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The Inn at the Falls

Our Experience :: History :: Past Activity :: Story of Sarah

 

Special Thanks to Christine Grossutti for pictures 9 & 11

Location: Bracebridge, Ontario
Date: November, 18, 2006
Members: Amanda, Brenda, Donny, Jay and Rachel
Equipment: 3 Digital cameras, 2 camcorders, 3 voice recorders, 1 digital thermometer, 1 EMF detector, 1 audio enhancer, 2 walkie-talkies

Our Experience

Amanda, Donny, Jay and Rachel all arrived at the Inn at the Falls at around 4:00pm to check in. Brenda would arrive at a later time in different transportation. Please note and remember that any information about the locations we investigate are not released to Brenda, Amanda and Jay so that whatever they pick up on is through their own abilities, not biased or previously known. In the previous weeks before the investigation Amanda sketched 3 drawings of what she expected to find at the Inn. One of a woman, a man and a child, with descriptions of their features.

We drove up to the breathtaking, untouched Inn at the Falls in the evening. It was as if time had stopped in this small bed and breakfast. Adjacent to the Inn is a walkway where you can enjoy the spectacular muskoka river falls and eat fine dining in their restaurant while you view the beautiful scenery. As we entered our rooms it was like going back in time, except with a television! Some of the furniture is original to the house and the instant feelings we sensed in the house were peaceful. The rooms 104, 105 and 106 are the most haunted rooms in the Inn, so of course we stayed in them! The front of the Inn was warm and as we walked up the stairs to our rooms, Jay and Amanda noticed an instant energy change and got headaches. Room 105 felt noticeably colder than the others. Amanda picked up on what she thought was a fire which happened years ago. She picked up on a man in his 30's, with a mustache, brown hair, who she thought had money in his time. This man was important, he was by a fireplace which made him glow, much like the man from her sketch and visions earlier. Something about a cigar as well. Amanda also saw another man with dark hair, tan complexion, dressed in a suit, who was angry about something. A name she came up with was Edward.

While we were waiting for Brenda to arrive Jay and Amanda went to room 104 to relax and see what they could pick up on with their abilities, Rachel joined them as well. We propped our camera on the dresser and started taping. We noticed a drastic temperature change in the room. Amanda picked up on a lady with a long white Victorian style dress from the early 1900's. She had her brown hair up in a bun, and that looked to be in her late 20's early 30's. She came up with the name that started with an L, like Lill and Jay said Lilly, we couldn't figure it out at the time. She felt so sad suddenly that she started to tear up, like someone close to her had left. Jay felt that someone had a stroke, or heart attack. He felt pain on the left side of his body. Then Amanda sensed that someone had problems with their chest. In the footage of this that we watched later, you can see orbs flying around. Now we are skeptical of this because of dust and what not, but when a ball of light comes down from the ceiling, slows down, stops at Amanda for a moment and then goes the other way….then you start to think otherwise. Amanda also picked up on the name 'Jim' and 'Sarah'.

Later that night we made reservations at the Fox and Hound Pub for dinner. As we sat in the pub Rachel began to smell a type of horse food, referred to as 'sweet feed'. Brenda picked up on the fact that the pub was originally a horse stable, and that she could hear their hoofs against the floor. She also described how the Inn use to look, with a white picket fence and a garden out in front of room 105. She also said that this was not the original floor in this spot. Amanda then envisioned a creepy, man with a hunched over back, very dark, mysterious with deep set eyes, and thin body.

After dinner we decided to see what Brenda would pick up on in the rooms. First we went for a walk around the falls and left the camcorder running in room 105 by itself to see what we could capture. At this time we still have to review the tapes more closely. Around 11:00 pm we proceeded to room 104. We all sat down and turned are devices on. Brenda said that there was too much activity going on in the Inn and the spirits weren't very active, due to the amount of energy from the wedding reception. She said that a man walks through two big black doors in a hallway and that there is a thick wall going through this house. Rachel thinks that the man walking through the doors is in the Carriage Room. Brenda also got the name 'Jessica'. At that pint we had a visitor!

Our visitor was the ghost of an older woman, who Brenda said doesn't talk much. The older woman use to sit with her chair facing the window and says that many guests see her looking out from there. We think this chair and window could be the one in room 105. This lady also says that this was her house before many came and Brenda dates her in the year 1819 or 1918. Another name comes up 'Hawkwell', who was a gentlemen suitor. At this point Brenda felt someone playing with her hair.

All of us then ventured on to the next room, 105. In this room, Jay was surprised to hear the giggle of a child. Then for some reason his microphone which faces downwards, kept rising upwards by itself. This kind of contradicts gravity, don't you think? Brenda then tells us that there is the part of the Inn we haven't been to, and this part is very busy with paranormal activity. It has stone walls, a door and original flooring.

