about us > a personal note...
Thank for visiting the Original and ONLY Official Website for Haunted Hamilton!
A Personal Note from Founder Stephanie Lechniak...
I'm sure many of you are confused by the recent changes going on with Haunted Hamilton. It's been a bumpy and difficult year, but i'm back in action and ready to bring the SPOOKY back to HAMILTON!
As some of you may know, Daniel and I are no longer together, personally or professionally. As disheartening as that was, I accepted the cards that were dealt my way and moved on. It was my hope that Daniel and I could continue being business partners, and more importantly friends. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.
After running Haunted Hamilton together in the public eye as an equal and legal partnership for well over a decade, the role was ripped away from me, right from under my feet. I was shocked... felt blindsided, but most of all, I was devastated.
Since 1999, Haunted Hamilton has been my "baby". It was my inception from the very beginning. I came up with the name, logo, designed the official website, and maintained and operated things for many years while Dan commuted to Toronto for work. HH was the only thing i've known for 10 years and I put everything into it, heart and soul. I saw its ups and downs - celebrated during our successes, and cried during our failures. It wasn't just a job for me... it was my life.
It wasn't only Haunted Hamilton that I was equally involved with. I also commuted to Niagara-on-the-Lake almost daily for 3 years running and operating our newest endeavours in town called "The Museum of the Paranormal" and "The Haunted Shop". It was the headquarters for our Ghost Walks out there. During this time, "HH Mum Cathy" (my psychic Mom) and I primarily worked at the shop and met so many great people from all over Canada and the US. So much so, that we have developed lasting friendships along the way (waving to you guys out there in Facebook land!). Shia, our doggie mascot, even became a fan favourite and people would make trips back to the shop just to visit her!
In May of 2013, for reasons I still don't know, I received an unexpected and out-of-the-blue phone call from Daniel. He told me that I was "temporarily laid off" from the business and that I was not allowed at the shop anymore, nor should I bother coming to any Haunted Hamilton events. Those exact words will haunt me to this day (no pun intended!) Many of you have be asking how it's possible for him to do this to me and my answer is this... Back in 2011, Daniel incorporated our business making himself CEO/Director and me simply an employee. I was mislead to believe I could and would maintain my equal rights in this business no matter what. But that phone call came and changed everything. All logins and passwords were changed and I was stripped of my admin roles on the Haunted Hamilton Facebook Fan Pages (both of which I created and solely maintained with great enthusiasm!).
I cried, I sulked, and hid from the world.. but only for a short while. Just as I was about to give up, my family reminded me to not give up what I love. Haunted Hamilton was mine and nobody else's for the taking. I stood my ground (it hasn't been easy!) and fought back! I have essentially had to start from scratch again... everything from the ground up. When the business was incorporated, "HH Paranormal Inc" was formed and Dan rebranded his business as "Ghost Walks and Events". He disliked the name "Haunted Hamilton" so much and didn't wish to use it anymore. This gave me the opportunity to register the business name legally as sole proprietorship.
So here I am now, writing this note to you, my fans, my supporters, and hopefully some new visitors too! It's my very own website now, and I felt I owed it to everyone to help you better understand what went down. This is in no way an attempt to begrudge Daniel. I wish him well and hope that in time he can hold the same respect for me.
I am and will continue to be the ONLY Official and Original Haunted Hamilton for as long as I can. After many obstacles overcome, and battles fought (with more coming I’m sure), Haunted Hamilton is back and can now become what I always intended it to be - a true paranormal exploration adventure. I don't just want to be about telling the same stories and moving through the same routine. The real adventure has just begun! Many plans are in the works over the next few months so please stay tuned! Trust me, it will be worth it! HH Mum and I are on the job, working hard and planning to bring you the best in all things spooky!
None of this would be possible without everyone's amazing support. The kind words, hugs and gentle nudges in the right direction have all proved to me that I have to keep doing what I love. Stay Spooky Hamilton... because i'm not going anywhere!
~ Stephanie Lechniak
 Stephanie & HH Mum ... Nothin' but trouble! |
 Stephanie & HH Mum Hosting a Haunted Bus Trip |
www.Haunted-Hamilton.com <-- note the dash
www.Facebook.com/HauntedHamilton
www.Instagram.com/HauntedHamilton
www.Ghost-School.com <-- Coming Soon!
www.Facebook.com/GhostSchool101
