It’s Halloween and you know what that means – spooky ghosts!  Some believe and some don’t.  Regardless of what you believe, there are ghost stories out there and I have found some.

Irving House was built in 1865 by Captain William James Irving, and possibly the oldest home in the Lower Mainland.  William and his wife, Elizabeth lived in the home with their young family. He died in 1872. The house stayed in the family, housing two generations. Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving (William and Elizabeth’s daughter) raised their family in the home calling it Hollymount.  Later, Naomi and Manuella Briggs, daughters of Thomas and Mary, stayed in the family home until 1950.  At that time, they sold the home to the City of New Westminster.  I have shared this picture before but will do so again so you can get a “picture” in your mind.

Here’s where the stories begin.  I found a book, “At Home with History, The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Homes” by Eve Lazarus.  Interesting read – if anyone would like to read it, you’re more than welcome to borrow for a small fee of a visit and a cup of tea!

One particular story caught my eye, and I would love to share it with you.  In 1980, Jim Wolf started researching the history of Irving House and spent a lot of time in the home.  An excerpt from the book tells the story:

‘Wolf says that another time when he was in the house, a patient came over from nearby St. Mary’s hospital and asked him if children lived there. “I asked her why, and she said she was looking out of her window at the hospital the night before, and there were three little girls dancing on the lawn in their white nightgowns.”’

Well, I’d like to think those three little girls were Naomi, Manuella and Beryl Briggs, the only daughters of Thomas and Mary.  They were the last females that lived in the home as little girls.  Beryl was the first to pass in 1917, while Naomi and Manuella lived the longest of all the children of Thomas and Mary.

Naomi, Manuella & Beryl Briggs:

There are more stories like this in the book.  It would be great if I can find Jim Wolf and have a chat with him about his experiences.

So – ghosts or spirits/souls? Whatever you believe in, you can’t ignore the feelings some people have in certain places and times.

I would do anything to be able to stay overnight in Irving House just to see and feel what I can see and feel……