A chill starts to set in and the hair on Brenda's arms start to rise. She is in contact with two sister spirits who are not very friendly. Brenda says that these two sisters would look at you and say "What are you doing here, get out!" After revealing this information the television started clicking. We asked them to turn it on if they wanted, but nothing happened. If it did turn on, I'm sure everyone would have had a heart attack!

Brenda then got a message from an unknown spirit saying that "We are the Others". When we questioned the means of the statement, the spirit explained that we converse with the dead and that's why we are the 'Others'.

Brenda then talked about a boat that would come to the land and but that people didn't like to come this way anymore. Brenda also produced the two names, Theodore and Delik.

We were then visited for the second time by the older lady of the house. The lady told Brenda that "some come by water, but they didn't like to go to the land to the other side because they thought it was haunted and creepy. People would venture this way because of it." She also says that there is an 'Old Settler Story', that long ago before this place was build there was a settler who was considered to be old in those days. He staked this piece of land but never got to live on it. No one knows what happened to him. The lady also said that she saw many things before and after the fire. Brenda said that the year 1955 is significant to this. Brenda had sensed that fires had happened in this house before and she could smell the scent of soot. Brenda and Amanda felt that the old lady is like the watcher of the house. Brenda also tells us of a woman wearing a big hoop dress, which was very uncomfortable.

As we sat there in the dark, with only the light of the camera, suddenly there was something blocking the light for a brief moment. It looked as if someone had walked across in front of the camera. Brenda and Jay saw a shadowy figure in the corner of the room.

Brenda began to tell us of two business men that wander the halls arguing over the architecture of the building. She then picked up on another female ghost, who runs in the house because she had an argument with her loved one. This young woman rushed towards the stairs, tripped and tumbled down. She says "They re-did the stairs because they couldn't get the blood out of the wood." The stairs were steeper back then and the rails were lower. With the panic and emotions running high from this argument, she had fallen. "He was furious" Brenda told us, "they had a child out of wedlock." He was a very well to do business man and if people were to know, it would be shameful. This female ghost is the young pregnant woman who still haunts the Inn today.

We found that the ghosts of the Inn visit when people sleep because it's most unsuspecting. The ghosts will wake you up, see if you can see them, then vanish.

At bottom of stairs should be table with fresh cut flowers, if they would put it back, or put a few things out that were there before, that the ghosts would be more settled, Brenda told us. Brenda told us that someone was hung there. She doesn't describe how or why, but says it was a crime of passion.

Brenda describes a woman who wore white gloves. Proper women wore gloves back in those days. This woman stayed in that house while going to school to become a doctor. She was a brunette, who wore a tweed skirt and a corset that was so tight she could hardly breathe. Brenda also visions a break in the road, and the mud was sliding. She also described how she saw a car stuck in the mud and flooding waters.

Brenda began to pick up on a man by the name of William Mahaffy, who she says has a lot to do with this house, but did not die here. Brenda had picked up on this gentlemen weeks before our arrival. The Inn at the Falls have named their ghosts. There are four that they lovingly call, Charlie, Bob, Sarah and Jackie. Brenda believes that the one they call 'Charlie' is actually William Mahaffy. This is also the name of the man Amanda envisioned earlier in the evening. Shortly after acknowledging that Charlie could possibly be Judge William Mahaffy, there was a scent of cigar smoke.

We then proceeded to the first floor to look around and see what we could find. While we were at the bottom of the stairs, Amanda turned around, looked to the top of the staircase and noticed a shadow swoop across the top of the stairs. She picked up on a name which sounded like "Emily' or 'Emerson'. Brenda began to sense a ghost who wears long white stockings, black shoes and a red dress. She says this ghost is spotted on the main floor by employees and guests. This ghost does not venture upstairs because it stirs up the other ghosts. I guess she is a little mischievous.

As the night went on, we decided to lay low and turn the camcorders on overnight to see what we might get. We still have to look at all the footage!

In the morning we enjoyed our free continental breakfast in the dining room and were invited by Breeze, an employee at the Inn, to take a look around in the kitchen! We went in the back and then down some creepy winding stairs. At the bottom there was the pub. Breeze informed us of many things that you can read about in the History section, which confirms many things we discovered the night before. She informed us of the hallways where many people spot the ghosts.

If you would like to make a trip up to the Inn at the Falls you can do so by making reservations through this website www.innatthefalls.net Don't be surprised to see a ghost or two while, your staying at the Inn. We're sure they would be happy to meet you!