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Apparitions on the golf course, ghosts at the dinner table, a spectral slumber – ah, yes! – just another friendly visit to Victoria, British Columbia. B.C.’s capital city is renowned for its ghostly sightings. So what exactly is a ghost? According to local historian, paranormal investigator and Ghostly Walks ringleader John Adams, a ghost is energy – appearing as a flash of light, a chill in the air, the smell of smoke. Gathering on the well-lit terrace of the downtown Visitor Information Centre, I joined two dozen other hardy souls for a walk through time. Dressed head to toe in requisite black and carrying a silver-handled cane, John Adams set the scene. Victoria is the perfect place for spirits – it has a long history of human occupation, there’s a lot of water around, it is surrounded by mountains and the city is built on volcanic bedrock – all of which mean energy is held. Add to this, thousands of years of human history and you have the makings of a spooky city. Call me curious, I’d already hauled my traveling partner along to check out supposedly haunted hotspots earlier in the day. Driving down the road to Point Ellice House on the Upper Harbour, I was wondering if we taken a wrong turn. Piles of rock, machinery and a dusty construction atmosphere was all we could see ahead, but quietly waiting on the left, behind a row of well-weathered trees, was the house. Too early for visiting hours, we peered across the white picket fence, soaking up morning shadows and the decidedly moody feel of the O’Reilly family home – definitely spectral potential here. The rotating mermaid on the roof of the Cherry Bank Hotel didn’t look too supernatural, but apparently there are guests inside that just don’t want to leave. We couldn’t find them on our visit – maybe they were too busy packing (the Cherry Bank is on the demolition block). Streetside, the 1911-era James Bay Inn, is a quaint, white-washed roadhouse. Inside it was once home to an elderly Emily Carr and it was here she died March 2, 1945. Her artistic spirit is apparently part of the Inn’s charm, but today the building just sat at peace in the sunshine as horse-drawn trolleys plied tourists around the city core. We wandered up Government Street in hopes of finding a true hair-raising experience. Stepping into Rogers Chocolates shop is worth the journey, even if you don’t like chocolate. Victorian oak cabinets and display cases date back to the time of Charles and Leah Rogers – the shop’s founders. Desolate after the death of their son, Charles and Leah threw themselves into their work, often sleeping in rocking chairs in the kitchen of the chocolate shop. Some say they never left. I say it’s the chocolate. If I had a store as good as this, I’d never want to leave either! After a day with little spiritual revelation, I wasn’t expecting much out of the ghostly tour, but as we strolled down to the Inner Harbour, lights glowing on calm water, the mood became reflective. We gazed across at the Laurel Point Inn – built on a traditional native burial site. In 1877, a series of factories were built on the location. Buildings burned, accidents occurred and bad luck even followed one owner to the Old Gatsby Mansion, where his ghost apparently haunts today. Standing on a ley line, John Adams explained energy places and how they often occur in lines – this one a haunted connection continuing from where we stand, through the many ghostly spaces of Bastion Square, up the hill to Craigdarroch Castle (where rumour has it that Joan Dunsmuir, wife of coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, still wanders through the rooms of her stately mansion) and on towards the Victoria Golf Course – renowned for the ghost of Doris Gravlin, murdered by her husband in the 1930’s. In the shadows a few feet away from the ley line, we stood in the back alley behind an 1850’s tavern, now a trendy restaurant (Bravo is one of nearly 15 restaurants in the Victoria with a haunting story) and listened to the tale of a ghostly janitor. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the stories, but when a knife flew over our heads while climbing the wooden steps up to Wharf Street, I conceded that maybe ghosts do exist in Victoria. No need to search any longer, I’m just going to take my shaking body back to my specter-free hotel room in the Accent Inn and relax… with a box of chocolates. If you go: All Ghostly Walks tours begin at the Visitor Information Centre at the corner of Wharf and Government Streets. Tickets available from the guides 20 minutes beforehand or at the centre during business hours. For current times and prices, call (250) 384-6698 or visit them online at www.discoverthepast.com . For travel information, contact Tourism British Columbia (toll free at 1-800-435-5622 or online at www.hellobc.com).
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