intimidate! Look at those tall pointed stakes that make up the wall! There are also TWO cannons (hmmm... I think they're the big 32 pounders to boot!) facing you on either side in the bastions! You big goof! You're feeling dread because you're SUPPOSED to feel dread!"
I felt much better. It all made sense and I strolled forward, laughing at my own stupidity!
By this point, YTV was done with Kyle and the four folks that didn't get a paycheque from YTV were gathered by the fence near the officers quarters. I laughingly told Kyle about my trip OUT to the car. He interrupted me...
"The only time we've known of someone getting knocked down by a ghost is where you started running."
Hmm... I figured that was more coincidental than anything so I laughingly told him about my trip back with the long pointed logs and two cannons.
"Are you sure it was THAT bastion?" Kyle asked.
"Yup!" I cheerfully replied.
It was then he told me that there was no cannon there and to boot, Sonja had seen her first "ghost(s)" at the same site. A gun crew with cannon.
That phased me. I had only seen the cannon but I'd seen it well enough to "calibrate" it if you will. I'd noted it's size. 32 pound shot.
Now, jumping BACK to June, 2001!
Folks are going back to their cars and food is being served, I am waiting for Jennifer and Elizabeth (my sister and my niece,) who are waiting for the return of a couple of flashlights used for people using the "facilities" and I decide to take a picture of the bastion "with no gun" from the path.
Alone and as of now, VERY unafraid of the dark and the fort's elements, I stand getting ready for my camera's flash to engage. Suddenly, I see someone who was a little under six-foot with curly hair (only in shadows,) coming towards me. At first, I think it's one of my group and lower my arms to greet them and tell them what I'm up to but no one is there. I write it off as odd and bring the viewfinder back up to my eyes. The figure re-emerges heading towards me at a quick pace on my right. Again, I'm perplexed and my flash is finally giving me the green light but as the figure rapidly gets to about (I'd reckon,) five feet away from me (and probably no less than a two second delay in colliding with me,) I take a step back, watching my "auto-focus" lights going mad obviously trying to compensate for this person's "shadow" approaching me, and CLICK-FLASH! get my picture as I stumble two steps back to allow them to pass at their fast walking pace except... no one was there.
Below is the picture I snapped. Not much to look at BUT it is interesting in one way... Obviously, the image does NOT show the bastion and was auto-focused close to me as there is nothing discernable to the front of the picture. Click on the image to see the larger, full scale image.
It could have been a bat or something but I got the DISTINCT impression of a person not "running" towards me but walking VERY quickly and with purpose towards me and yes, it unsettled me a LOT!
I ran back, told Jennifer who seemed less than impressed by my actions because a bit of a humorous play was in the process of being acted out. Not to tell tales TOO far out of school but Mark, the intrepid ghost-tour guide and daytime interpreter was waffling. He did NOT want to go to turn out the one remaining light inside the fort by himself. Sadly, when he asked for company initially, too many people wanted to go back with him so he decided against it.
Apparently, an odd "glow" (described as looking as if a fire was burning in the officer's quarters fireplace,) was seen by Mark, Jennifer and Elizabeth. Mark has reasons for not liking to visit the officer's quarters alone in the dark and I'll cover those in a second.
Finally, he was FORCED to enter by himself borrowing two "ticklers" (Mini-Mag Lites) for his sojourn.
After a time, I realized he was REALLY late in coming back, I poked my head around the enormous gate of the fort and there was Mark... standing at the end of the path looking at the officer's quarters.
"Mark! You okay there, big-guy?" I yelled.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Wanna come with me?"
He didn't get into why he had a fear of the quarters 'til later but I went in, turned off the lights and bid an adieu and a thank you to the ghosts in the quarters as Mark and I ventured back to the parking lot to partake in some (as of now,) much needed food.
It was too bad that most people either left or didn't pay attention to Kyle and Mark in the parking lot. As I've often said, the BEST stuff always comes out AFTER hours and during the "burn down". A few people heard Mark's stories and those of us that did, laughed VERY hard. Mark, it turns out, is a former non-believer but Fort George was his epiphany.
