EXPLORE NIAGARA
HISTORY COMES ALIVE
Haunts of a National Historic Site In a community famed for its history, Fort George National Historic Site stands apart as perhaps the best-known and most visited. It’s a treasure. But what is less well known is that the fort’s palisades and earthen parapets contain more than just historical re-enactors and recreated buildings. Echoes of the souls of men, women and even children who resided here two centuries past linger within these walls. There are so many restless spirits that Fort George is considered one of the most haunted places in Canada and its ghost tours a perennial favorite among tourists. “There’s an unusual amount of ghostly activity in the fort, “says Kyle Upton of Ghost Tours of Fort George, which for the past two decades has been entertaining tourists with lantern-lit forays into the darkened fort. “Powerful, emotional experiences happened here—including fighting and devastation during the War of 1812—and that taints the area, staining the earth with that psychic residue.” “There are spectral horses, a door that appears at night but doesn’t exist during the light of day, shadowy soldiers, 44
Inspire Niagara & Beyond
By Andrew Hind
and an ethereal cat,” says Upton. “The fort is awash in spectral energy.” Turn down the lights and read on as we meet some of those spirits who are tethered to Fort George for eternity.
Sarah Ann The ghost of Sarah Ann, a young girl, is the most active and precocious of the spirits at Fort George. Over the years, Sarah Ann has been seen numerous times. Like a typical child, she’s cheerful, mischievous, innocent, and eternally playful. She’ll engage in games of peek-a-boo, hiding under beds and behind pillars, and giggling quietly to herself. Sometimes Sarah Ann will playfully tug on someone’s clothes and then run away so that the victim of the prank only sees a momentary glimpse of a bare-footed girl with shoulder-length curly blonde hair and a flowing white dress before she disappears. High-pitched giggling is frequently heard in the barracks, where Sarah Ann seems to spend most of her afterlife hours.
