As paranormal investigators who’ve spent decades looking for ghosts in British Columbia and beyond, between us we’ve visited hundreds of haunted places. But there’s something special about New Westminster that keeps drawing us back. We have a certain attachment to the ghosts of New Westminster, and we’ve had the privilege of witnessing some of these supernatural phenomena firsthand.

Let’s take you on a journey through some of the most haunted locations in New Westminster.

CPR Station: A Hub for Historical Hauntings

CPR Station, New Westminster | Image by Greg Mansfield

One of New Westminster’s most intriguing haunted places is the old Canadian Pacific Railway station. Built in 1899, this historic building has witnessed countless arrivals and departures – and not all of them have moved on.

During our many visits to Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant, which now occupies the old station, we’ve discovered some fascinating paranormal activity. Staff members share stories with us of unexplained phenomena, including mysterious footsteps of a woman in high heels on the upper floor, a self-opening door to the kitchen, and an inexplicable occurrence with a particular dining table where stacked chairs repeatedly fall for no apparent reason.

Perhaps most intriguingly, customers have witnessed the apparition of a young girl at the top of the interior staircase, vanishing into thin air, while others have seen strange shadows and the silhouette of a woman throughout the restaurant. The basement seems especially active, too, with employees reporting soft, disembodied voices calling their names.

Recent paranormal investigations have even captured electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings in the basement, suggesting that this historic transportation hub continues to host some of the most active ghosts of New Westminster.

Irving House: Where the King of the River Still Roams

One of our favorite haunted locations is Irving House. Built in 1865 for Captain William Irving, the “King of the River,” this historic home is now a museum. It’s also a hotbed of paranormal activity. The ghosts of New Westminster seem particularly active here, with numerous reports of unexplained phenomena.

The house itself seems alive with energy. Visitors often report hearing strange noises, seeing walls shiver, and even catching glimpses of a petite lady in period dress – believed to be either Elizabeth Irving or her daughter Mary. The master bedroom, where Captain Irving died in 1872, often shows an unexplained indentation on the mattress, as if someone’s still lying there.

Some employees at the Irving House Museum catch the distinct smell of pipe tobacco wafting through the halls – a signature of the captain’s presence. The white feathers that occasionally drift down the staircase and the faint sound of bagpipes outside add to the home’s mysterious atmosphere.

The Met Hotel: A Home for Some Ghostly Residents

The Met Hotel – New Westminster | Image by Greg Mansfield

The Met Hotel, housed in the historic Burr Block, stands as one of the few survivors of the Great Fire of 1898. It’s also home to some of the most active ghosts of New Westminster. During investigations here with her Coldspotters team, Amanda has encountered some fascinating phenomena.

In 2012, Amanda recorded an EVP of a female entity who identified herself as Mary, a former prostitute. The hotel’s most famous spirit, however, is George, a former caretaker who died in his basement lodgings. Staff members often report seeing him floating through hallways and walking through walls.

The basement, where George lived and died, has a particularly heavy atmosphere. During one investigation, a Coldspotters member experienced George’s playful side when invisible hands clapped loudly in front of her face – a prank that, we later learned, George was known for playing during his lifetime.

Samson V Museum: A Personal Encounter with a Sailor’s Spirit

The Samson V holds a special place in Greg’s heart, as it’s where he had one of his most memorable paranormal encounters. In October 2022, while exploring the inside of this historic snag boat, Greg witnessed something he’ll never forget – a shadow figure moving swiftly through the galley. The apparition was grey and transparent, with the clear form of a man wearing a thick sweater and sporting cropped hair.

This ghostly figure is believed to be Frank Creeden, the vessel’s chief engineer who died of a heart attack in the engine room in 1942. Over the years, many staff members and visitors have reported similar sightings, describing the full-bodied apparition of a sailor who brushes past before vanishing into thin air.

The Gatehouse: Echoes of Incarceration

The Gatehouse, New Westminster | Image by Greg Mansfield

The Gatehouse, once the entrance to the notorious B.C. Penitentiary, is a present-day monument to New Westminster’s darker history. The ghosts of New Westminster seem particularly active here, perhaps due to the building’s connection to countless troubled souls who passed through its doors.

Amanda has had several remarkable experiences here, including seeing a full-bodied apparition of a man on the ground floor. The basement, which once housed holding cells, seems to be a focal point for paranormal activity. During investigations, we’ve recorded multiple EVPs, including the voices of adult males and, surprisingly, a little boy and a barking dog.

