'I'm being watched': Paranormal investigator notes presence in 'haunted' Burnaby mansion
On a fall afternoon in October, paranormal investigator Amanda Quill was wandering the halls of Overlynn Mansion alone, when she heard someone whisper her name.
The soft voice alarmed her enough that she felt the need to leave the opulent Burnaby home to catch her breath.
Built in 1909, the Tudor Revival’s splendid interior is often used by film and television production companies.
Overlynn also has a reputation for being ghostly.
“This is a haunted house. This is a classic haunted mansion,” said Greg Mansfield, author of Ghosts of Vancouver.
Visitors and employees have reported hearing a man coughing and seeing a little girl in a white dress appear and then suddenly vanish.
The sight of the child frightened a cleaner so much she told her boss “that she could never come into this house again she was so scared.”
In the 1930s, the home was sold to the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, who ran a boarding school for girls. Tiny sinks and a bathtub are still in the attic.
“It’s just such a contrast to the rest of the house,” said Vancouver true crime author and host of the Cold Case Canada podcast Eve Lazarus. “You come up to this attic and it’s got this horrific floor and it’s boarded up, and you can see where the children must have slept.”
In January 2020, video equipment used by a Vancouver-based paranormal investigation team captured what looked like an arm swinging from behind a wall near Overlynn’s grand staircase.
“Holy crap!” exclaimed members of Coldspotters Paranormal, who examined the visuals carefully and swore no one was near the area.
After a short walk, Quill, who swears she heard someone whisper her name, returned to the home for an interview with CTV News, but she was still uneasy. Standing on the staircase, she looked frequently over her shoulder to the top floor.
“I have this overwhelming sensation that I’m being watched,” said Quill.
The home is owned by Action Line Housing Society who run the Seton Villa Retirement Centre. Their team is always looking for new uses for Overlynn, in order to maintain the heritage building.
Some people might laugh at the idea that’s it’s haunted, but few can deny that it is beautiful.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.