It was a crisp Autumn weekend. 

The sun shone brightly and I slight breeze blew as an incredibly frightening event took place-

I supervised my teenage daughter and four of her closest friends for a weekend in Niagara Falls to celebrate her ‘Sweet 16’. 

We packed into a rented Mini Van (THE HORROR) and drove from Windsor all the way to Niagara for a fun filled weekend. Instead of buying lavish gifts, or throwing a party… the intent was to let our teenager make memories with her friends that will last a life time- and that is exactly what we did.

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The weather was an incredible gift- perfect for walking around and taking photos. The crowds were practically non- existent for typical Niagara Falls tourism- and the lack of people was most excellent. (I hate crowds) I gleefully strolled up Clifton Hill with my group of teens and didn’t have to dodge other humans- I was able to go to Starbucks and grab a latte without waiting in line… at all.

It was delightful.

We took the day as we wanted, with only a loose schedule that went something like this:

‘We are eating lunch here, checking into the hotel at this time and have to leave for Niagara On The Lake by 7pm so we can take our Ghost Tour at 8:30pm.’

This is where our story really takes a fun turn. 

(Before I continue with our story- let me share that Niagara On The Lake is considered one of the most haunted towns in Canada- there is well recorded history of the town that goes hand in hand with many haunted events- which makes it one of the most interesting places to visit and stay for those of us who are intrigued by the paranormal) 

Weeks earlier, I had booked a Ghost Tour with ‘The Ghost Walks’ of Niagara On The Lake.

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In my house, we are huge fans of taking Ghost Tours on our travels- even if you are a skeptic- they are well worth checking out- if not for the ghosts, than for the haunted tales, the macabre true stories of past events, a glimpse back into history and the architecture.

In the past I have taken ghost tours of Ottawa, Kingston, Fort George, The Jennie Wade House (Gettysburg, PA) and now Niagara- On- The- Lake and while I have enjoyed them all- I have to say that this was the first time I have ever witnessed multiple ‘interesting’ events while taking a tour.

The tour meets at their head quarters and set out in groups, all timed so we aren’t all in the same location at once.

We were ‘Group Number 5’ of the evening, and our guide was the exceptional Sir Lawrence who was not only an incredibly fun guide, and bless him. because he was extremely patient with my curious and super excited group of teen girls who were leading the pack.

(P.S. During one discussion at a location- my teen coined the phrase ‘Maximum Ghostage’ while discussing Ghost Hunting Apps- and that really needs to catch on)

The tour had us walking around the downtown and side streets, down to Lake Ontario- filling us in on the history of the town, the war of 1812 and personal stories that can actually be traced back in history.

(Did you know that one restaurant in Niagara On The Lake is the site of an actual Vatican Approved Exorcism?… I want to go eat there next time I am in town) 

One of the things that is encouraged is to take photos of the locations- for you never know what will appear on film.

As we walked through the town, night had fallen, the breeze had leaves skittering down the quiet street. Skunks and raccoons had sauntered out of their homes, surprising us with their lack of awareness of the humans roaming about, the animals were going about their business like we weren’t even there.

The air had a nip to it, but the moon shone bright and it was the ideal setting for a night filled with spooky tales. 

We were brought to one particular location- and as we gathered around the stunning old Victorian Home (as seen in my Feature Photo), Sir Lawrence warned us that things that can happen here- she (the ghost) isn’t shy with the tour groups or anyone who bothers with her house. A woman apparition has been seen in the windows or walking through the house- and she apparently doesn’t like having her photo taken because many tours typically experience problems with their phones and cameras.

He barely said the words: “She doesn’t like flash photography” before everyone raised their cameras to test that theory.

Not even a minute later a woman in our group caught a very clear image of a woman in the upper left window. She showed it to my teens, who started to freak and take more photos. They were determined to capture something on their own devices… (As was I) 

Suddenly one of my girls had her phone go from fully charged, to no battery life at all. 

At the exact same time, my daughter went to take a photo and the photo came up nothing but a blur, she tried again-  and her phone just shut off! As she stared at it, dumbfounded at the black screen and while the cell lay in her hand- it suddenly turned back on.

She hadn’t pressed anything.  

