Haunted Burnaby British Columbia
Ghost Sightings at Burnaby Art Gallery and Confederation Park
Apr 2, 2007
Burnaby Art Gallery
The present location of the Burnaby Art Gallery was the mansion Fairacres built by a tycoon Henry Ceperley in 1909. When his wife Grace died, she left it to Henry. She stated in her Will that if the house was sold, the proceeds were to be given to the City of Vancouver for a playground in Stanley Park. Contrary to his wife’s wishes, Henry kept the money when he sold Fairacres in 1922.
After several decades of different owners, William Franklin Wolsey, who was a wanted man in the U.S. bought Fairacres and started up a cult called The Temple of the More Abundant Life in 1954. There were reports of bigamy, incest and ritual abuse of children. He escaped to the U.S. in 1960 after his cult activities were discovered. From 1960 until 1967, this mansion was a dorm for Simon Fraser University. The City of Burnaby evicted the students in 1967 and decided to renovate the mansion for a new art gallery.
During and after the renovation, the ghostly activity and haunting began. There are sightings of a woman dressed in an old fashioned white gown who strolls the halls and walks through walls. There is also the figure of a man in old fashioned clothing who stands at the top of the main staircase. These two ghosts are believed to be Henry and Grace Ceperley. The theory is that Grace walks the halls to protest Henry’s failure to honour her Will and her concern over the abuse of children when the cult occupied her home.
Employees of the art gallery can hear the sounds of children crying from the vacant third floor. In addition, the sound of footsteps and furniture scraping can be heard from the same floor. In the basement, a worker found his tools hung back on the wall when he turned his back away from his workbench. He left the room for a brief moment and when he returned, his workshop was padlocked. Pictures appear to move off the walls and children’s faces can be seen looking out of the third floor windows.
Burnaby Shadbolt Centre for the Performing Arts
At the Shadbolt Centre for the Performing Arts, which is next door to the Burnaby Art Gallery, there was a girl actress who drowned in the nearby lake. It is believed that her ghost rearranges furniture and props. Doors seem to open for no apparent reason. One time, there was a girl dancing on stage and the lights went out when a song about spirits was performed. Once the song stopped, the power went on again. This same performer saw the ghost of the girl actress in the back room of the theatre.
Hart House Burnaby
In the same area of Burnaby, a grandfather clock at theHart House restaurant seems to chime at very odd times.
Central Park Burnaby
In Central Park, ghosts have been seen around the lake, forest and stadium. Apparently a ghost is seen walking in the forest. People have reported seeing an apparition of little boy playing around the lake in the evening. He then disappears. In the stadium, a woman calling out in an indistinguishable language can be heard. It is believed this woman lost her kids in the park in the 1930s.
Gilmore School Burnaby
Apparitions that look like nuns can be seen at Gilmore School during the nighttime.
Confederation Park Burnaby
A phantom jogger seems to disappear and reappear in Confederation Park.
Masonic Cemetery Burnaby
The ghost of a little boy is sometimes seen running around the gravestones at the Masonic Cemetery.
Whether it is a mother’s instinct or a sudden death or protecting a former home, this could be some reasons why these spirits did not cross to the other side.
Related Articles on Haunted Places in British Columbia:
Haunted Vancouver British Columbia
Haunted New Westminster British Columbia
Haunted Gastown British Columbia
Haunted Victoria Hotels and Shops
Haunted Victoria Graveyards and Golf Courses
Haunted Victoria Museums and Castles
Haunted Victoria Restaurants, Theaters, and Parks
 |
