YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. -- Nestled at the mouth of Lake Ontario in Youngstown, Niagara County, Old Fort Niagara has history and hauntings.
"The fort's history goes back into the 17th century," said Robert Emerson, Old Fort Niagara executive director. "This was one of the main travel routes from the Atlantic into the interior of the continent and Fort Niagara controlled access to that water route, so whoever controlled this little piece of land could keep their enemies out of the upper Great Lakes."
That control switched hands a few times over the years, starting with the French.
"They made this fort what it was. They built the French Castle, they built the powder magazine, they started the bake house," said Derek Schulz, reenactor. "They don't survive for very long. They're kicked out in 1759."
Then came the English, then the Americans.
"Since 1815, the United States has held the Fort to this day."
Some of the biggest battles were fought on the grounds of Fort Niagara, and because of that, the fort itself holds another, even spookier title to this day.
"Basically it was, there were French officers and they were fighting over a woman and one of them decapitated the other, and threw the head in the lake, threw the body in the well. The story goes, everything from this headless figure sitting on the edge of the well moaning during the nights of the full moon to actually wandering around the halls looking for its head," said Ryan Clark, reenactor.
It may be ancient history but you can still catch all the action year-round at Fort Niagara. Coming off the War of 1812 bicentennial, visitors can catch live military drills, tour the grounds, and learn a thing or two about the fort that helped shape Niagara.