Published: October 03, 2008 12:08 am      

CITY OF TONAWANDA: Author explains why the Tonawandas are so spooky

Underground Railroad passages, battlefield sites, a presidential assassination and heralded architecture are all things that make the Buffalo Niagara region unique.

These same things share something else in common. They make the area, especially the Tonawandas, “one hell of a haunted place,” Western New York author John Koerner told a captivated crowd of more than 50 people Thursday night at the City of Tonawanda Public Library, where he gave a lecture about ghosts in the Niagara Frontier.

Koerner’s presentation was an eye opener for Kimberly Starner, 17. “I didn’t even realize there was so much around here,” she said of the area’s ample ghost tales. “It’s kind of creepy, especially the North Tonawanda stuff.”

The region has a particularly high volume of ghost stories because of its places of transition — railroads, bridges, the Erie Canal and Niagara River — and because the area began to boom post-1825, Koerner said, adding that it takes ghosts an average of 200 years to stop appearing at a particular site. “We’re pretty young in terms of ghost stories,” he said.

Koerner theorized that it takes spirits roughly twice the human life span to achieve whatever it is they’re doing in the paranormal world.

And just as there are good and bad people in the physical world, there are ghosts both righteous and malevolent in the paranormal one.

Koerner shared three Tonawandas-related ghost stories as part of his lecture:

• This one involves a North Tonawanda family with a little girl who has two imaginary friends, Koerner said, adding that the family wishes to remain anonymous. One night, the girl’s mom went into her daughter’s room, on the second floor, and found the bedroom window opened. “My imaginary friend said that mommy and daddy would like it if I jumped out the window,” Koerner said. “Negative entities tend to attach themselves to very young girls,” he said.

According to Koerner, negative entities are drawn to names derived from Mary or Ann, because of their religious significance. This particular’s girl name is Bethany.

• Koerner’s next tale was titled “The Incident of 1920.” The story involves a 7-foot winged ghost that haunted a family on Bryant Street in North Tonawanda and also was seen flying around Sweeney Street Cemetery.

• The third anecdote took place at the former Our Lady of Victory hospital in Lackawanna, where a gift shop volunteer was attacked by a robber. According to the volunteer, and a witness from Tonawanda, before the gun-brandishing robber caused any harm, the spirit of Father Baker appeared, causing the gunman to leave, Koerner said.

Another alleged hot spot for ghost stories is the famed Riviera Theatre. “If you see a theater, you can pretty much guarantee it’s got some stories,” Koerner said.

For all of the stories he’s researched, Koerner does have one of his own. He said he saw a ghost once while he was walking to his apartment in Rochester while in college. He said he saw a ghost in an alley playing “mournful music” on a violin. He later learned the building was used by faculty of the Eastman School of Music.

Koerner’s lecture resonated with City of Tonawanda resident Janet Holler, who said she’s read extensively about many of the stories Koerner shared. “I’m inclined to believe it,” she said. “I think there is some kind of energy left when we die.”

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.