For all ages, explore Buffalo New York's spooky side with true stories and ghostly tales of the city's spooks and spirits. Everyone can go on a haunted adventure of a lifetime in Buffalo, New York in this comprehensive guide to some of Buffalo's spookiest sites. Avid ghost hunter and paranormal investigator Dwayne Claud and researcher Cassidy O'Connor entertain readers with stories of the city's most acclaimed spooks and spirits, such as Tanya, the five-year-old that can be spotted bouncing on guest beds at the Grand Island Holiday Inn. The book includes twisted tales from the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, as well as stories of roaming spirits at Frontier House - a hotel frequented by figures such as Mark Twain and President McKinley. This gripping collection of ghostly tales is sure to thrill anyone fascinated by the unknown. Dwayne Claud is the director of Western New York Paranormal and can often be seen giving lectures on haunting and demonology. He has consulted for NBC News Nightline, and appeared on the Maury Show and national radio's Jeff Rense Program, along with a variety of other local and regional media. He has a BA in Communications from SUNY at Geneseo and currently owns and operates a wellness center working personally as a hypnotist. Cassidy O'Connor's interest and passion lies in the area of historical research. She has worked with several regional historical societies independently researching historical sites, artefacts, and individuals. She uses these skills to correlate reported ghost stories with oral and written local history to validate the possibility of their existence. Some of her research has allowed her to discover the once lost location of Harmonia, one of New York State's Spiritualist settlements. Haunted Buffalo Ghosts in the Queen City By Dwayne Claud, Cassidy O'Connor The History Press Copyright © 2009 Dwayne Claud and Cassidy O'Connor All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59629-775-3 Contents Foreword, by Richard J. Kimmel, Introduction, Beds, "Spooks" and "Spirits", Creepy Cemeteries, Deathly Insane, Ghosts at Work, Historic Haunts, Haunted Homes, Haunted Highways, "Spirited" Theatres, Paranormal Terms, Paranormal Researchers, Bibliography, About the Authors, CHAPTER 1 BEDS, "SPOOKS" AND "SPIRITS" Food critics have best described Buffalo as a melting pot of cuisine. The diverse population of the city brings a wide range of food choices. It's not unusual to discover restaurant upon restaurant serving authentic Polish and Italian dishes to specialties from Germany, Greece and India. Buffalo's variety of food is only matched by its selection of elegant lodging, from unique bed-and-breakfast accommodations to lavish hotels, which makes for an exciting night life for both the living and the dead. DOCK AT THE BAY 3800 Hoover Drive, Blasdell, New York www.DockAtTheBay.com Soldiers in uniform are said to be walking the hallways of this popular Buffalo dining destination. Today, a beautiful panoramic overview of the bay is what visitors to Dock at the Bay will experience, but some two hundred years ago, it was a bay filled with commerce, trading vessels and warships. The bay became an essential military point during the War of 1812, providing a stop for ships and their crews. Today's Dock at the Bay was formerly known as the WillLink Hotel and became a popular place for soldiers during the war. One local legend tells of Captain James Byrd, who served on one of Admiral Perry's ships during the war. He would set his ship to anchor at this point in the bay and sneak off ship to rendezvous with a lady friend late at night. They met at the WillLink Hotel. He would then return early in the morning, to no one's suspicion. One night, Byrd was seen coming back onboard the ship. He was soon after court-martialed and shot by a firing squad. His body was laid to rest in Hamburg, New York. Employee Carl Mazzu believes that the spirit of the captain still walks in the building. He recalls one encounter when he had just finished work for the night. As he was preparing to leave, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the floor. He described them as boot heels — heavy boots pacing the floor above him. It would go from one end of the building to the other. When he went to investigate, no one was there. Several employees have had similar experiences at the Dock at the Bay throughout the years. One evening after a banquet, when guests were leaving, a waitress noticed a tall man wearing a black hat and long jacket who stood by one of the serving tables. As she watched, the man turned and "floated" up the stairs to the banquet room. A few moments later, the disc jockey came running down the stairs, scared out of his mind. He told the waitress that a man had just come up the stairs to the room and, as he watched, evaporated before his eyes. To this day, the disc jockey has not returned to the restaurant, according to Mason Winfield's television documentary