The stories he told are recounted in Kyle's book, Niagara's Ghosts at Fort George but to hear it from the source... Oh, this was PRICELESS! I don't want to tell all of Kyle's tales but this one had me in stitches so I hope he doesn't mind me paraphrasing it here...
Fort George had recently acquired some new artifacts and antiques and Mark and a co-worker had spent the early evening arranging the new furniture and stuff in the officer's quarters. They retired to the staff blockhouse, (off limits to the general public,) and although Mark, like myself, is a bit temperate, his coworker did have a "couple" for the night.
During the evening, they noticed a strange "green glow" in the officer's quarters and went in to investigate. They found all their furniture arranging and the new artifacts had been "mysteriously" moved. Both men surmised it had been a trick played on the by fellow workers and simply laughed, re-arranged everything back and retired to the outside of the building.
It wasn't long before the green glow returned and assuming they would catch the would-be joker in the act, they burst into the officer's quarters to watch the items moving, apparently, all by themselves.
Mark made a point of re-iterating that this was FURNITURE and was not something easily moved by wind.
So, with this sight to greet them what did they do??? What else! Ran out of the fort to the police station and told the cops.
On hearing this story, I burst into laughter. My comment was "Oh yeah, THEY can help!" His response was that the local constabulary was wondering what they'd been smoking. Since only one of the two was drinking, the cop at the desk begrudgingly decided to check it out and back to the fort they went.
Worried about the new artifacts, the two brave guardsmen handed the cop a list of the new items at the gate and bravely stayed put outside the fort as the police officer wandered in with keys and the papers.
Mark said...
"In the time it takes a normal person to walk from the gate to the building only," the cop frantically returned, thrust the paper and the keys into my [Mark's] hands and said...
"I don't know what's doing that or why but when it's done, my advice is to LEAVE it the way it like's it! ...and if anyone asks, I was never here."
The policeman left in a hurry and never returned.
I told Mark after he shared a few more GREAT stories to those few of us intrepid ghost enthusiasts who had now become determined to stay past "The Witching Hour" that when I came back, it may be specifically to take the tour as given by Mark. I like Kyle and his tours are my faves but it was obvious to me that Mark's tour is also more than worth the price of admission.
Update - June 2002
I'm VERY happy to report that the bond that exists between the GHRS and many of the fort's in Ontario is as strong as ever and that once again, several times this year we've been back to Fort Erie, Fort York, Fort Mississauga and Fort Welington inculding our late-night investigation at Fort George in May 2002 that yielded little in the way of ghostly reports.
We found ourselves back at Fort George in mid-June assisting a film crew do a documentary on the ghosts of the Fort (we were not on camera but were there for "moral support") and an experience happened to Sue Darroch (a researcher with the GHRS and director of ParaResearchers, Chris who is one of the ghost tour guides and one of the crew from the documentary.
Details will be on ParaResearcher's website shortly but in a nutshell, the crewman was packing up his cables in the largest barracks (home to a ghost nicknamed "Irving" by the fort's staff) when he heard a very strange knocking. On investigation, it seems that this knocking might have been an animal trapped (or making it's home) in between the boards of the barracks which Sue and Chris discovered making the noise.
While waiting to come back into the area that the crewman was in, both Sue and Chris (at different times but within a few seconds) experienced a cold chill pass "through" them. In Sue's terms, the delay between Sue and Chris experiencing this was very interesting as it was at about the right rate of speed for a person to walk from one of them to the next and although Sue was the first "hit", she refrained from sharing the experience until Chris gasped and then felt the chill.
In good spur-of-the-moment investigative skill, Sue let Chris tell her his experience that moment before comparing hers and yes, they seem to match.
Was Irving making himself known? Sort of saying "Yes, that WAS a racoon knocking about but I'm STILL here"? Maybe...
Click Here for the continuation of our Fort George reports...
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