March 2006

Princess Mary Restaurant
Bedford Regency Hotel
James Bay Inn

In March 2006, Ben and I (Paranormal Rona) went to Victoria, B.C. for a vacation and a chance to check out all the haunted places it has.

We stayed in the Bedford Regency, for 2 nights in the suite that is purported to be haunted by a woman (a mobster’s girlfriend). I felt no presence of a woman there but did get an interesting picture in the sitting room of something… There definitely was a presence in the hallway, however. I constantly heard things going on, such as footsteps outside and someone near the door, and then when I would go to the door to look, nothing was there.

We took a walking ghost tour with historian and author John Adams, and also had the privilege of attending his Ghost Dinner on the Princess Mary boat turned into restaurant. We had some amazing luck with dowsing rods which went absolutely crazy in the kitchen area. Our one picture of the lady sitting at our table ended up revealing a man seated behind her, which was amazing because everyone was accounted for and no one was sitting back in that area.

We shared some of our ghost hunting experiences with the people at the dinner and displayed the gadgets and tools we use.

John Adams and Ben together

Princess Mary Restaurant w/Male Spirit

Enlargement with Outline of Male Spirit

Having a Tour of the Princess Mary

Continuing Tour of Princess Mary

FanTan Alley

Going In Tunnel

Spirit Orb Looking Down at Tour Group

John Leading the Tour

Hand NOT in Window, then…

Hand In the Window

Enlargement of upside down hand

The Maritime Museum of British Columbia dominates Bastion Square in the heart of Old Town. Once the site of public hangings, the museum is open daily, and the ghost of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, the “hanging judge,” is often seen.

Rogers Chocolates at 913 Government Street in Old Town is a National Historic Site. It is also Victoria’s oldest, most famous and most haunted chocolate shop. The owners say look for the ghosts of Charles and Leah Rogers, the founders, who often slept in the kitchen of their old store and who reputedly never left. Great chocolate!

Old Morris Tobacconists, 1116 Government Street, is a heritage building that contains its original polished wood cabinets, onyx pillars and leaded glass entrance dome. It is haunted by the ghost of a former employee, who died suddenly in the upstairs workshop. His footsteps and the sound of cupboard doors opening and closing are often heard when no one is upstairs. It’s a wonderful shop and the owner and staff are very friendly. You can ask them questions about their ghost with whom they are very protective of. Ben bought me a beautiful Meerschaum pipe with a carved lion’s head and a mythological type body.

Bastion Square and Helmcken Alley in the heart of Victoria’s Old Town is the most haunted part of Victoria. Almost every building around the historic square has a ghost or two. The Maritime Museum of British Columbia, located in the old Supreme Court building, is said to be the most haunted of them all due to the fact is was built on the site of the city’s first gallows and many of the men who were hanged still lie buried beneath its foundations. Helmcken Alley leads away from Bastion Square and has the reputation for being just as haunted.

On our tour, John led us to a back alley of a large building. I can’t remember the history of it now but when we took pictures, a weird hand shape appeared on a window. It looked like a hand, but upside down.

Market Square and Chinatown have many stories of ghosts and the supernatural. Their secret tunnels are probably only myths, but their hauntings are very real. Fan Tan Alley was unusual to walk through and it has quaint little shops to visit. It does give off the strange feelings of pirates who could have walked down these dark narrow alleyways. I was drawn to the window of an abandoned lobby and looking through it, I sensed a boy’s spirit playing around the fountain in the lobby. This was a window in an alley near the Fan Tan alley. I don’t know what building I was looking into from the back, but it looked like no one used it anymore.

Ghostly Walks with John Adams, explores the haunted alleys and courtyards of downtown Victoria. These popular 90-minute walks take place all year, with extra tours for the Ghosts of Victoria Festival. It’s a fun experience and John is one of the best Ghost/Historical tour guides in Canada, so don’t miss it! John is on Facebook and Twitter.

During the Summer season (May 1st – November 1st) Ghostly Walks take place every night starting from the Visitor Information Centre, 812 Wharf Street, Victoria

http://www.discoverthepast.com/   discoverthepast@telus.net

NOTE: The Princess Mary Ship is apparently no more. Very sad. We think it was disassembled many years ago.