I thought some hair raising stories of Victoria and its many ghosts might be appropriate for the All Hallows Eve coming up. If you didn’t know Victoria, BC is our provinces capital and the most haunted city in Canada.
One of the most famous is the April ghost, Doris Gravelin, she is most often seen on Victoria’s Golf Course, usually near the seventh hole where she was brutally slain by her husband and tossed in the rough. Her husband, Victor, was later found drowned near the ninth hole with her shoes tucked in his pockets. It was ruled a murder/suicide. Several people have seen the sad figure of this woman haunting the Golf Course.
But she’s not the only screaming female ghost in Victoria. Hike thorough Beacon Hill Park and you might run into the screaming brunette, who was oddly murdered on the spot where for years earlier a blonde ghost had been seen. Called the Doppelhanger ghost, she is often seen with a male lower half.
Then there’s Bastion Square and Helmcken Alley, near the sight of the original fort and courthouse? Apparently in those early settlement days the First Nations didn’t garner any respect and thousands of graves were merely covered over.
What’s a castle without a ghost or two Craigdarroch Castle, famous tourist site with reports of sudden whiffs of candles, feet running downstairs and a young girl staring out the windows.
The Bard and Banker pub, once owned by Robert Service, famous poet, who wrote The Cremation Of Sam McGee, after the haunting experience of tripping over several dead people left after a ship wreck in his funeral home.
The tale of a young Chinese boy who haunts Fan Tan alley after he murdered a girl that scourned him and the crowd gave chase and beat him to death in the alley.
Roger’s Chocolates, where the couple that opened the store are often seen and passing dogs stop to growl at their suite above the shop.
There are reports of several ghosts in the stately Fairmount Empress Hotel; some old employees that rather enjoyed their jobs never seem to leave, even after death, and on occasion wander the halls. During recent renovations, two workers quit, claiming to see a man hanging from a noose. It was later discovered that indeed, in the fifties, a man had hanged himself in that very same suite.
I myself came across a report that a guest had told the staff that his wife’s luggage had been opened when they got back to their locked room and her clothes had been taken out and “ghost clothing” (his words so I presume they were old fashioned) had been put in their place.
It is also reported that the man that built the Empress and the parliament buildings, Francis Rattenbury, frequents his old glories, looking for recognition after dying in an unmarked grave.
There are over a dozen other confirmed sightings in other locations, but the most chilling tale is of Laurel Point. Back in the early 1800’s what is known now as Laurel Point on the inner harbour of Victoria, was called Deadman’s Point. It was the burial place of the Lekwungen First Nations peoples. They believed that the dead never truly leave us and had set up a whole village for them and considered the area as sacred. Like the Parsi of India, they don’t bury the dead. Instead they’d set them out in nature, where the elements would allow the bodies to break down and return to the environment. They’d gather up the remains and would place them in basket that they would mount in trees. Left alone the dead spirits had a place to be where they would not disturb the living as they believed their spirits remain with us.
In 1885, a European named Jacob Sehl arrived. He bought Deadman’s Point thinking it would be a great place for his furniture factory. He proceeded, ignoring any warnings from the First Nations peoples, to clear and take down all the trees, burn and destroy all the baskets and bones. Appalled and frightened the native chief moved all of his people inland, claiming the dead will be very angry. All went unnoticed until January of 1894, when a fire broke out in his factory and at his house over a kilometer away at the same time. His wife Elizabeth went mad after this, claiming she saw, ‘Firemen Spirits’, running around the house, rubbing their hands along everything, stoking the fires. She died six months later of insanity. After losing everything Jacob returned to Europe a broken and bankrupt man.
But the story doesn’t end there. William Pendray bought the point and again not concerned with native warnings, built his new factory there. He was worried about the fires though and installed some highly advanced sprinkler systems, for its time, to protect everything, in the advent of another fire. Proud of his new factory, he walked through the building as it was being finished. Strangely enough one of the large steel cylinders holding the water for his sprinklers, broke away and fell forty feet, crushing his head.
Wait, there’s more.
His only son Ernest was expected to take over and like many young males of the time enjoyed riding his horse and buggy at breakneck speeds through town. As he came up the factory gates, his horse came to a skidding halt. Ernest was thrown from the buggy, straight in front of the horse. The horse then bolted and one of the heavy carriage wheels ran over Ernest’s neck, decapitating the man.
On Laurel Point now stands The Inn At Laurel Point. Many of the guests have complained about weird things happening to them, ghosts turning on and off lights, coldness, televisions turning channels. The restaurant, even on bright sunny days always appears gloomy and dark inside.
BC’s famous artist, Emily Carr, has also been seen at Her home, St. Ann’s Academy and at the James Bay pub. I guess the old gal is still looking for more inspiration for her next painting.
Even my son, Rory, a Chef De Partie, who used to work at Nautical Nellies, famous for its seafood and chowder soup has experienced the ghost that haunts its kitchen. He reported to have pots come off the wall and objects slide across the counter by themselves when alone there. Also had one person get locked in the cellar only to find the door open with no effort. Spooky. That explains the special ingredient that makes the chowder to die for, as many customers claim.
And if you’re feeling really brave drive along Shelbourne street near Hillside shopping mall in October. Many people have reported driving alone and having the whole area shift to an earlier time with just a dirt road. PS. They swore they were all sober and this is in the days of pre legalized Cannabis in Canada.
Frank Talaber, Writer By Soul 