Ghost Soldiers of Old Fort Niagara

 Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

With more than 300 years of history, Old Fort Niagara is believed by many to be haunted with the ghosts of soldiers from its past.  With a history soaked in violence, death and misery, it is no wonder there are so many claims of paranormal activity at this location.  Once occupied by three nations - France, Great Britain and the United States, today Fort Niagara sits along the Niagara River and Lake Ontario perfectly preserved as it appeared in the 1700's.  

Recently, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Old Fort Niagara, and attend the Para-History Festival taking place on site. A number of paranormal investigators were in attendance, along side members of the TAPS family and former Haunted Collector, Brian Cano. After saying hello to a few friends, I excitedly headed out to explore the grounds and take a step back in time.

A short distance from the building where the festival was being held, is a small  fenced in cemetery with numerous headstones, many of which are unreadable. Two monuments to honor the fallen soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 are also in the cemetery. Beyond the cemetery, near the gated entrance to the fort, stands a historic, inactive lighthouse that served a great importance during its operational years.

Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

Filled with excitement, like a kid in a candy store, I made my way over to the fort. My eyes were immediately drawn to the magnificent sight of the French Castle. It is within these impressive stone walls, where sightings and stories of paranormal activity are a plenty. As I stepped inside my eyes were drawn to a stone well. A longtime local legend tells a story of a decapitated French soldiers' body being thrown down the well and his head tossed in the nearby lake. According to this legend, a bitter feud erupted between two French soldiers over their love for the same woman, ending in the horrific murder.  It is said that the spectre of this headless soldier has been seen wandering the parade grounds and within the buildings on moonlit nights. * I have found no historical records to validate this story.*

 Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

I continued my exploration of the building and grounds, taking numerous photographs; allowing my senses to guide me. I didn't capture any anomalies on film,  and I felt very comfortable throughout my exploration of the fort. At times I thought I heard a few odd sounds, but the winds were fierce coming off the nearby lake and I dismissed the sounds as mother nature being the cause. When I returned to the location of the event, I spoke to a number of paranormal teams who have investigated the site before. They told me that they captured a number of clear EVPs in the French Castle. Also, the sound of heavy boots coming from the upstairs level was heard and numerous shadow figures have been seen. Later that evening, a public investigation was being held at the fort. I did not participate and am waiting to hear from those that did as to what, if any, evidence was captured. I look forward to returning to this beautiful historic location in the nearby future.

A Paranormal Card Game

©2014 CORE Films, Inc

"THE THREE PILLARS™  is a fast-paced, witty game of checks and balances that celebrates the paranormal community while gently satirizing the drama that is often encountered within it. Assemble your team, visit haunted locations and submit evidence to close the cases - but be warned - not only must you deal with Murphy's Law, but with other paranormal teams investigating the same places as you - and chances are, they won't be helpful. Never before has Paranormal Division been so fun."  

This game looks like a lot of fun and will be the perfect add to my paranormal collection. I especially like the chosen design for the Evidence Cards - a very nice touch! 
 
***The Three Pillars is now available for pre-order in the SCARED! store. (Release date: 4/10/2014)

Haunted Buffalo: Iron Island Museum

Buffalo's Iron Island Museum is said to be the place where sceptics become believers.  A host of paranormal activity has been documented at this location in recent years. Cold spots, the sounds of footsteps and voices, objects moving and strange shadows are some of the witnessed oddities happening within its walls.  

The building was built in the late 1800's and was an Episcopal church for years before becoming a funeral parlour in 1958 up until 2000;  when, The Iron Island Preservation Society of Lovejoy then acquired it. Shortly after taking ownership they made a number of startling discoveries. Most disturbing was the discovery of over 20 boxes of cremated human remains in a storage closet. Relics and antiques from the World War era were also found.

In recent past, the crews from Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab have investigated the building; both capturing strong evidence to support reports of the paranormal activity. Teams of paranormal investigators continue to come to the museum with hopes of documenting their own veritable evidence.

An upcoming event, which I am most excited for, will be next weekend on October 18 & 19. Brian J. Cano (Haunted Collector) and Chris Mancuso (SCARED!) are going to be in town and invite the public to join them on a paranormal investigation.

There are a number of tickets remaining for both nights. Be sure to get in on this awesome event! All proceeds go to the museum.

For tickets, please go to http://www.ironislandmuseum.com/

Parafest 2013 Recap

Enjoying my #parahangover after spending an incredible weekend in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to attend Parafest 2013, which was held at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center.

When I arrived it was early in the day. I took full advantage of this and made a beeline over to where the two Tango's (Dave and Bruce), Steve Gonsalves and Grant Wilson were set up. These guys were great! They were easy to approach, funny and enjoyed meeting their fans. I took a number of pics with them, and got my 8 year old son an autographed photo of Dave and Steve. This got me the Coolest Mom of the Year award when I got home. 9 seasons in and these guys do it with the same dedication and passion as they did the day it all started. Ghost Hunters returns to SyFy Oct. 9th 9/8C.

Brian J Cano (Tech Specialist) and Jason Gates (Investigator/Researcher) from the SyFy show Haunted Collector were also in the house! Brian grew up in Staten Island, NY. There, his exploration into the unknown began at old and abandon buildings near his home. Armed with a plethora of high-tech gadgets and gear, there's no place Brian won't venture into to capture evidence to support the claims of paranormal activity. When not working on cases for the show, Brian produces and edits a paranormal documentary series called SCARED.  Jason spent his early years in Colorado and Idaho. He loves to play a good drum kit, being outdoors and connecting with his fans. Both Jason and Brian have infectious smiles that keep one coming back for another; I am guilty of passing their tables at least 5 times to speak with them and see those smiles, lol!  These two guys were super cool, a lot of fun and do the best photo bombs!

Here is the crème de la crème of my weekend - I finally got to meet, the best of the best, the Booth Brothers! Regular readers of this blog know how much I admire these two amazing souls and how supportive I am of their films. Soon they will be heading to New Orleans to begin filming their latest horror movie. Keep your eyes open for future posts about this movie folks. Philip gave me a quick synopsis; I can not wait for the film to come out in 2014.

Actors and actresses from shows: The Walking Dead, True Blood and Supernatural were also there to meet and greet their fans alongside numerous other celebrity favorites.  I had the pleasure of meeting Lew Temple (Axel, Walking Dead), IronE Singleton (T-Dog, Walking Dead), Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam, True Blood), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore, Ghostbusters) and Richard Kiel
(Jaws, The Spy Who Loved Me)

As I write this post, my voice is hoarse and a good nap is in order - two signs that much fun was had! It was an absolute pleasure and honor to spend quality time with everyone; with those whose work I admire. Each of them were genuine and most grateful for their fans.

The venue rocked! All the fans in attendance were awesome! High fives to the organizers of the event, Paradox Entertainment, and to all the kind volunteers. You all did a great job.