Menu     Home News Awards Email A to M     Stats     Bookmark     Click HERE to Bookmark Haunted Ontario Halloween     Niagara On The Lake       Angel Inn 224 Regent St. Built: 1815 Haunted: 1820s History In 1789, The Harmonious Coach House was built where the Angel Inn stands today. During the war of 1812, Captain Swayze (a British soldier) took temporary refuge in the Inn's cellars. It is believed that he returned to visit his sweetheart, Euretta the barmaid. Surprised by American soldiers, Swayze hid in a wine barrel, only to be murdered with a bayonette thrust. Not long after, during the American retreat, the Inn was burned to the ground (along with much of the city). In 1815, the Inn was rebuilt by John Ross and renamed the Angel Inn. During the late 1800s, the name was changed to The Mansion House, to Fraser's Hotel, and then back to the Angel Inn. Hauntings A newspaper clipping from the 1820s includes reports of footsteps from the darkened dining room, the clinking of glasses, laughter, conversation, and the rearranging of table settings. More recently, one of the owners awoke to a tremendous thrashing outside his bedroom, only to find that the heavy horseshoe he'd nailed to a post had been flung onto the floor, 20 feet from its post. The sounds of footsteps and male laughter are still heard in the dining room, along with fife & drum music in an upstairs bedroom. Apparitions include well-dressed ladies and gentlemen, along with a red-coated man, usually seen in the mirror of the ladies room (which is located next to the cellar where Captain Swayze met his end). Chairs have been propelled across the room, dishes rattle noisily in the cupboard, and kegs of American beer . . . tend to malfunction. Further Reading The Olde Angel Inn Dave Johnson, "Ghost Tours," Port Colbone Tribune September 23, 2000 Steffani Lovie, "Halloween Hauntings," Niagara Falls Review October 28, 1995 Kim Morphew, "Ghost a welcome guest at Canada's oldest inn," Niagara Falls Review May 4, 1993 Fort George Queen Street Built: 1797 Haunted: unknown History In 1796, the British began work on Fort George, on the opposite shore of the Niagara River from the American Fort Niagara. Completed in 1802, Fort George housed the British army, local militia, and the Indian Department. In May of 1813, the fort was destroyed by artillery fire and captured by the Americans. They used the fort as a base for invading Upper Canada, but were forced to retreat after the battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams. The fort was retaken by British forces in December and partially rebuilt. After the war, the fort was abandoned in favour of Fort Mississauga and Butler's Barracks. The fort that stands today was rebuilt in the 1930s by the Niagara Parks Commission, and is now maintained by Parks Canada. The stone Powder Magazine is the only surviving building from the original fort, and is the oldest military structure in Ontario. Hauntings Thanks largely to the efforts of Kyle Upton, tour guide and author of Niagara's Ghosts at Fort George, the fort has some of the best documented hauntings in Ontario. Apparitions inside the Blockhouses include that of a man walking across the upper floor; a grey haired, balding man peering out from behind the bunks; a man dressed in white, reclining upon one of four bunkbeds; a 9yr old girl, with shoulder-length curly blonde hair, wearing a white flowing gown; a child-like translucent hand on the railing of the stairs; and a Caucasian man with dark features standing in a ground-floor window. The Officer's Quarters are known for the apparition of a young lady with long, slightly curly hair, seen in an original silver backed, gilt framed mirror from the 1790s. Footsteps can be heard shuffling through the halls, doors open and close on their own, and display railing gates have unlatched and opened on their own. On Campbell's Bastion, the apparition of the upper half of a solider has been been patroling the perimiter, his musket held at the ready. Further Reading Fort George National Historic Site of Canada Cheryl Clock, "Haunted Niagara," St. Catharines Standard October 30, 2000 Grant Downey, "Spirits roam Fort George," Niagara Falls Review October 28, 2000 Dave Johnson, "Ghost Tours," Port Colbone Tribune September 23, 2000 Don Fraser, "Reporter still skeptical after harrowing night," St. Catharines Standard October 30, 1999 John Law, "The haunting of Fort George," Niagara Falls Review October 17, 1998 Hawley-Beckenridge House Mississauga Rd. Built: 1796 Haunted: 1899 History Originally built in 1796 as two separate buildings, subsequent rennovations merged the original buildings into the house that stands today. As a destination of the underground railroad, a number of freed slaves found their way through the house. Six of them are buried in the backyard. Hauntings A woman in a long grey dress, who dissappears like smoke, is just one of the apparitions seen here. A 30-ish, wasp-waisted woman, dressed in a long dress and bonnet, is glimpsed before dissappearing in the fireplace room, while a smoky figure can bee seen at the base of the stairs. The sound of the brass knocker on front door being rapped is not uncommon. Neither are the raps on the back door when nobody is there. Doors have been known to crash and bang when unwelcome guests are present. Further Reading Robert Preidt, "The ghost & Mr. Hawley," Hamilton Spectator February 23, 1991 Michael Clarkson, "Gentle Ghost Visits Niagara Home," St. Catharines Standard October 30, 1982 Niagara Apothecary 5 Queen Street Built: 1860 Haunted: unknown History Starting in in the late 1860s, the Niagara Apothecary operated here for over 100 years, under a succession of six different owners. When it closed in 1964, the Ontario Heritage Foundation restored the property and later opened it as a museum in 1971. It is believed to be the only surviving confederation period building in Ontario. Hauntings The sound of footsteps running up and down an enclosed staircase at the back of the building has been reported. As well, newspapers carefully placed over the steps have been disturbed by unseen footsteps. The odour of fresh flowers and beledona (deadly nightshade) has also been noticed, even though samples of beladona are no longer kept on the premises. Several cold spots have also been noticed. Further Reading "Ghostly Happenings at the Apothecary," Niagara Advance May 23, 1974 Links     Message Board Books Halloween Links N to Z     About Us     Haunted Ontario was first launched July 27th, 2000.