October 20th-23rd and October 27th-30th
From B Channel News: The Maritime Museum’s Ghostly Sights
The best way to go looking for ghosts is to join a group who knows what they are doing. The Maritime Museum of British Columbia will be hosting two different tours during the Halloween season, one will tell the tale and the other will try to find the spirits said to be still lurking here. “I think the experience is more on how receptive people are to it,” said MaryAnne Dieno, Events Coordinator for the Museum, “In my own, I don't know if it's just because I know the history of this building. I'm always nervous, always on edge.” Some people are more sensitive than others when it comes to trying to find proof, but for paranormal investigators and journalists, to come out with a story to tell is what everyone else wants to hear. The best chills from a good ghost story are those that can be personally experienced, especially in the Maritime Museum, reputed to have many ghosts within its hallowed interior. The Museum played host to three previous ghost hunts in the past two years, and some of the experiences previous attendees have felt were emotional. Those tales are also what television shows like Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted, My Ghost Story and Creepy Canada like to grab on to. Without the story, why should people watch? By day, most venues operate as per normal, but at night, some of these locales are willing to let paranormal investigators look around past midnight looking for evidence of the other side. The only times when a location is not willing to let detectives wander around at night is because of insurance issues. “As a tourist place, you have to be really careful in who knows the venue as a haunted place and who doesn't know, “ said Dieno, “If you have an investigation in the evening, we can answer to that market without affecting the daytime market, and that's the attraction for the tourists.” These day tourists or nighttime investigators can choose what they like to explore. In a venue like the Maritime Museum, it was a courthouse in the late 19th century, where life assurance was often challenged. The accused were convicted of capital offenses. To those who were guilty, they were hanged in Bastion Square. Tom Paterson, a historian, writer and journalist said that he’s visited the old building before it became a museum, prodded around the structure and learned about most of its history through independent research.
“Murder and death are the ultimate forms of human drama,” said Paterson, “If there's ever such a thing as a ghost, they have to be here by default." But Paterson is also a storyteller. He uses history as his choice of genre to tell his tale. The Ghost Tours will feature museum staff talking about the history of the artefacts and the ghosts said to be connected to them. Some of their own personal experiences may also get related as all three floors are explored. When he was present in the past Ghost Hunts at the Maritime Museum, he was there to observe the people, watch the procedure, see the protocol being used, and make notes. He gets his own reward from that, and reports about it.
In the Maritime Museum's coming Ghost Hunt before and after Halloween, attendees have a chance to participate in an actual investigation. This will be led by Dawn Kirkham, a paranormal investigator from Liverpool with many years of experience to share. She is also a medium, a person who can sense and communicate with the spirits from the other side. That can be important since an investigation doesn’t always have to be about evidence gathering. “For me it is also about helping them, like telling their story or helping them to move on,” said Kirkham. This medium defines ghosts as a memory, a recording, and spirits are sentient. They know people are there and they may want to communicate. Sometimes that voice is captured by video cameras or on an audio recording. Kirkham contracted PARAVI, a local paranormal investigation group led by Susanne Gilby, to provide the technical assistance of handling all recording devices for the night. They will show attendees how the equipment is used and what their procedures are. But in what is seen with the third eye or captured on tape, are they ghosts? “I don't think you can do a proper well rounded investigation without using both,” said Gilby, “Especially when considering we don't know if paranormal activity can be detected with any scientific equipment.” The doubt is simply because in all of recorded history, there is very little evidence that everyone can proclaim as 100% proof positive. In the courtroom of the Maritime Museum, where plenty of emotions have been expressed during the trials that happened there, the impressions that have been left behind can still be felt today. And some people consider that to be the most haunted room in the entire museum. “When there is powerful emotion—happy or sad—it leaves an energetic footprint which can be experienced,” said Kirkham. The feelings one may get while sitting in this courtroom can range from a simple feeling of being watched to an outright emotional outburst.
As for why that is happening, that has yet to be fully explained. “People will always have their own perceptions and beliefs,” noted Gilby. “I believe anything which helps educate the public and open their eyes to other potential ideas is always good.” The Ghostly Tours October 20th-23rd and October 27th-30th, starting 6pm. Cost: $13 Maritime Museum's Ghost Hunt Oct 28th and November 5th, 10pm-3am. Limited Seats available, 30 per night. Cost:$55 To reserve a spot to either, please call: 250-385-4222
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