Fraser Cemetery: Spirits Among the Stones

Fraser Cemetery, established in 1869, offers a different kind of haunting. Here, the ghosts of New Westminster take on a gentler nature. Visitors report seeing a young woman in a white Victorian-era dress who appears to guide people toward specific gravestones. There’s also a playful spirit of a little boy who’s been seen perched on benches or playing among the monuments.

During an investigation with our celebrity ghost-investigator friend, Robb Demarest, and some Coldspotters members in 2021, we witnessed the distinct, heavy smell of rose perfume following us throughout the lower half of the cemetery. Roses were out of season at the time, however, and none could be seen anywhere. When Greg called out to ask who was wearing the perfume, the scent suddenly went away. One of our team members who knows about such things said it was the scent of the cemetery’s guardian spirit.

Bernie Legge Theatre: Spectres in the Spotlight

The Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen’s Park has become known for its theatrical ghosts. Three distinct entities are said to haunt this venue: a “Woman in White” who appears as darting white lights between seats, a mischievous little boy who kicks the backs of seats, and an old fisherman who appears in reflections in the lobby and green room.

The Paramount Gentleman’s Club: A Stage for the Supernatural

The Paramount, New Westminster | Image by Greg Mansfield

The Paramount, which once hosted a scene in the original adaptation of Stephen King’s “It,” has its own share of supernatural activity. Staff have reported seeing chairs move on their own, bathroom doors slamming shut, and apparitions of both a woman in white and a little boy.

The Ghosts of New Westminster: Their Stories Live On

These ghosts of New Westminster aren’t just random phenomena – they’re echoes of the lives that helped shape this city. As paranormal investigators, we’ve learned that sometimes the most important part of ghost hunting isn’t just documenting the supernatural but understanding and preserving the stories behind these hauntings.

The next time you’re walking through these historic streets, remember – you might just be sharing the sidewalk with some of New Westminster’s oldest residents.

If you’d like to see many of these haunted places for yourself, Amanda leads a fascinating Ghosts of New Westminster walking tour from August to early November.

And if you want to delve deeper, you can find more detailed accounts of some of these locations and other haunted places in Greg’s book, Ghosts of Vancouver: 41 Haunted Places, available on Amazon.

Greg Mansfield and Amanda Quill

The post Ghosts of New Westminster appeared first on Ghosts of Vancouver.

From his post, it’s apparent that Dr. Nickell visited Vancouver and its Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in the spring of 2016.

Dr. Nickell draws from my article about the restaurant, and uses it and other online articles it inspired to base an attack on the notion that the location is haunted. I’m compelled to comment.

Near the beginning of his blog entry, Dr. Nickell repackages material from my article, in which I discuss and disprove conjecture that’s been published elsewhere about the restaurant and its ghosts. Understandably, Dr. Nickell concludes that the conjecture and conflicting information are symptomatic of folklore at work. He makes a valid point, and raises an important issue about supposedly true ghost stories. This is the fact that it’s often very difficult to separate fact from fiction when researching and discussing the paranormal.

In my own research for the Ghosts of Vancouver website, I’ve encountered many articles that contain misinformation about haunted locations. This typically includes false details about a building, its history or its ghostly inhabitants. I came across a local newspaper article, for example, that reported that the ghost of a young man seen in Gabriola House is one of the original owner’s sons, who supposedly committed suicide there. This is simply untrue. As Dr. Nickell would say, folklore was at work. Local legend also says that Gabriola House has an underground tunnel connecting it to another building several blocks away. Again, this is folklore.

I disagree with Dr. Nickell, however, in his sweeping implication that when a report about a haunted location contains false information or has folklore attached to it, the existence of the ghost(s) is therefore false. Such inaccuracies do not negate the fact that some people see apparitions or experience strange occurrences in certain locations.

At the Old Spaghetti Factory, for example, despite some false or exaggerated aspects of stories attached to the trolley car inside the restaurant, certain staff members and customers have actually seen an apparition or have had strange experiences in the car and throughout the restaurant. I have spoken with some staff members who’ve had experiences, and they’re perfectly forthright and truthful when they talk about their encounters. Folklore does not play a part in what they witness first-hand.

In his blog entry Dr. Nickell also writes, “…others conclude the ghost must have somehow arrived with the tram car when it was installed in 1969 (“Ghosts” 2016; “Haunted Tales” 2016). But then where was the ghost before it showed up in 1969—possibly for half a century or more?”

