Olde Angel Inn: The story of Captain Swayze



The War of 1812 flag and the Union Jack, which if taken down will anger the spirit of Captain Swayze.
 


The Olde Angel Inn's celler, where Captain Swayze was killed in the American Raid during the War of 1812. Photo: [Kristie Bothwell].
 


 


 

General Information

As one of Ontario's oldest operating inns, the Olde Angel Inn is no stranger to paranormal activity. It is said that Captain Swayze, a British solider from the War of 1812 is still present at the inn, walking the halls at night.

The Olde Angel Inn is a popular pub and inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In an American raid during the war of 1812, the inn was burned to the ground. Before the raid, Colin Swayze a British Captain in the War, was given orders to flee, but did not evacuate Niagara-on-the-Lake. Instead, he stayed behind; some believe he was waiting to meet his lover. He waited until 10 o'clock at the intersection of what is now Regent and Market streets, but she never showed. When then American soldiers arrived, Captain Swayze hid in his wine cellar, located in the basement of the inn. As the Americans searched the entire Inn, they came up to the wine cellar, and knew Swayze had to be here, so they used their bayonets to check every corner, every wine barrel, and everywhere else he could have been hiding. The soldiers came to one of the barrels raised their bayonets and stabbed the barrel, immediately blood came pooling out onto the ground as the American soldiers had killed Captain Swayze. After the Americans raided the town, they burned it to the ground.

The Olde Angel Inn was rebuilt in 1815 by John Ross. Since the 1820s there have been ghostly encounters. The most common reports of Captain Swayze's spirit are noises coming from an empty dining room and dishes that have been rearranged. Other common encounters with Captain Swayze have happened in the men's and women's washrooms in the Inn. In the men's room, one man reported that he heard someone go into the the stall next to him but no one was there. Another incident in the women's bathroom occurred when a woman, heard the footsteps of someone walk into the bathroom and turn on the hand dryer, but as she walked out of the stall she saw no one in the room with her. The bathrooms may be a frequent place for Captain Swayze to visit because they are next to his cellar in the basement.

Captain Swayze has reportedly not harmed anyone. However, if the Union Jack is removed from above the Inn door, the Captain gets angry and disrupts guests. When the flag is taken down to be cleaned, it must be replaced by another.


Hours of Operation

Restaurant: 11am to 1am

Front Desk: 9am to 5pm

Directions

From QEW North (Toronto/Hamilton):

1. Head east on Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)

2. Exit 57 onto ON-406 S (towards Thorold/Welland/Port Colborne)

3. Exit Regional Road 91 E (towards Westchester Ave)

4. Slight left onto Regional Road 91

5. Turn right onto Queenston St/Regional Road 81

6. Turn left onto Niagara Stone Rd (signs for County Hwy 55)

7. Continue onto Mississauga Street

8. Turn right onto Queen St

9. Turn right onto Regent St

(Destination will be on the left)

From QEW South (Fort Erie):

1. Head north on Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)

2. Exit 34 for Regional Road 101/Mountain Road

3. Turn right onto Mountain Road/Regional Road 101 (signs for Mountain Rd E)

4. Turn left onto St Paul Ave/Regional Road 100

5. Continue onto Four Mile Creek Rd/Regional Road 100

6. Turn right onto Niagara Stone Rd

7. Continue onto Mississauga St

8. Turn right onto Queen St

9. Turn right onto Regent St

(Destination will be on the left)

Further Information

http://www.angel-inn.com/about.php

Haunted Hamilton Paranormal, Dan Cumerlato

Contact

Phone: (905) 468-3411
Website: http://www.angel-inn.com/index.php

GPS Co-ordinates

Latitude: 43.2550467378295
Longitude: -79.07285505352142
UTM easting: 656429
UTM northing: 4790941

Map

Administration


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