Earlier this month, St. John Alexander invited me to hang out at Overlynn, a Burnaby mansion for a CTV news Halloween segment. I spent an amazing Saturday with St. John, Greg Mansfield and Amanda Quill—two experienced ghost hunters.
Listen to Cold Case Canada podcast Episode 34
Charles Peter:
As the history geek in the group, I discovered that Overlynn, which is in Vancouver Heights, is part of North Burnaby. Around 1909 when the streetcar line was extended to Boundary Road, and the CPR was selling off Shaughnessy, Charles Peter, head of the Blue Ribbon Tea Business, a division of GF and J. Galt Company, thought that Vancouver Heights could become another exclusive subdivision for the rich.
At the time, the average house cost $1,000 to build, but you had to spend at least $3,500 to buy into Vancouver Heights. Peter’s house was a model for what the rich could do. Designed by Samuel Maclure at a cost of $75,000, it was named Overlynn because you could look right over Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver’s Lynn Creek. The house took three years and was finished in 1912. It didn’t work though, the rich stayed in Vancouver.
The Sisters of Charity of Halifax:
The Peters family lived here until the late 1920s when the house sold to the Sisters of Charity of Halifax. The nuns ran Seton Academy, a private Catholic girls boarding and day school for the next 40 years.
We had all two and one-half storeys to ourselves. Greg and Amanda say the house may look empty but it’s brimming with paranormal activity. Thornton Tunnel which runs under North Burnaby, may be behind some bumps and shakes, but it can’t explain the swinging arm, the man who coughs or the little girl in the white dress who suddenly appears, and just as suddenly, disappears.
The Attic:
The stain-glassed windows, the elaborately tiled fireplaces and the wood paneled walls are just gorgeous, but the most interesting part of the house is the attic. You go through the servant’s quarters and up a narrow set of stairs until you get to a heavy metal door at the top.
What’s particularly creepy is that the locks are on the outside and this is where the girls must have slept. The floor is still covered in red and grey checkered lino, there is a bathroom with several sinks and a large room that likely served as a dormitory.
In 1970 the house and grounds were sold to the Action line housing society for $350,000. A tower was added, and it’s been used as seniors housing ever since.
The house received heritage designation in 1995.
Watch the CTV News Segment: Burnaby’s Haunted Overlynn Mansion
Also by St. John Alexander: The Vancouver Police museum – the city’s most haunted building?
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32 comments on “Overlynn: Burnaby’s most haunted mansion”
It looks a bit less haunted when I found it on Google Earth!
Watched the clip. Thanks. Oh… I see you are described as a History and True Crime Novelist…. Well, I knew you were prolific…
Thanks James. Not how I would describe myself, but I could think of a lot worse things!
What a beautiful house! (except for the attic)
Thanks for this post. I’d never heard of this house until now.
That looks like my dad’s friends old house which he owned in the 70s and had to restore it it had its own chapel in it which he made as his office his name was Cecil walker and he had something to do with apartment next door he did lots of charity work
Cecil was my Grandfather & much of my childhood was spent growing up there. My Brother Douglas, my two Cousins & myself restored the outside twice. When I was little, I used to go there for weeks to polish the silver lamps & rub lemon oil into the walls.
Cecil recieved an award for outstanding contribution to the country.
With Polio he helped build Bc’s first McMillan Blodel while being towed in a wagon.
Then helped Starrt
Big Brothers, Junior achievement, & had successfully started 27 businesses..
17 of which we’re still in operation while living at Overlynn.
Walker Brothers sold their Vancouver paint company to Glidden of America.
I shook Rick Hanson’s hand in the dining room where he’d waited to meet me at my mother Marylyn’s funeral.
I spent many day’s practicing guitar & writing in that house.
Doe’s anyone remember a Red 1968 Ford Fairlane or Silver Oldsmobile hot rots that used to frequently be parked behind my Granpa’s Lincoln or Mercedes ?
Myself, my mother, brother, father, grandfather, cousins or aunt never had a ghostly experience there.
As a child, you could definitely feel the history but it not scary.
When my grandpa started to bring it back to life, there was much to do.
He was a bit upset with the rcmp after they stayed there… some original stained glass doors were missing…
Some people had been removing the original Ebony & Ivory inlay as well as the original solid silver & crystal lamps down the halls & around the house.
Cecil had the pieces custom made & replaced. The replacement wasn’t Ivory but the crystal lamps were hand made to match.
We lived at Eton and Boundary Rd. Our neighbour Eileen Campbell lived on Cambridge St. 3600 block. She was mentally challenged, and after having had a bad experience at one of the East Van elementary schools, was sent to Seton Academy where we heard she was treated with kindness and compassion. Don’t know if she is still alive, if so she’d be around 70 and her brother James a bit younger – he might be able to give you more details about Seton Academy.
I’m happy to hear that she was treated well!
I made a point of driving by Overlynn today. It looked so empty and forlorn, sitting in the shadows, no sunlight hitting it!
I went to Seton academy From 1961 until it closed. I spent lots of time there. My parents were very involved with the nuns and my Aunt was a cook in the kitchen for many years.
Amazing story Eve! I loved the CTV video clip as well. Thank you.
Thanks so much Ron!
Eric Peter was one the son of Charles Peter. He was my great-uncle married to my great-aunt, Grace Fee, whose father was Thomas Fee, of Parr and Fee Architects.