Here he questions speculation about where the ghost may have come from. (Incidentally, I first raised this in my article, which the other articles he cites borrow heavily from.) But all this does is poke holes in my speculation, which was never presented as fact. And as for where the ghost may have been before 1969, how is this relevant to disproving its existence? It’s not as if an answer to that question would prove or disprove anything.

Dr. Nickell then writes, “The spirit—what some believe a form of life energy—appears “in full uniform,” although such clothing and accouterments would have been entirely inanimate objects. But Ghosts—being expressions of the imagination—can be any way people want, and ghosts are typically attired and equipped as appropriate to the mental imagery and the storytelling drama (Nickell 2012, 25–30).”

Here Dr. Nickell asserts that ghosts are “an expression of the imagination.” This generalization doesn’t do the subject justice, however. While I agree that many, many ghost sightings can be debunked as misinterpretations, hallucinations, tricks of the eye or imagination, fraudulent statements and so forth, some cases and supporting photographic evidence exist that cannot be so easily dismissed. In my opinion, it’s absurd to proclaim that all sightings of ghosts, of which there are many thousands documented, are all expressions of the imagination. But by referring to his own concept of mental imagery and storytelling drama (Nickell 2012, 25–30), Dr. Nickell seems to have made up his mind.

One of the classic arguments against the existence of ghosts is, if ghosts are indeed real phenomena how is it that most are seen wearing clothing? It’s a good question. Unlike Dr. Nickell, however, I don’t claim to have a definitive answer.

An alternative theory to explain why ghosts are seen in clothes is that some ghosts are created by slips in space-time. That is, scenes from the past occasionally replay themselves in certain locations and can be observed in current time. This may seem unbelievable, but it’s not outside the mind-blowing realm of quantum physics for such phenomena to happen.

Another theory suggests that some ghosts are disembodied human consciousnesses in energy form. As such, they’re able to project themselves as they were in life—fully clothed and of certain ages. I know this theory is seen by hard-core skeptics as preposterous. It does, after all, require a stretch of the imagination. But nobody can disprove or prove this theory. And it’s no more preposterous than claiming that all encounters with ghosts are simply products of the imagination. Furthermore, it’s worth briefly mentioning that some scientists are grappling with the possibility that human consciousness may not all be localized in the brain, which goes against long-held scientific paradigm.

Dr. Nickell also sets his arguments up for a fall when he implies that the Old Spaghetti Factory can’t be haunted, because he didn’t see or experience anything unusual during his visit, nor had anyone with whom he spoke. This is like declaring that bears don’t live in the forests near Vancouver, because he didn’t see one when he hiked there, and neither had anyone on the trail with him. But ghosts, like bears in the woods, don’t appear on cue, and many people don’t encounter them on an average journey into the forest.

I don’t wish to be too hard on Dr. Nickell, because I too am a skeptic. But just as he holds reports of ghosts up for scrutiny, his arguments must stand up to similar review.

I respectfully challenge Dr. Nickell and hard-core skeptics like him to have a more open mind. While it’s essential to be on guard against false reports or misinformation about ghosts and the supernatural, there are far too many reports to simply dismiss them all as being in the observers’ imaginations.

By eliminating falsehoods and isolating truly mysterious cases, we can hopefully get to some truth. But hardline skeptics throw the baby out with the bath water – they disregard the small number of cases that cannot be explained away, because their minds are already made up. They do themselves and others a disfavour by not keeping their minds open to the possibility that there might be more to the universe than is in their rigid world views. After all, modern science has only scratched the sub-surface in an attempt to explain the makeup of life, the universe and everything.

Nobody has all the answers. Meanwhile, ghost sightings persist.

Reference

Vancouver’s “Haunted” Old Spaghetti Factory. 2016. http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/entry/vancouvers_haunted_old_spaghetti_factory/ (accessed January 10, 2017).

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Earlier this week, I met up with a long-time friend for dinner at the Cork and Fin restaurant in Gaoler’s Mews (221 Carrall Street). I arrived early and ahead of my friend, and was greeted at the door by our server for the evening. “Come in and sit with the ghosts,” he said with a laugh, referring to the fact that I was the first customer of the evening and all of the tables were empty.

“Well, the place is haunted,” I said. I told him about my interest in ghosts and my Ghosts of Vancouver website. We were both amused by the coincidence that his greeting had raised. I then asked him whether he had had any personal experiences with ghosts in the restaurant.

