In the Halloween Special 2020, we visit the Vogue Theatre, and includes stories of haunted grain elevators, a Chilliwack manor and a once “occupied” house in James Bay, Victoria.
Based on stories from At Home With History: The Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Houses; Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History; and Sensational Victoria and features an interview with former Vogue theatre manager Bill Allman.
Sponsor: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours
Three ghost stories and a murder:
Bill Allman, a very sane, “recovering” lawyer and promoter, talks about his experience with the Vogue Theatre ghost when he managed the venue back in the ‘90s. David Sampson, an inspector with the Canadian Grain Commission, tells us about his first-hand experience with the 1975 grain elevator fire that killed five men and created one ghost; while Liisa Rowat, talks about her experience as a nurse in the burn unit at Vancouver General Hospital following the explosion that was seen and heard all over the North Shore and Vancouver.
Haunted Victoria:
And, while three of the stories took place in Metro Vancouver, it just seemed wrong not to include a story from Victoria, the most haunted city in British Columbia, if not the entire country. When I was writing Sensational Victoria (2012) I would drop around to various heritage houses to talk to their current owners about architects or gardens or fascinating women who had lived in their houses.
Invariably I’d be asked “Are you here to talk about the ghost?” People who live in Victoria really embrace their ghosts! It’s a much harder slog here in Vancouver, where we’re terrified that having a ghost may bring down the price of our real estate. So much so, that a couple of years ago I wrote a blog post called How Not to Buy a Murder House.
And there’s the Chilliwack Hostess with the Ghostess.
- Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck by Eve Lazarus, coming April 2025. Preorder through Arsenal Pulp Press, or your favourite indie bookstore
Have you had a harrowing encounter with a ghost? Let me know, and it may just end up in next year’s Halloween Special.
For more ghostly stories check out these podcast episodes:
Show Notes
Intro: Mark Dunn
Music: Jeremy Van Laanen, Haunted
Special FX: Freesoundeffects.com
Promo: Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance
Sources:
Lazarus, Eve. At Home with History: The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Homes (Anvil Press, 2007)
Lazarus, Eve. Sensational Victoria (Anvil Press, 2012)
Lazarus, Eve. Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020)
Belyk, Robert, Ghosts: True Tales of Eerie Encounters. (Touchwood, 1989)
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