Their son, Chuck Peter is still alive – age 93 and lives in the states. Although he never lived in the house he may have stories about it through his dad. I will contact him and so I will let you know if he has any stories to share.
Perhaps he can address the issue of the attic dormitory and steel door? It’s use etc. Very interesting story.
Chuck Peter, grandson of Charles Peters, was just a toddler when the house was sold. He remembers his dad describing the attic room as a rec room where he and his siblings would play games, listen to the latest record on the Victrola, and “hang out”. He said he never heard of a metal door locked from the outside.
The architect was Samuel McLure
My maiden name is Fee , I grew up in Burnaby
I believe the comments are clearing up the attic (steel door) dormitory issue! Seems not to have been an issue during time of Seaton Academy! Hope there is more from the senior living Chuck Peter.
I attended Seton Academy in what must have been 1950 or 1951 though I read that the school was built in 1954. The back yard was where we celebrated our first communion walking around the garden which had a waterfall feature. I would like to find photos of the back garden where Set on Villa now stands.
Seton opened in 1930
Hello I had read about Overlynn and on of the sites was talking about a reunion of the girls that went to the school. My friend went there and now can’t find it again. Is there a web site for the students? My story is my parents moved into Seton Villa the day it opened and lived there for 40 years until their passing. My father was offered to live in Overlynn when they refurbished it. There were stories it was haunted and my mother said no…then they never did finish it to a point it could be used for people to live in. I knew the maintenance man Dan that lived in the basement aproz 1995 ish. He worked at Seton. He had problems with his marriage and Seton offered him a place to live. He told me it was haunted. He could hear people walking about voices etc at night. It did not seem to bother him!!! Then there were stories of a movie where they were filming around the stair area in the front lobby the silence warning was on . After they were done there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs more than once they had to do it over. Then there was an event where coats were up stairs. A woman wanted to leave early and went up to get her coat alone. She screamed and left her coat and ran down the stairs and outside. She was totally shaken and refused to go back in. She said she saw a ghost. Not sure if Dan still lives there but Seton would know him he would have stories….my Dad said when he first went into the house it was filled with things like silver platters beautiful candelabra sticks silver serving thing’s in the dining room drawers. One by one they were gone? I hope they were stored away and not stolen. Appreciate if you any info for my friend….thank you Janis Rains …… father and mother were Dolleren and Frank Rains
Hello Janis!
I am reading your comment and beaming ear to ear. We have experienced all the same!
They were stolen 🙁
I just noticed in a recent video that the fireplace insert from the dining room was suddenly also missing 🙁
I worked on that fireplace & noticed immediately 🙁
My mother went to high school there. She is now deceased but I have her graduation photo still. There were 2 girls in her grad class. My mom enjoyed her studies there with the nuns My dad could tell you more as he was dating my my mom she graduated from there. The Sisters approved. 🙂
I also had some piano recitals there when I was young. My teacher was a Sister of Charity. I remember the sundial in the west yard.
This house was not always used as on old folks home. My sister attended the clinic at this house during her time of being very sick with anorexia nervosa after she became too old to attend the Vista House through Children’s Hospita. Overlynn was an eating disorders clinic for a few years! My sister attended probably about 1996-1997 – I’m just curious why this fact is being hidden. I can’t find any info on Overlynn ever being an eating disorders clinic on the internet.
Actually, I don’t think the house has ever been used as an “old folks home.” It’s the tower next door that’s a seniors facility. Possibly they rented out Overlynn for meetings and clinics, I know it’s been used in numerous film shoot. I doubt if they’ve hidden it, probably just not part of their history.
I thought it was owned by the walker brothers in the 80s as my aunt was married to Cecil walker and lived there with him until his death. I stayed there a few times as a teen and while the servants staircase gave me creepy vibes never experienced anything that I recall. Once we were there with some of my friends and were told explicitly to not go upstairs to the attic. I was too much of a rule follower so my friends went up to check it out without even telling me. I wish I had gone up even once to see it tho.
Also the house was used in the original movie IT as the hotel that the main characters stayed at when they returned as adults.
You must mean Janet Poulin
After my grandmother Phyllis Walker passed 25 day’s after, her Daughter, my mother also passed.
Janet had 2 children named Remi & Chantal.
Janet was I’ll & my grandpa cared for her then later married her…
We all wen’t to Arizona together when the children we’re 9-13
I miss that house:)
I lived at Seton Academy -1950’s
It was a beautiful peaceful place with kindly sisters to care for us. I learned how to roller skate, had piano lesson, sewing, square dancing and academics as well. The Gardens were simply outstanding as well. I gained a deep respect for the Catholic religion and biblical instructions and spent hours in the peaceful chapel.
I belonged to delta upsilon fraternity in the mid ‘60s. We rented Overlynn house for 4 years because sfu would not permit fraternities on campus. It was a lot of fun and met so many interesting people through sorority exchanges. Odd there is no mention of this. No encounters with ghosts.
I’m putting on a Haunted Mansion Market in the Overlynn on October 28 2023 from 11-7pm if any of you would like to see the first 2 floors from the inside.
There will be a live intimate concert with spooky & weird handmade vendors and vintage clothing and I’m hoping to get a couple of foodtrucks out front as well
We won’t have access to the attic or basement but I have pictures of the attic which I suspect is where classes were held based on the institutional flooring and being the only space large enough to gather students besides the chapel. Plus all your comments and tidbits. Nobody has come forward as sleeping in the locked attic yet after all and the heavy door would prevent mischief
What is the cost for tickets?