“No, I haven’t,” he admitted, “but you should chat with the guy behind the bar.” He pointed to a young Asian fellow setting things up on the other side of the counter, who raised his head when he overheard his colleague mention him to me. I made my way over to the bar, introduced myself and gave him a Ghosts of Vancouver business card.

The bartender was very friendly and open about what he had experienced about a month earlier, in October (2014). He told me that one night at around 10:30 p.m., he was in the kitchen at the back of the restaurant cleaning up. He was the only person back there at the time, and a colleague was working in the customer area in the front. As he was standing at a counter working, he felt the distinct impression of someone brushing past him. “You know the slight breeze you feel when someone walks by you?” he said. “That’s what I felt.” But, when he looked to see who it was, there was no one there. “I’ve got goose bumps just telling you about it!” he said while showing me his arms. “Then all of a sudden,” he continued, “all of the lights in the kitchen and up the nearby stairs went out. And the flame on the gas stove went out, too.” Stunned by what had happened at the time, he made his way to the front of the restaurant to tell his colleague about it. He had only been up front for a few seconds when all of the lights in the kitchen and back area came on again.

At this point in my conversation with the bartender, my friend arrived. For her benefit, the bartender repeated his story. A female server also joined in on the conversation and told us about how, a few years ago, the owner of the restaurant was in the back of the customer area when he witnessed a wine glass levitate above a table and, while in mid-air, move of its own accord.

Overall, I was fascinated to hear these stories as they’re further corroboration of what other employees of restaurants in Gaoler’s Mews have experienced over the years. And, I must add that my friend and I very much enjoyed our meal and the hospitality of the friendly and easy-going staff at the Cork and Fin. I’ll definitely be back there again soon for more great food and, hopefully, updates on the ghostly goings on there.

If you’ve worked at the Cork and Fin or any other business in Gaoler’s Mews (or anywhere else in Vancouver, for that matter) and have had a paranormal experience while there, please tell me your story here in the blog or, if you’d prefer, by clicking on the Contact link, above. I’d love to hear from you. Genuine stories only, please!

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Brodie sent an email to tell me that she worked at L’Abattoir, the restaurant at 217 Carrall Street, in Gaoler’s Mews, from April to October 2010. This is the restaurant located in the same unit where the Irish Heather pub restaurant once was. Brodie worked as a runner, delivering food and drink to guest tables, and spent a lot of time along the corridors and near the washrooms at the back. She sometimes got the feeling that an unseen presence lurked in those areas, which she took to be a male energy. More frequently, however, she heard her name called by a female voice that she couldn’t account for. After asking every female colleague in the restaurant if one of them had called her, none of them had. This also happened when the restaurant was closed and few others were around. It was obvious that something unexplained was going on.

Brodie is the first (former) L’Abattoir employee to share her experiences with Ghosts of Vancouver, and it confirms that the ghosts who made themselves known to employees at the Irish Heather are still haunting the place and are up to their usual antics. Thanks, Brodie! If anyone else who reads this was employed or is currently working at L’Abattoire or in Gaolers Mews and has had some ghostly experiences there, please let me know.

The post Former L’abbatoire Employee Shares Her Ghostly Experiences appeared first on Ghosts of Vancouver.

I recently paid a visit to Swim Recruiting, a career recruiting firm based in the Waterfront Station. Their office space is situated in the east end of the building on the third floor. It’s bright and modern, and they enjoy a glorious view of the cruise ship terminal, the SeaBus station and North Shore Mountains across Vancouver harbour. I have been acquainted with Simon Wood, president of the company, for some time and he kindly gave me permission to speak with a few of the employees who have experienced unusual goings on in the building.

