Vancouver Voyager: Supernatural in Vancouver

My tag line is that I am making the paranormal, normal and my latest releases Missing Flowers does deal with paranormal and supernatural occurrences. Today I thought I would look at some of the supernatural happenings in my gorgeous city. And I don't mean the television show.

But talking about the television show, Supernatural, I was walking along East Pender Street one day and saw cameras etc around a store across the street. I didn't think a lot about it - film making paraphernalia is a common sight in Vancouver. Then I saw the black car and 'Dean' got out. I wonder if when this place was being scouted for a location shoot, if they realized that apparently there is a psychic crack in this area! Which I discuss more in the book.

Since it is October and I do plan on writing about haunted places later in the month, I thought in honour of the mystical side of Missing Flowers, I am going to share some stories for Vancouver.

The first tale I am going to relate was first told to me by Chris at the Bangkok City Cafe in Kitsilano. As the story goes, a young woman was riding in a car with her boyfriend on a rainy night. The two were travelling along 16th Avenue West when they got into a fight. She exited the car and started to hitch hike. Unfortunately she was struck by a car and killed.

Nowadays her apparition is seen trying to flag down a ride. If someone with a passenger stops, she refuses to get in. If a single male stops, she accepts then disappears as she is getting into the rear seat.

At UBC - University of British Columbia - a woman in a white dress has been seen iin the library. This woman will disappear if anyone approaches her. No one seems to know who she is or why she still haunts the University.

The next place I am looking at is considered to be not only the most haunted place in Vancouver but perhaps even Canada.

The Billy Bishop Legion Hall (Canadian Legion Branch #176) is located at 1407 Laburnum Street. The building opened in 1930 as a clubhouse for a men's association, Maralomas. In 1947, the Air Force Association bought it and added another section. Apparently, according to records and conversations with long time members, no one has ever died in the building or on the property. One thought is that the ghosts are those of former partygoers.

Staff at the legion have heard things like chairs and tables being moved on the floor above them when there wasn't a live human to move the objects. Patrons have reported seeing old friends then discovering that the person they had seen had died a couple of years previously.

According to investigators from the British Columbia Society of Paranormal Investigation and Research into the Supernatural - who visited the legion in 2006 - a tall old man, a shorter younger man and a short woman have been identified as spirits.

A famous ghost that apparently resides there as well. An unfinished painting by artist Ted Hoskinson hangs in the building's north-east corner. The artist is said to be haunting the location until the painting is finished.

I have more stories to tell you but those will be closer to the end of the month. I want to thank an article I found at Canada.com for the extensive information on the Billy Bishop Legion Hall and the Haunted North America website for other information.