JULY 26th, 2015
By LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
[Lana] Our original experience with the haunted tour phenomena was in Niagara-on-the-Lake nearly two years ago. I had never been to the former capital city (of what was known at the time as Upper Canada) and John wanted to return and visit some of the specialty shops anyways so we decided to give it a whirl. The following is the article as written shortly after the walk took place on October 19, 2013.
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[Lana] Let me first say that I have always been curious but leery of going on a haunted walk. Primarily, I suppose that I never really knew just what to expect. I was afraid of paying good money for this cheesy experience of just walking around town, led by some weirdo in a goofy period costume telling me boring stories of the town’s alleged hauntings while obnoxious people in the group with nothing better to do, ruining any smidgen of fun that might have been experienced.
[John] I must admit that my own feelings were similar. I had decided that this was for entertainment purposes only and had hoped that if nothing else, we would enjoy a nice evening with a guided walk about the town and maybe learn a wee bit of its history along the way.
[Lana] While every place has its own unique history, some locations are host to truly monumental events. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario falls into this category. The capital city of the area known as Upper Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake plays an enormous role in our country’s history, especially in regards to the War of 1812.
It is for this reason (and the fact that John was willing to go with me) that we decided to give this Ghost Walk a try. Unless our guide was totally inept then we would at least hear some interesting history and the area is absolutely gorgeous.
[John] Though my suspicion of the walk that we were going to try was that it would not necessarily be what we were looking for, I was more than happy to visit the town again. I never seem to spend much time there but always want to and while there, we may as well try on a new experience.
[Lana] We arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake in mid-afternoon so that we could look around before our 8:30 Walk was to begin. Other than the wineries that the area is known for, of which there are many, the city is home to a variety of specialty shops which we thought we would check out. One of our favourites shops being the strictly Christmas-oriented store aptly named Just Christmas. (For anyone interested in booking a similar trip I would suggest arriving much earlier than we did, as we didn’t allot nearly enough time for everything we wanted to see once we actually saw what the city had to offer.)
As the afternoon gave way to evening and we tried to decide which of the many restaurants to dine at, the atmosphere of the city seemed to change leaving the commercialism behind, taking on a more spiritual feel. Even the Shaw Café and Wine Bar had that eerie sensation you only get when you feel like you are being watched.
*Traveler’s note: reserve your table. These establishments get extremely busy incredibly quickly.
[John] There is a staircase in the Shaw Café that drew my attention quite a bit. It was the sort of feeling that made me want to stare at it but also made me want to turn away. I can’t say that I really felt someone on the stairs watching but it was a feeling similar to that. Intriguing and eerie at the same time.
[Lana] We finished our meal and proceeded to The Haunted Shop (for information and pre-ordering) to pick up our tickets. We were to be the third tour that night which gave us time to get coffee from the nearby Starbucks…a strong recommendation for a chilly autumn evening stroll.
[John] Slightly more than chilly and very damp. It was a wet cold night. Hot drinks were a must.
[Lana] As the time to commence grew closer, my excitement and trepidation grew as well. A seemingly meek gentleman came out to the group introducing himself as our guide for the evening, Daniel. He then informed us that he was not one of the regular guides but since the night was over-booked, they had asked if he could help out.
What were we getting ourselves into? Not only were we hesitant about the whole idea to begin with, but now we weren’t even sure if our guide would know what he was talking about.
[John] I was a bit nervous too but as I had decided I was there for the experience regardless of how it panned out, I remained open and was happy that I did.
[Lana] It didn’t take long for us to realize that, not only was Daniel competent, he was the star of the Walk. He knew every location we stopped at like the back of his hand and told us the history with equal parts drama and comedy. It was only after the tour ended that we found out Daniel Cumerlato is the founding partner of the whole operation.
Photo provided by Daniel Cumerlato
After this experience, I would definitely go on another Ghost Walk. I had a wonderful time and only hope to get another guide as invested in the experience as Daniel.
[John] Same here… it was a magnificent evening that truly did inspire a desire to try out more haunted-themed walks. Learning the history in this way was a lot of fun and sparked my imagination quite a bit. It was interesting to hear and see the reactions of other people in the group when Daniel would tell us the different stories. The incorporated history is exciting and whether or not you really believe the ghosty aspects, it is enjoyable. To be a storyteller in this way must be immediately gratifying… being able to entertain and possibly spook people while sharing the history of a beautiful and very historic town… oh how I wish I had a talent as such.
[Lana] I’m not going to ruin the fun for anyone who wants to take the tour but I would like to share a couple of my favourites (please skip the rest of this article if you want to be surprised by every stop on the walk).
The Olde Angel Inn is believed to be haunted by the spirit of Captain Swayze, a British officer who was chased into the basement by American soldiers and killed when they stabbed through the barrel he was hiding in. Reports say that footsteps can be heard in the washroom when no one else is present. The most drastic activity, such as breaking glass and moving objects, happens when the Union Jacks are taken down to be cleaned. Once they are replaced, the activity settles down once more.
The Romance Collection House doesn’t have a famous ghost as it is unclear as to what exactly is happening. The one known anomaly however is that cameras and other electronic devices have strange things happen to them such as batteries being drained, flashes not working, malfunctions and strange captures in photographs.
I myself captured something odd at this location. I took a photo of Daniel as he told us about the happenings but it was a very dark picture. In my attempt to lighten it, strange markings appeared in the photo. I was sure there was no plant life between us and I spoke to Daniel after the fact; he confirmed there were no plants there. I am still unsure as to what exactly is in this photo.
[John] I have also tried to explain what could be in the photo. It’s tough to understand what the camera could have picked up. Is it possible that lightening the picture highlighted “noise”? Some sort of “static” that is visible when removing some shadows? Whatever it is, I do find it interesting and certainly it adds to the mystique.
This tour was definitely not what I expected and it left me pleasantly surprised and appreciative of Daniel’s talents and company. I’m very happy we decided to try it out and I look forward to many similar adventures.
[Lana] So if you have any interest in the historical or even a twinge of curiosity about the spirit world, visit “Canada’s Most Haunted Town.” I am quite sure you will have an amazing evening on the Ghost Walk of Niagara-on-the-Lake. You won’t regret it.
