Mason Winfield doesn’t carry special cameras; he’s not a psychic, and he’s never had a conversation with the deceased. All the same, he’s bringing ghosts and other paranormal happenings to anyone in Saratoga Springs who’s willing to take a stroll.
I’m not going to talk to the spirits and tell you what they say, said Winfield to a group forming in front of the Saratoga Arts Council to take in his Haunted History Ghost Walk on a Friday night. `I’m not going to take pictures and show you ‘orbs.’`
What Winfield’s walk does contain is an introduction to the varied history, architecture and lore of Saratoga Springs. It’s not about what Winfield calls `the Hollywood theory of ghosts,` focused on stereotypical apparitions or ghastly rumors.
`I don’t deal with spirits, I deal with reports,` said Winfield.
That means he spends more time in libraries than one might imagine. If the paranormal community was projected onto a scale, with complete skeptics on one end and total spiritualistic belief on the other, Winfield says that his work would fall somewhere in the middle. Neither doubtful nor exuberant, his work sticks to the facts.
The Saratoga Springs tour hits a number of stops over roughly 90 minutes. While Winfield isn’t always in town, there are several other tour guides who know all about the city’s paranormal past.
There are a number of haunting and odd tales to be found in Congress Park and along Broadway, and sometimes groups go as far as Circular Street. `There are so many businesses, and they all have ghost stories,` said Winfield.
One of those stories involves a former Broadway hotel, where two caretakers were known for keeping a number of cats. Today the building houses a yoga studio, where participants with no knowledge of the site’s history often report the sensation of something small and furry brushing against their legs as they contort their bodies.
Winfield is the author of several books, a mix of fiction and research, all dealing with the mystical or paranormal. His ghost walks are not only a business, but a way to contribute to the communities he gives them in.
`I do have a subdued civic function in me,` he joked. `A ghost walk is a way to give back to a community.`
Since his work deals more with fact than lore, he hopes to preserve a city’s culture for later interested parties.
Winfield started his company in the western New York area, but has expanded eastward across the state. He says Saratoga Springs offers a unique history from both an architectural and spiritual perspective. It has a high `spooks per square mile,` as Winfield put it, possibly because springs and other underground water sources are often center of paranormal activity.
`A spring is really a breach in the earth’s surface,` he said, pointing to the fact that fountains are often cited as early vision spots. `A lot of our sites are on top of springs.`
In Saratoga Springs, Haunted History Ghost Walks has partnered with the Saratoga Arts Council, who promotes the ghost walks.
Ghost walks will be held on Fridays through the month of September, then Fridays and Saturdays for October. Groups meet in front of the Saratoga County Arts Council, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. The fee is $10 for adults, $5 for children.
For more information, check www.masonwinfield.com.“