Prior to 2013, which was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, I barely thought of the paranormal. I believed that spirits lingered and would often wonder what happens after death. However, I never ghost hunted or thought about getting equipment for it. During the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, I experienced the first hand accounts of ghost hunting the Orphanage, Jennie Wade House, and the Grove around town. I found the stories to be quite interesting, captured numerous obs and possibly a figure in the mist. However, that camera has died and no picture exists of my experience. As I left Gettysburg, I figured there were more places exists.
During this time, I was working outside Toronto, Canada, on a work visa. In my free time, I visited locations around the Golden Horseshoe that was plentiful with waterfalls and older buildings from the War of 1812 across the Niagara Peninsula. Multiple waterfalls in this area were created by the Ice Age retreating and had ghosts stories within most of them ranging from cars flying off the cliffs, suicidal dives, and British/American folklore from the War of 1812. I often visited the following sites, and found that they too have paranormal stories from the past:
- Fort Mississauga – Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada
- Fort George – Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada
- Old Fort Niagara – Youngstown, New York, United States
- Albion Falls – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Shown below is the picture you can take from a lookout point from outside the fort looking back into the fort. Fort George was a strong-position to have along the coast of Lake Erie near Niagara-on-the-Lake during the War of 1812. This fort, today, is somewhere you can explore during the day and night. Ghost tours are given often, more so around Halloween. My girlfriend, now my wife Holly, went on one of their ghost tours. During the tour, we both felt something tugging on our pant legs, below the knee. Find out from the tour-guide, that there is a young child, below the age of 10, that lurks around groups hoping to have one of them being their mother or father that was at the fort. Maybe she thought it was us. We felt a cold presence within the hallway in the original building within the fort. That picture is shown below as well.
Along the shoreline to the west of this fort, is another fort called Fort Mississauga. This fort is in the middle of the 5-star design that most American forts had during the War of 1812. Another such fort is Fort McHenry outside Baltimore, Maryland. Other than the lighthouse portion of the fort, the rest of the area has been lost to history.
On a site note, this fort is within the grounds of the “Niagara on the Lake Golf Club“. The golf club consists of a nine hole course, which was founded in 1875, and is the oldest golf course in North America. Enjoy if you can, since the 8th hole green hasn’t changed in over 150 years!
