Voices from St. Mark's Anglican Church Cemetery

Location: Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Date: August 20, 2008

During a "ghost walk" tour of Niagara-on-the-Lake, our guide mentioned that apparitions had been seen in St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery. Unfortunately, a large sign indicated that trespassing was forbidden in the cemetery after sunset, meaning a thorough investigation of this location would be difficult. Instead, we opted to conduct several Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) experiments in this cemetery and St. Mark's Anglican Church Cemetery (located across the road in a more secluded location). Interestingly, it was the latter cemetery that produced possible evidence of paranormal activity.

Established in 1808, St. Mark's Anglican Church is one of the oldest Anglican churches in the province of Ontario. The church witnessed much hardship during the War of 1812, serving as a hospital for the British in 1812, and as a barracks for the Americans in 1813. During their occupation of Niagara, American forces dug rifle pits through the cemetery. Upon the American retreat from Niagara-on-the-Lake, most of the town was burned and the church was gutted. St. Mark's Anglican Church was rebuilt in 1822.

The first set of audio recordings was taken in the early afternoon on August 20, 2008. A second set of recordings was taken in these cemeteries between 7:25 pm and 8:00 pm that evening, while en route to Fort Mississauga. A total of 12 audio recordings and numerous photographs were taken throughout the grounds of both cemeteries during the EVP experiments. During each recording session, the investigators ensured that no one else was within earshot of them in order to avoid audio contamination. Likewise, motions were kept to a minimum, and whispering was avoided to prevent contamination.

A possible EVP was captured in one recording at the St. Mark's Anglican Church Cemetery. Unfortunately, the sound is quiet and muffled, making it difficult to discern any words. However, after numerous attempts to recreate the sound on the recorder, PRI has been unable to "debunk" the EVP.

No other audible phenomena were captured at either cemetery. Likewise, none of the photographs taken at the cemeteries yielded any visual anomalies. Because of this, we cannot conclude that either location is indeed "haunted" at this time. Nevertheless, we remain intrigued by the potential EVP captured at the cemetery of St. Mark's Church, and hope to conduct further investigations of this area in the future.

Photograph of St. Mark's Anglican Church Cemetery

Evidence

Audio Clip:

A sound resembling a faint voice (or voices) can be heard within the first two seconds of this clip, recorded at St. Mark's Anglican Church Cemetery. Headphones are strongly recommended.

Enhanced Version:

Isolated and enhanced version. Headphones are strongly recommended.

 

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