Carol Fisher Linn
Is Ellicottville haunted? Raise your hand if you know it is – or take a ghost walk……
For years, I have been convinced that there is at least one house in the village of Ellicottville that is haunted, as well as one on Hencoop Road. In fact, we had a male visitor in our own basement several years ago that my son had a one-way conversation with as “it” pumped the pedals of the stationary bike next to him in the middle of the night. Our spectral visitor may still reside with us, which could explain why pictures fly off cabinets or strange noises come out of nowhere.
The Ellicottville Historical Society will be presenting four ghost walks around the village of Ellicottville on Friday nights in September and October: September 27, October 4, October 18, and October 25, led by Town Historian, Ellen Siriani Frank. Gather at the Gazebo at 7pm for the walk to commence at 7:30pm. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes for the two-hour event, carry a flashlight, and be sure your camera is charged in case you want to photograph mystical images or floating orbs at the cemetery. Bring along your own favorite ghost story to share as the participants gather at the Gazebo.
This year’s walk will take visitors into the Ellicottville Museum and the United Church and then on to the Jefferson Street Cemetery to visit a few graves with paranormal history. On your walk you will learn about the ghost investigation that took place in both of those buildings. The investigations were performed by Spirit Hunters, Inc., Paranormal Investigations, a Native American family group founded by Shane White Eagle, which does ghost investigations in a respectful way. This, from their site – they “strive to search out and prove the existence of the paranormal. We … bring a unique approach to paranormal investigating. We seek to validate your experiences and why they are occurring.”
Ms. Frank has had many opportunities to be part of these investigations locally as well as investigations at the Bradford Library, Salamanca Train Station, Palmer House in Cuba, Little Theater in Jamestown, Machias Stone House, (circa 1868, built as an Alms House/Insane Asylum, and a solemn memorial to about 123 souls buried in the paupers field just north of the Stone House), and the American Legion in Little Valley which is said to be occupied by its previous owners who built the building as their mansion residence before it was donated to the Village of Little Valley to be used as their American Legion.
At the Ellicottville Historical Museum, while the team was set up near the display about a local physician, Dr. Leyens, it seemed that every time his name was mentioned a Victorian Music box would start to play. Many experiences happened to them while set up at the United Church on Elizabeth Street. This team uses various types of equipment which detect disturbances in electromagnetic fields and emit light as an alert (EMF Meters), high powered laser grids which emit a grid of green dots used when detecting shadows or general disturbances. Spirit-Boxes use EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) to give a voice to spirits. Ms. Frank tells of an investigation where she was reading a tag on a coat in the museum and the Spirit Box warned them to “please stop touching my coat.”
What I found interesting is that the spirit hunters use dowsing rods to ask questions of the spirits. Dowsing rods, historically used for finding water or lost objects, are also used to ask yes or no questions of the spirits. Ms. Frank claims she has seen true things that come from these rods. With the use of an SLS camera Ms. Frank had a spirit show up right next to her. “It looked like it was touching me.”
From the Four Corners, the group will walk to Jefferson Street Cemetery to visit several residents. One is Beals Litchfield, one of the original founders of LilyDale Spiritualist Center. A few other stories from the cemetery concern an execution, a shooting, and a train accident. Join to hear more stories. Remember, this is a walk at our own risk. $15 per person, cash or check. If you would like to learn more or sign up your party ahead of time, please contact Ellen Frank at 716-699-2276 or 716-474-8528. Many thanks to Ms. Frank for her assistance.
Photo of Spirit Hunters, Inc., Paranormal Investigations in front of the Salamanca Railroad Museum. This Native American family group founded by Shane White Eagle, does ghost investigations in a respectful way. Pictured left to right: Ellen Frank, Chrissie Holtz, Lana White Eagle, Branda (Shane’s Mother), Lisa Marie (Shane’s Wife), Founder Shane White Eagle and Hunter (Shane’s Son). The group will be guest speakers at the Ellicottville Historical Society meeting at the Ellicottville Library on Wednesday, October 2 at 7pm. Everyone is invited.