Eerie spectres and ghostly apparitions, the time has come for the dead to rise. Halloween has passed, but the dead refuse to remain silent.
Something sinister is happening at Fort Amiel Museum. It is time for the ghosts to show themselves to delighted Newcastillians.
On Saturday, December 8, Fort Amiel Museum held a ghost story evening. But this is no ordinary ghost evening of cheap thrills and screams.
The museum curator, Louis Eksteen gave an in-depth talk on the different superstitious beliefs that different cultures have. “In most cultures, ghosts can be linked to the elements of fire, water, air and earth.”
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For example, sailors from the past viewed the ocean as a home for supernatural beings such as mermaids, sea serpents and other magical water creatures.
Eksteen enthralled the audience with the cultural role that superstition and ghosts played in our history and current lives. But the night didn’t end with a mere historical look at the supernatural world.
The night continued with guests witnessing the ghosts that haunt Fort Amiel. Ghosts that refuse to leave this world behind.
One such ghost is a black dog. Captain Perrin, an old quartermaster for the English forces, brought his beloved pet dog during the wars, as he could not bear to be anywhere without it. However, Captain Perrin died in 1881 in battle. His dog still waits for him and still walks the museum’s grounds, waiting for the return of his owner.
Then there is the old English Magistrate who haunts Fort Amiel Museum, searching for the town’s keys. He was apparently forced to hand the keys over to the Boer forces when they conquered Newcastle for a brief period in 1897. Disgraced by his actions, he now seeks redemption by hoping to find the keys.
The event is one to be remembered. Combining history, cultural beliefs and witnessing ghosts moving about, it truly set the pace for an exciting weekend.
Also read: History rolls into town at Fort Amiel Museum
