Читать книгу Haunted Ontario 3 - Terry Boyle - Страница 14

The Blacksmith Shop

~ Black Creek Pioneer Village ~

Ruthan is a woman full of life with an acute awareness of her surroundings. Her husband, Dennis, exudes friendliness and has a natural aptitude for his historical surroundings and responsibilities.

Both Ruthan and Dennis feel like old spirits who have the unique ability to move easily back in time. The couple were formally employed for many years at Black Creek Pioneer Village. Ruthan worked as an historical interpreter, seamstress, and tinsmith during her many years at the village. Dennis was the village blacksmith.

The Rose Blacksmith Shop at the village was originally located in Nobleton, Ontario. The structure dates back to circa 1855. The blacksmith created a wide range of forged iron ware, including hinges, hasps, and tools for use on the farm and in the home. Early blacksmiths also shod horses and oxen and forged iron wheels for wagons.

One unique item that Dennis made was called the courting candle. It was designed to demonstrate the attitude and acceptance of a father to his daughter’s suitor.

Dennis explained, “The candle holder had a wooden base attached to an iron spiral form that housed the candle. Using the spiral you could adjust the candle to burn for a determined length of time.”

“During the courting ritual, when a suitor visited the home of his lady friend, they would retire to the parlour. The father would adjust the length of the candle to burn according to his observations of the suitor. He would then light the candle and leave. When the candle burned down to the setting the suitor would leave the premises.”

Upon returning, the suitor could observe where the candle was set to determine the likelihood of continuing to woo his lady friend. If the candle had been set at a shorter length this meant the father did not approve of this suitor. If the candle setting was increased in length the suitor was closer to seeing more of the lady and eventually they might marry.

Although Dennis had never had any paranormal experiences in the blacksmith shop he has worked in every historical building in the village and had some very personal experiences. This is not to say that nothing of the unexplained has ever occurred in the blacksmith shop. Catherine explained what happened one evening.

“At night, when the lights are turned off, some employees tell me you can faintly hear the sound of horses coming from inside the shop. There is the jingle-jangle sound of metal harnesses, the clomping of hooves clad in horseshoes, as well as soft neighing and snorting sounds.”

During the Halloween ghost tour in 2007, Catherine Crow and her group experienced firsthand the sound of horses.

“The doors of the blacksmith shop were open and there were two candle lanterns burning so everyone could see all of the equipment, tables, tools and everything else inside the building. It was a dark night with no breeze. I had just started to talk about horses haunting the building when a distinct sound of jangling metal started up on the right side of the shop, followed by a faint whinny sound. Everyone heard it!!!

“At one time, a worker in the village swore he briefly heard the distinct sound of panicked horses in the shop. He explained, ‘It was as if they were trying to flee from some great danger.’ In this case, the danger of the fire seems the most likely explanation.”

When the blacksmith shop comes to life at night, I, myself, have to wonder if we’ve just crossed into another time zone — one that is happening simultaneously with our own. Or, is that too much of a quantum leap to consider?