I haven't got your tailypo

A creature of North American legend, Tailypo is described as the size of a dog with red eyes and a long tail. The legend of Tailypo is popular in the Appalachia region of the United States. One version of the story is as follows.

One night a man is hunting with his three dogs in search of something to eat. During the search, the man sees a small creature with bright eyes and a long tail. The man quickly cuts-off the creature’s tail, causing the creature to scream and flee into the darkness. The man returns to his home and makes a stew out of the tail.

Tailypo

As the man is about to fall asleep, a rustling and clawing sound awakens him. At the end of his bed, the man sees the eyes of Tailypo starring at him. In a demonic voice, the creature demands the return of its tailypo. The terrified man calls for his dogs, which chase the creature away, but only two of the dogs return.

The man tries to sleep again, but soon awakes to see the creature more forcefully demanding its tailypo. The man sends his dogs after the creature, once again forcing it into the night but leaving only one dog to return. This time the man decided to grab his gun and wait at the end of the bed with his one remaining dog. When the creature returns, the man sends his last dog to send the creature away but the dog does not return.

The man is now left cowering in the corner praying for dawn. Hours before daybreak he hears the familiar rustling sound, hoping it is one of his dogs returning. Tailypo leaps into the room and disarms the man as the creature looks into the man’s eyes demanding the return of its tailypo.

The terrified man finds the courage to reply, "I haven't got your tailypo!” hoping the creature will leave. The creature is enraged by the man’s response and yells back "Yes, you have! Yes, you have!" and jumps back on the bed, mutilating the man and destroying the cabin.

Stories like this were often told by soldiers and civilians alike during the War of 1812 as a way to deal with fears in the form of entertainment. This tradition continues today with Halloween tours taking place at Old Fort Erie, Fort George, and Drummond Hill Cemetery. Click here to find out more about these events.

Captain Swayze and the Angel Inn

In May 1813, the Americans took Fort George and the adjacent town of Newark. During the American invasion, one officer decided to remain behind in order to find his true love.

Legend has it that Captain Colin Swayze delayed joining the British retreat from Fort George in order to find his true love. As the captain was searching, an American patrol was sent to search the Angel Inn, where Swayze decided to hide from American patrols. Swayze was hiding in an empty barrel to avoid detection when American soldiers started to bayonet the barrels to find the captain. In the process, the Americans found Captain Swayze when they bayoneted the barrel where he was hiding, causing a fatal wound.

Some believe that Captain Swayze is still on his mission to find his true love as some claim to have seen his ghost walking to the Angel Inn. There are also reports of noises from the Angel Inn dining room and the rearranging of place settings. Legend has it that the ghost of Captain Swayze will remain harmless as long as a British flag flies over the inn. Today, the Angel Inn continues to fly a British flag.

If you want to hear some more ghost stories, head to Fort George and Old Fort Erie for their annual Halloween tours. In addition, make sure to check out the Olde Angel Inn and other locations in Niagara for their 1812 related ghost stories.

The Wendigo

A demonic beast that appears in the legends of the Algonquin people, the Wendigo is a half-beast creature of legend. The legend says that the Wendigo can either have characteristics of a human or a beast and can transform from a human.

One description of the Wendigo is that it has no eyes, instead the empty sockets glow red and it has no lips, making it hiss and drool as it breathes through its jagged teeth. Some say that it will dart about in the shadows and fog of the forest and at times, you can see a faint glimmer of its glowing red eyes.

For humans to turn into the Wendigo, a demonic spirit visits an unsuspecting victim in their dreams. The most common cause of being transformed happens when one resorts to cannibalism during times of great hardship, such as a famine. The Algonquin used this story to reinforce the taboo against cannibalism by showing that people would turn into this creature.

One famous case involving the Wendigo story involved an Oji-Cree chief and shaman known as Jack Fiddler. Fiddler claimed to have powers to defeat Wendigos and in some cases, he was involved in euthanizing people he believed were afflicted. In 1907, Jack and his brother Joseph were arrested by Canadian authorities for murder. Jack committed suicide and his brother Joseph was sentenced to life in prison. Joseph was granted a pardon but died in jail before receiving the news.

If you want to find our more about the Wendigo and other supernatural tales, head to Old Fort Erie or Fort George this summer for their ghost tours. 

A ghostly bed

The Niagara Region is fully of haunted locations and Old Fort Erie and Fort George have their share of ghost stories.

Captain Kingsley's bed at Old Fort Erie

One ghost story from Old Fort Erie involves Captain Kingsley’s bed located in the fort’s officers’ quarters. The bed served as Kingsley’s campaign bed as he was part of the King’s 8th Regiment of Foot while serving in the Niagara during the war. Kingsley suffered from a lung disease that forced him to sleep in an upright position in order to allow his lungs to drain fluids during the night. The captain attempted various treatments such as bleeding and taking mercury pills. These ‘cures’ caused Kingsley to have terrible nightmares, fevers and mood swings. The mercury slowly broke down his body until he finally died in his campaign bed in 1813.

Many believe that Kingsley has not left his bed due to his horrible death. Staff and visitors to Old Fort Erie have reported hearing voices and footsteps near the bed. Some visitors have even reported feeling the presence of someone or strange feelings when near the captain’s bed.

If you want to find out more about this haunted bed, make sure you head to Old Fort Erie on July 12 or August 23rd for their ghost tour. You can also head to Fort George for their ghost tours happening every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday night in July and August. What will you see?

I ain't afraid of no ghost

Since the War of 1812, numerous ghost stories have been told in the Niagara Region at locations where soldiers died. One story of ghostly encounters occurs at Old Fort Erie.

After the war, many citizens moved into the Fort Erie area to build homes and shops. Since these residents moved in many began reporting stories of ghosts haunting the grounds around Old Fort Erie. One image that was often reported centred around two figures walking on the grounds of the fort. One figure appeared to have no head and the other had no arms. Many wrote-off this story as fiction until a discovery was made in 1987.

During the construction of a home down the road from the fort 28 bodies were uncovered from the War of 1812. These men were once part of the American army that held Fort Erie during August and September of 1814. In this mass grave two bodies stood out. One skeleton was missing its head and another was missing its arms. The story of these two ghosts has a basis in fact.

Jarvis Hanks wrote about his experiences during the Siege of Fort Erie. Since shaving was mandatory in the U.S. army many soldiers would often pair up to shave each other. Hanks wrote of an incident when Corporal Reed sat down to shave Sergeant Wait. As the corporal began, a British cannon ball severed the corporal’s arms and the sergeant’s head. The sergeant was wrapped up in a blanket and buried while the corporal lived only for a few days after.

If you want to hear stories like this and more, make sure you visit Old Fort Erie on Friday, Aug. 24 for their ghost tour. Also, make sure you check out Fort George for their ghost tours on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and you can purchase tickets for their Halloween tours in October.