In the spirit of Halloween I thought I’d share 5 local stories that seriously give me the chills!
The Ghosts of Barnet Beach | Burnaby
Two friends hiking through the trails of Belcarra looked across the waters of Burrard Inlet to see lights through the evening mist. Knowing the area well, they were sure they were not seeing Port Moody nor the lights originating from nearby oil refineries. As they studied the area further, a silhouette of a small town came clearly into view — dim lights flickered in the windows.
The hikers had every right to be concerned, for they knew the mirage they were experiencing couldn’t be real. The town of Barnet was abandoned and torn down over forty years earlier. Still, they saw homes, small commercial buildings, smokestacks and what appeared to be movement along a far off street.
Thinking that perhaps a local studio had constructed a movie set, they hopped into a car and travelled along the Barnet highway to investigate. They found nothing but darkness and a closed park.
The area known as Burrard Inlet has been a hotbed for unusual sightings. Ancient legends tell of the coastal mountains transforming before people’s eyes.
Dead Mans Island | Coal Harbour
Since its construction in 1944, naval officers and Royal Canadian Navy reservists at HMCS Discovery have been beset with all manner of strangeness here, ranging from hearing numerous anomalous sounds such as breaking glass, furniture being moved, voices from nowhere, shouts, inhuman screams, spooky chanting sounds, and footsteps, to being pushed or tapped by unseen hands, to seeing various apparitions, glowing eyes in the fog, mysterious lights, shadow people, and an eerie glow emanating from the trees that seems to flicker and writhe like flames before slowly congealing into a human form. Additionally, personal belongings and other objects are said to continually go missing, often ending up in strange places far from where they should be, and lights or electrical equipment seem to have a disconcerting habit of turning themselves on and off. It is said that many of these seemingly supernatural events seem to gravitate around a place called Building No. 1. Another location that is known for its ghostly activity is one of the storage areas which was once a holding cell for prisoners. Native peoples of the area saw it as a forsaken land of the dead, fit only as a burial ground for more corpses to join the ones that were already there. The Squamish people took to using the island as burial ground, usually placing bodies within cedar coffins, which they then lodged up within the branches of ancient trees. These coffins would make a morbid discovery years later.
The Tunnels | New Westminster
The old New Westminster Courthouse is eerie enough without the added history. Local tour guides have pointed out that the courthouse was built with an elaborate tunnel system which lead all the way to the Fraser River. They used these tunnels to transport prisoners from ships to the courthouse where they would be tried in the late 1800’s. Local rumour has it that these tunnels connect to many of the other historic sites in New Westminster – including the Free Mason building. Some residents have claimed that when wandering through these tunnels at night you can hear chains clinking and people crying.
Hycroft Manor | Vancouver
Hycroft Manor is easily one of Vancouver’s most haunted locations. Seven ghosts are known to roam this 20,000 square foot, 30-room structure. The first ghost is of an older man dressed in a World War I officer’s uniform. He’s widely assumed to be the ghost of General McRae. Another apparition is that of a well-dressed lady, who is believed to be Mrs. McRae. Of the other five ghosts, one is a woman in a nurse’s uniform. She’s thought to be a head nurse from when the mansion served as the convalescent home. The apparitions of three army veterans have been seen in various parts of the house. They’re known as “The Pranksters” by mansion staff because they open and close doors and cause lights to flicker. The seventh spirit is known as the “Crying Man” due to his loud sobbing that’s heard coming from a room on the lower floor.
If you go exploring in any of these locations this Halloween – just remember, you’ve been warned!
Happy Halloween!