I sat down with Debra, Jen and ‘Employee A’ (who requested anonymity), and we had a lively chat about their ghostly encounters. ‘A’ went first and told me about a scare she had in July of this year. She had arrived at the Swim Recruiting office early one morning, at 7:15 a.m., to be on time for a candidate interview at 8:00 a.m. Being that it was well before usual business hours, she was the only person in the office. And, as it was a lovely summer morning, she had jogged to work. ‘A’ was getting changed into her work clothes in one of the meeting rooms when she was startled by a very loud and intense banging on a back door that leads to a corridor with a service elevator and stairwells. There was also a frantic rattling on the door handle, as if somebody was desperately trying to get into the office. Unsure of what was going on, ‘A’ made her way to the reception area of the office to check things out, but nobody was there. The commotion at the back door had ceased, so she went to her desk in the main section of the office and tried to settle in. No sooner had she sat down when the intense banging and rattling on the back door started up again. Shaken, ‘A’ approached the door and yelled, “Who’s there?” The banging stopped but there was no answer. After a brief hesitation, she dared to open the door. Nobody was there. What made it even more shocking, she said, was that she didn’t hear a thing after opening the door, not even the sound of footsteps of somebody running away down the corridor or on one of the stairwells. ‘A’ explained that she got a general sense of panic from whomever or whatever had been banging on the door. It was as if it was trying to say, “Let me in!”

Jen was next up to share her experience. She told of how one afternoon in July, around the same time as ‘A’ had her frightening encounter, she and ‘A’ were taking an afternoon break together. They had decided to use the service elevator in the back corridor to go downstairs. While waiting for the elevator to arrive, Jen and ‘A’ stood with their backs to a wall across from the elevator door. Without warning, Jen felt someone or something stroke the back of her neck in an upwards motion. Both she and ‘A’ immediately felt the air around them go icy cold.

Then Debra shared with me her story of how, one afternoon in February of this year, she and ‘A’ were taking a washroom break and were standing inside the ladies’ lavatory talking about an emotional issue that ‘A’ was having. As Debra was listening to her, the apparition of an older woman appeared over ‘A’ ’s shoulder. The apparition only appeared from mid-chest upwards, but Debra was able to clearly see that she had fair hair that was wavy and well styled. The woman wore a powder blue blouse and was reaching out in a kind, almost pleading gesture. Debra got the distinct impression that the older lady was trying to help in some way. The woman said, “I’ll come back another time,” and promptly vanished. As Debra was experiencing this, ‘A’ did not see or hear anything.

What’s interesting about these happenings in and around the Swim Recruiting office is that ‘A’ was present on each occasion. She and Debra disclosed to me that each of them has had personal experiences of a paranormal or psychic nature at other times in other places. It seems then, that they are sensitive to the entity or entities haunting the third floor of the Waterfront Station, and ‘A’ might be of particular draw to the phenomena. It’s also worth noting that two of the encounters occurred in the corridor behind the office, near the service elevator and stairwells. It seems that something is lurking there, eager to get attention.

After our sit-down had ended and I was ready to leave, I chatted briefly with another of Swim’s employees, ‘Employee B’, who told me that she has experienced strange sensations in the ladies’ washroom on the third floor. She has occasionally felt cold spots in that space and has felt resistance on the door to the washroom, pushing back against her when she tries to enter. She also shared with me that, a few years ago, a security guard she was pals with at the station took her down to the basement to show her an old painted portrait of a woman who is believed to have worked in the building many years ago. This painting hangs in a locked storage room where Holiday decorations are kept. According to what that security guard told ‘B’, if the portrait is ever removed from the wall, electrical disruptions occur, including power outages throughout the station. The painting has been left hanging in the basement storage room to prevent any further electrical outages from occurring.

Thanks to Simon, Debra, Jen, ‘A’ and ‘B’ of Swim Recruiting for their kind hospitality during my visit and for sharing their experiences with me. They have promised to let me know if anything else unusual occurs in and around their office. If it does, I will be sure to report on it here.

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On October 12th, I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Red Robinson, the Vancouver radio and television personality, and a small crew from Global TV.  We recorded a segment, “Haunted Vancouver” as a pre-Halloween feature that appeared on Global’s Morning News program on Wednesday, October 17th.  This was a great experience…Red was very personable and fun to work with.  He really got into the whole ghost thing as we visited and talked about Blood Alley, the ghosts of Gaoler’s Mews, the Hotel Europe, the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant and the Hotel Vancouver.  The weather was rainy but, for me, it added a perfect Vancouver autumn atmosphere to the whole thing…

