As home to some of this city含羞草研究社檚 political pioneers, the Bennett house may have more than a few skeletons in its closets.
But its ghosts are what Andrew Bennett is most interested in.
When he was in his early 20s, Andrew lived there with his grandmother while attending Okanagan College. While he came away from that time with an education in business, he also gathered a few spooky stories.
Brookside Manor, located off of Ethel Street, was owned by Andrew含羞草研究社檚 grandfather the former B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett. It was built in 1914 by Francis R.E. DeHart, the then-mayor of Kelowna, and it became known as the DeHart house. F.R.E. DeHart died in 1935 and his son Francis, who was born in 1897, sold it to W.A.C. Bennett.
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The house is still standing, but Andrew said he last saw the place around 12 years ago.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 been fixed up quite a bit, they used to have what we called memory lane in the basement as it had my grandfather含羞草研究社檚 memorabilia. (It含羞草研究社檚) a three storey building really, and has an attic too,含羞草研究社� he said.
The spooky tale starts in March 1982. Bennett含羞草研究社檚 grandmother left to see her sister in New Westminister and the family housekeeper, Aunt Winnie, warned him his home in Westbank after she left.
含羞草研究社淚 said 含羞草研究社榦h, I含羞草研究社檓 not afraid by any ghosts,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 Andrew said. 含羞草研究社淭hat night I looked at my college textbook, laid down on the couch and when I woke up it was 1 a.m.含羞草研究社�
He went upstairs to his room on the third floor. Then he heard a sound coming from the staircase.
含羞草研究社淚 could hear this heavy breathing, shuffling on the carpeted stairway and rustling on the handle of the bannister like an old man going up the steps, going up very slowly and I could hear it coming all the way up and there (was) a door to the bedroom, right next to the stairway, and there (was) silence for a good minute, before a loud knock at the door,含羞草研究社� he said.
含羞草研究社淥h my goodness, I just about jumped out of my skin, my hair went straight up.含羞草研究社�
He left the light on all night and got up at sunrise.
Andrew said Aunt Winnie also saw a ghost in her bedroom, who she thought was one of the DeHart sons who had been killed in the Second World War.
But he isn含羞草研究社檛 sure of who the ghost belonged to on the staircase. 含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 a mystery because my grandfather didn含羞草研究社檛 use the stairs,含羞草研究社� he said.
The visit from the ghost on the stairs wasn含羞草研究社檛 the only experience Andrew had while staying in the house.
He once saw a creepy figure in his grandfather含羞草研究社檚 old bedroom, which he described as 含羞草研究社渁 lion-like being with huge ears and hands by its side.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚 wouldn含羞草研究社檛 say it was my imagination,含羞草研究社� he said.
Andrew also saw an outline of what he thought to be his grandfather after he died, sitting in his old rocking chair. And while he was praying one night, he said something knocked and twisted hangers in a closet.
含羞草研究社淢y dad (RJ) was one of the first ones to notice. He saw the man in the grey suit, which started the DeHart ghost stories as a young boy,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淭hey thought it was possibly Mr. DeHart.含羞草研究社�
Andrew didn含羞草研究社檛 stay by himself in the old house after his first weird encounter and believes there are lingering spirits on the property. But whose spirits they belong to remains the biggest mystery. The house is still owned by the Bennett family, but part of the property was developed into the Bennett Estate townhomes.
Michael Rowland is the ghost guy in the Okanagan and owns Healing Haunted Houses, an organization that purges homes of spooky happenings.
含羞草研究社淕hosts are essentially the spirit or energy or essence of the person who passed away,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淢ost of the time they cross over, as the term is, to where they含羞草研究社檙e supposed to be, wherever that is depending on your belief system, and the reason they don含羞草研究社檛 is primarily they are attached to loved ones, children, spouses, that sort of thing.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淭here are other cases where they don含羞草研究社檛 feel worthy to cross over, and feel like they含羞草研究社檙e going to be judged含羞草研究社� or if they含羞草研究社檝e done something they feel is unforgivable, they stay behind,含羞草研究社� Rowland said.
He said ghosts will attach to houses or people and can change the atmosphere of the thing they attach to.
含羞草研究社淚t seems that earthbound spirits, like attracts like. If it含羞草研究社檚 a loving household, the earthbound spirit desires that, it may attach to that,含羞草研究社� Rowland said. 含羞草研究社淭hey tend to collect together and I含羞草研究社檓 not sure exactly why that is.含羞草研究社�
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A haunted house will also have unexplained happenings, that can含羞草研究社檛 be attributed to things like a creaky floor, or a running refrigerator, he said.
含羞草研究社淗ouses have all kinds of their owns noises, from settling and floors creaking, but usually, if the house is haunted unusual things will happen like lights and TVs will turn themselves on and off,含羞草研究社� Rowland said.
含羞草研究社淪ome people will have a knock at the door含羞草研究社� some people can feel a sense of anger or anxiety in their house and when they leave they don含羞草研究社檛 have that feeling.含羞草研究社�
But it含羞草研究社檚 not like Hollywood, ghosts can含羞草研究社檛 hurt people, but they can affect the health and wellness of the hosts, he said.
Although there necessarily more ghosts out and about around Halloween, Rowland thinks people are more attuned to them around this time.
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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