10 haunted Vancouver places with the creepiest backstories (PHOTOS)

Oct 24 2022, 4:17 pm

Spooky season is here, and Halloween is just around the corner, so there’s no better time to connect with the darker side of Vancouver and some of its most allegedly haunted places, which come with creepy backstories.

From haunted houses to haunted hotels to haunted restaurants, Vancouver has a rich, ghostly history that could be fun to explore this Halloween.

Even Stanley Park has some spirits that many may not know about.

These are allegedly the most haunted places in Vancouver.

Hycroft Manor

haunted halloween vancouver

Hycroft Manor/UWCVancouver

Hycroft Manor, now the home of the University Women’s Club of Vancouver, was once the home of Alexander Duncan McRae, a prominent businessman and war hero of the Canadian Army.

This house used to be party central for the fat cats in the area, located in the stunning neighbourhood of Shaughnessy.

However, this was also the neighbourhood where a young woman named Janet Smith was allegedly murdered. Smith was a nanny who worked on Osler Street close by. It has also been alleged that the well-off people who attended these grand parties were involved in her suspicious death.

There have been stories that Smith’s ghost, dressed beautifully for a lavish party, still lurks behind the walls of Hycroft Manor.

Stanley Park / Deadman’s Island

Deadman’s Island, located near Stanley Park and now officially known as HMCS Discovery Naval Reserve, is a piece of Vancouver history that is not entirely well known.

During a smallpox outbreak in the late 1800s, this Island was used as a “pest house,” meaning people were sent here to quarantine. They could return if they got cured, but many never did.

There have also been stories about a legendary and deadly battle that once took place here to fight for ownership of the Island, which resulted in many deaths.

Many other haunted tales originate in Stanley Park.

The Cambie House

Google Maps

Some call this house the most haunted in Vancouver.

According to a popular urban myth in the city, a man murdered his family in the basement of the house that used to stand at the corner of King Edward and Cambie.

That house was broken down, and the spiritual remnants of that tragedy supposedly haunt the house that stands there today in its place.

One of the more familiar stories frequently told suggests that on multiple occasions, a new family has moved into the home, only to find all their belongings neatly packed at the front door the next day.

Mountain View Cemetery

Many spooky stories originate from, but also have their final destinations at, the Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.

It is the only cemetery in the City of Vancouver and has been involved in many deadly historical events, including the Spanish Flu of 1918.

It’s also the final resting place of many victims of the SS Princess Sophia ship tragedy, which killed 343 people.

The Vogue Theatre

 

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The iconic Vogue Theatre, which sits prominently on Granville Street, has its fair share of spooky stories.

The most prominent tale is about a dark-haired man staff members have reported seeing in different areas of the theatre.

The Vancouver Art Gallery

Fun fact: the Vancouver Art Gallery used to be a provincial courthouse.

One of the cases in the early 1900s resulted in a brazen murder during a trial related to the Komagata Maru incident.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, staff at the art gallery have sometimes found their desks rearranged, but they don’t blame the custodian.

It also suggests that a ghost named Charlie walks the halls at night.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Another iconic Vancouver haunted tale involves the lady in red who allegedly resides at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

A woman named Jannie Pearl Cox reportedly died in a car crash on Burrard and Georgia. Rumour has it Cox enjoyed lavish parties that would have her dress in elegant ballroom dresses.

According to the more widely circulated stories about Cox, she tends to enjoy hanging out on the 14th floor, wearing a beautiful red dress.

St. Regis Hotel

While the Fairmont Vancouver generally gets the spooky spotlight regarding Vancouver’s haunted history, St. Regis, a luxury hotel downtown, has its own dreadful past.

Many pointed the finger at well-known Vancouver lawyer Fred Baker for being behind Janet Smith’s death, whom we spoke about earlier.

In April 1956, Fred Baker fell from the second floor of his hotel room at St. Regis. His death was reported as a suicide.

Some suggest that Baker felt guilty about whatever transpired in the Janet Smith situation, which ended with him taking his own life.

UBC University Boulevard

haunted vancouver halloween 2021

University Boulevard (Google Maps)

Another iconic urban legend focuses on UBC.

The tale suggests that a disagreement resulted in the death of a young woman who still haunts University Boulevard.

While urban development has made this stretch of road a little less creepy, driving here alone at night is still quite scary.

The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown

The Gastown Old Spaghetti Factory might be Vancouver’s most iconic allegedly haunted spot.

A vintage trolley car resides inside the restaurant, and according to legend, a conductor who once worked around this vehicle still haunts that car to this very day.

Have you experienced any hauntings around Vancouver? Scare us in the comments; we dare you.

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