When the video shoot was over, Red very kindly treated me to lunch back at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  Just before we placed our food order, the manager, Chris, came over to chat with us.  This gave me the opportunity to ask him if he’d ever had any personal experiences with ghosts in the restaurant.  He was very open and explained that, while he hasn’t ever seen anything, he has heard strange noises in the restaurant when he’s been closing up for the night.  These noises have included inexplicable bangs and cracking noises plus disembodied voices.  He also detailed for Red and me how a young server had an encounter with a ghost this past year.  It gave her such a terrible fright that she said she couldn’t work there any longer and quit on the spot.  Apparently, she had been in the back section of the restaurant, helping to tidy and close up late one evening.  While working on some tables, she noticed a little boy walking towards the washrooms in the back.  With it being so late and no customers left in the restaurant, she thought it was strange for a little boy to be hanging around. She decided to follow him.  With the young woman close on his heels, the boy turned to face her near the washrooms.  Chris was unable to tell us what she saw in the little boy’s eyes or face, but it was obviously something horribly unnatural.  Extremely frightened, she ran to the front of the restaurant to tell Chris about her encounter.  He told us how he’d never seen anyone so terrified.

Chris also said that a psychic once visited the restaurant and identified the ghost of the little boy as “Edward” (or “Eric”) and explained that he is the entity responsible for occasionally bending cutlery on tables, not the ghost of the trolley conductor.  The psychic also pointed out that there’s a vortex (a supposed portal between this world and the next) located in the back of the restaurant, and that several of the historical artifacts decorating the restaurant, in addition to the trolley car, have spirits attached to them.

Lastly, Chris told us about yet another ghost that has been seen in the Old Spaghetti Factory.  This is of a little girl who appears at a table in the front window, holding a balloon.  Nobody knows who she is or why she appears there on her own.

I’ll be updating the Old Spaghetti Factory page on the website to include this information in the near future.  In the meantime, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Sharron at Global TV for the opportunity to join her and Red Robinson in Gastown to talk about ghosts, Red for lunch and the interesting conversations we had on and off camera, and to Chris and the staff at the Old Spaghetti Factory for their kind hospitality.  Next time you’re in Gastown, drop in for a good meal and refreshment there.  You might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the resident ghosts!

The post “Haunted Vancouver” … and More Ghost Stories from the Old Spaghetti Factory appeared first on Ghosts of Vancouver.

With Halloween approaching, the Vancouver media is likely to print some stories of local ghosts and haunted locations. This is always fun and occasionally they reveal some ‘true’ ghost stories that haven’t been recounted in the past. But one Vancouver ghost story I’m tired of hearing about is the supposed ghostly hitchhiker of the University of British Columbia (UBC). While I always enjoy a good ghost story, this one’s a yawn because it’s been talked about for many years as being a true haunt, but it isn’t.

To set the record straight, the UBC hitchhiker ghost story is based on an urban myth known as the “Vanishing Hitchhiker.” In this particular urban legend, a hitchhiker is seen in the headlights of a car travelling at night. Often, it’s a young woman in a white dress. The motorist, apparently not concerned about picking up a stranger on a lonely road at night, stops and offers the hitcher a ride. They drive off, sometimes with the hitchhiker sitting in total silence in the back seat. At some point in the narrative, the passenger mysteriously vanishes. In many versions, the hitchhiker disappears when the car reaches the requested destination.

The UBC ghostly hitchhiker story, which is hauntingly familiar (pardon the pun), tells of how, on rainy nights in October, a young woman can be seen hitching a ride along University Boulevard at UBC. When a driver pulls over to give her a lift, she seems distressed and jumps in the back of the car. Soaked from the rain, she tells the driver that she’s anxious to get home and gives her address. When the car reaches the destination, the driver turns around and sees that she’s gone. Shocked and confused, the driver knocks on the door to the house, which is opened by an older lady. When he tells her his story, she knowingly smiles and tells him how her daughter was a pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run accident one rainy October night many years ago. She had been walking back from a Halloween party on campus along University Boulevard when she was struck by what was probably a drunk driver. Every year around the anniversary of her death, her spirit hitches a ride home.

Like any tall tale, there are variations of this ghost story. Another version tells of how the woman was left on the road by her boyfriend after they had an argument in his car. Regardless, the general gist is that the ghost of the woman who had been killed on a campus road hitches a ride and then vanishes. It makes for a good yarn at Halloween but there’s no truth to it.

There are many Vanishing Hitchhiker tales told in various locations around the world, the most notable of which are “Resurrection Mary” of Chicago, Illinois, the ghost of Niles Canyon in California, and the “White Woman” of Belchen Tunnel in Switzerland.

