THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Fort Ontario has accumulated centuries of ghost stories dating back to the French and Indian War and the Civil War. Visitors have reported apparitions of soldiers, phantom footsteps, and mysterious voices throughout the fort.
And be careful when visiting the Post Cemetery at the fort. According to locals, anyone who walks over the grave of George Fikes (who died in 1782) will be haunted forever. (But if you jump over it, he’ll haunt anyone of your choosing instead.) This little ritual is apparently still practiced, as visitors often remark about the two bare spots of ground on either side of the grave. There is also said to be the ghost of a headless Civil War veteran roaming the railroad tracks between the fort and the lake.