My phone? Suddenly the flash wasn’t working and every time I ‘fixed’ it so it would flash- the damn flash would turn off as I went to take the photo- I didn’t need to press anything- it would suddenly show the flash icon go to ‘no flash’ as my finger hovered. It happened more than once and I actually had witnesses watch me fiddle with it, fix it and then it would happen again!! Any photo that I was able to take, with the house suddenly lit up -was due to someone else who’s flash was actually working (and we happened to be taking the photo at the same time) My flash remained toast for that part of the tour and worked again at another location-

Strange right?

 

(I went back to the hotel completely baffled, fiddle with my phone camera and the flash was working again- I still am perplexed by what happened) 

But the coolest thing? One of my teens took a series of photos of the house and upon enhancing them- in the exact same window that the other lady had taken a photo of a female apparition- well… I will let the photo speak for itself:

Photo by Ada
Zoomed In
Zoomed In More
Enhanced Photo to show figure

I have seen the series of photos- that include more than the photo I just shared- (I do not have all of them at the moment) and it is pretty cool to see the movement across the window suddenly become what looks to be a woman (yelling) at us. (Think about it- we were the fifth tour to pass by the place that evening- chances are that she was one pissed off spirit)  The fact that more than once person took such a photo at the same time, in the exact same window? AMAZING. (I am actually kicking myself for not introducing myself to the woman and exchanging info so I could try and share with you all) 

You can be skeptical. You can debunk. I am not here to convince you of the afterlife or not, I am simply sharing our personal experiences and the possibility that the figure caught on camera is more than a simple trick of the mind.

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Having things happen at this house was so incredibly cool to us, that the next day- before we drove all the way back to Windsor- my daughter and friends asked if we could take the scenic route home, through Niagara On The Lake so they could visit the old home we had visited the night before to take photos of the place in the daylight.

Being ‘The Cool Mom’ that I am, we did exactly that- and guess what? One of the girls had her perfectly good phone malfunction AGAIN but this time she couldn’t get her service working again for half an hour. 

(The ONLY time she had phone trouble was in front of this house. Coincidence?) 

Another thing to note: While I am still going over my photos- I visited The Ghost Walks Facebook page, was scrolling and came across a photo that was taken of the Apothecary (one of the stops on the tour) and I did a double take and ran for my cell phone.

Several weeks ago, someone had posted a photo of an alleged apparition and compared it to a photo that they took after the first photo, and the alleged apparition was no longer there.

I had taken the exact same sequence of photos, several weeks later and caught THE EXACT thing.

I had originally debunked the weird figure as a reflection from someone on my tour (or something in the storage, possible a lit building in the background) – but now I am not sure.

Please Note: I do not have the photo from the other person to compare (it’s not mine so I do not have the rights to publish) however,  I can show you the two photos I took in sequence and you can come to your own conclusions:

Image 1 -Look at the door on the left
Image 2 -Suddenly it’s gone?

Here is my first photo enhanced:

It still blows my mind that someone else caught an extremely similar figure and photo weeks before I did. 

I’ve gone from debunking my Apothecary photo completely, to leaving my mind open. The next time I am in Niagara On The Lake- I will try taking the same photos and see what happens- but I am not going to rule anything out yet. Truth be told, I wish I had access to that particular place because I would storm into it and throw the door open…I want to know what is behind the door! (I’m a bit crazy like that)

The day was a lot of jam packed fun, the night full of intrigue and excitement and the weekend was an overall success!

On the drive home, I asked the girls what the best part of the trip had been for each of them- they told me the same response:

The Ghost Walks on Niagara On The Lake. 

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It was an incredibly fun weekend, even for an old mom like me tagging along. 

So if ever you are looking for a fun thing to do, whether it is vacation in Niagara Falls or take a weekend or day trip to Niagara On The Lake- Set up a tour with The Ghost Walks, take your own pictures and you never know what you will learn, what you will see and what experience you may have!

(They also run tours in Hamilton and Toronto and they can certainly expect to see us again!)

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Authors Note: I am not affiliated in any way with The Ghost Walks – and my review and recommendations of their tour are based on my own personal experience as a paying customer. We were not given anything in exchange for review. 

Photos

Photo Credit of the Lady in the Window: Ada (Thank you for permission to share) 

Photos ©TheyOnceCalledHerPumpkin

Note: If you are into Haunted Tourism- Please keep in mind to respect the rights and privacy of owners of the homes and establishments as not to harass them. Take professionally guided tours, do your own research, read books, learn from history- but never bother the owners, staff or family members unless they answer an open call to be interviewed.