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In September 2010, I received an email from Steve Bolton, a Vancouver-based photographer who specializes in portfolio photography for models and actors (for samples of his excellent work, see Lone Wolf Photography). He wrote to tell me about an apparition he caught on camera during a photo shoot in Gastown earlier that summer. On July 2, 2010, Steve took some black and white digital photos of a model sitting on the steps by the Alexander Street (i.e., north) entrance of the Hotel Europe. Later that day, when he was reviewing the photographs, he noticed a strange image of someone reflected in the glass in the door over the model’s right shoulder. He noticed that the apparition’s face was featureless and that it was wearing some sort of cap and coat. What also amazed him was that the figure appeared to have no legs! When he later spoke with the model and told her about the image in the reflection, she told him she clearly remembered that, other than Steve himself, nobody had been standing in the street across from her when the photos were taken. (Note: It was a cloudy Sunday on the July long weekend, which explains why the street was relatively quiet for passers-by.)

With Steve’s permission, I’ve posted a small copy of the photograph, below, plus a zoom-in of the top left portion of the image that shows the apparition reflected in the glass of the door. At first glance, you might think that the apparition is sitting on some steps at the building across the street from the Hotel Europe. This is not the case, however. What look like steps are actually a reflection of three strips of light gray bricks that are in-laid in the red-brown brick sidewalk in front of a vehicle entrance to the building at 27 Alexander Street. Once you grasp this, you can appreciate that the apparition is actually standing, not sitting, and that its legs are missing. Assuming that the photograph hasn’t been tampered with or hoaxed in some way, which Steve assured me that it has not been, the featureless face and missing legs seem to indicate that the reflection is of something paranormal.

But just who or what is the apparition that appears in the photo? Steve says that he believes the ghost to be that of a soldier or rail worker. The hat it’s wearing is interesting in that it looks much like an old-style peaked cap, perhaps military in nature. Could this be the ghost of a soldier who visited Vancouver at one time and met a sticky end on the streets of Gastown? Alternatively, is the figure wearing a rail worker’s cap? I ask this as I, too, speculate whether this apparition is that of the ghost of the rail worker who was killed on the CPR tracks, not far from this location (see the Waterfront Station page for more information). He is, after all, said to roam various parts of Gastown. If that were the case, however, we would expect to see a headless ghost, not a legless one. Some photographs of the B.C. Electric Railway Company taken in the early 1900s, available on the City of Vancouver Archives website, reveal that Vancouver’s electric tram drivers wore caps similar to this. Furthermore, there was a tram line that ran along Powell Street, on the south side of the Hotel Europe, with stops nearby. So, maybe this apparition is the ghost of a tram driver from that era. Is he, then, the same ghost who appears inside the trolley car at the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant? Or is he the ghost who occasionally shows himself in the art store in the Hotel Europe? We may never know its actual identity, but this photographic evidence is truly fascinating and the best I’ve seen to date of a ghost of Vancouver. Great catch, Steve!

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L.B. just emailed me the other day to share her story of meeting the ghost of the Lamplighter Pub inside the Dominion Hotel in Vancouver.

L.B. worked as a housekeeper for the Dominion in 2005. One of her responsibilities was to clean up the pub in the mornings. On her first day, she arrived in the pub shortly after 7:00 a.m., when it was still a bit dark outside. She soon heard the clinking sound of glasses at the bar while she was wiping down the tables. This went on for several minutes. When she finally turned around to see if someone else had walked into the pub without her noticing, she saw a man standing at the bar. He was dressed in a traditional chef’s jacket, white with black buttons done up on one side. He then darted around the bar. L.B. says that he was almost translucent and moved way too fast to be an actual person. She thought little of this, until a co-worker asked her if she had “met the ghost yet.” Obviously, she had seen the same thing all the other staff members had.

One of the bartenders reported being able to see him in the mirror while on shift, almost as if he was helping out. And, sometimes the ghost would appear as a white ‘swirl’ with a black dot where his head would be, moving around the bar.

The Dominion Hotel had an old employee who worked the night shift at the front desk for many years, who had nicknamed the ghost ‘Billy Bob.’ The name stuck.

L.B. doesn’t know whether ‘Billy Bob’ is still there, but says it would be cool if the staff reported more sightings of him, as the big mirror behind the bar survived the renovations that were done to the pub in the last few years.

A huge thanks to L.B. for sharing her experiences with ‘Billy Bob.’ If anyone else out there has worked at or visited the Lamplighter Pub and has had an encounter with its ghost, please share your story here in the blog.

The post The Ghost of ‘Billy Bob’ at the Lamplighter Pub appeared first on Ghosts of Vancouver.