Spend a night in the stockade

A haunted stockade, that is. Okay, Old Fort Niagara isn't a stockade any longer - her earthworks and redoubts are a small but perfect example of Marshal Vauban's theories of fortification and defense brought to life on the shores of Lake Ontario. It's a beautiful place, fortified in one way, shape or form by the militaries of three nations over the course of nearly 300 years. I haven't been there in ages, but I do remember that I found the site completely captivating. Being almost three centuries old, one would expect such a site to have ghosts, right? Right. The Towanda News has a great piece written by one of their reporters who just spent the night in the old fort:

"Only an idiot could’ve come up with an idea like this," I thought as I pulled into the parking lot at Old Fort Niagara, realizing how true it was. It was my idea. Our staff photographer Doug Benz was already there, as was Old Fort Niagara executive director Robert Emerson, a man who took certain delight in telling me the haunted history of a castle older than my country. Knowing he had spent an evening here eight years ago was little consolation upon hearing stories of headless ghosts, floating candles and haunted fax machines. Emerson led us through the courtyard and into the castle through the side door. Old Fort Niagara is impressive at night, as you can see clear across the Niagara River to the lights of Toronto, Ontario, and hear the river’s waves beat the walls of the French castle. Built in 1726, the castle has held up well over time, if you don’t count the haunted well and lights that make their own decision as when to turn on and off. It’s even more impressive to consider that it was built in less than a year and was used well into the 20th century. Which may explain the hanging corpses.

The whole article is definitely worth the click...