As home to some of this citysa国际传媒檚 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 Andrewsa国际传媒檚 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.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 been fixed up quite a bit, they used to have what we called memory lane in the basement as it had my grandfathersa国际传媒檚 memorabilia. (Itsa国际传媒檚) a three storey building really, and has an attic too,sa国际传媒� he said.

The spooky tale starts in March 1982. Bennettsa国际传媒檚 grandmother left to see her sister in New Westminister and the family housekeeper, Aunt Winnie, warned him his home in Westbank after she left.

sa国际传媒淚 said sa国际传媒榦h, Isa国际传媒檓 not afraid by any ghosts,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� Andrew said. sa国际传媒淭hat night I looked at my college textbook, laid down on the couch and when I woke up it was 1 a.m.sa国际传媒�

He went upstairs to his room on the third floor. Then he heard a sound coming from the staircase.

sa国际传媒淚 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,sa国际传媒� he said.

sa国际传媒淥h my goodness, I just about jumped out of my skin, my hair went straight up.sa国际传媒�

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 isnsa国际传媒檛 sure of who the ghost belonged to on the staircase. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 a mystery because my grandfather didnsa国际传媒檛 use the stairs,sa国际传媒� he said.

The visit from the ghost on the stairs wasnsa国际传媒檛 the only experience Andrew had while staying in the house.

He once saw a creepy figure in his grandfathersa国际传媒檚 old bedroom, which he described as sa国际传媒渁 lion-like being with huge ears and hands by its side.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚 wouldnsa国际传媒檛 say it was my imagination,sa国际传媒� 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.

sa国际传媒淢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,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hey thought it was possibly Mr. DeHart.sa国际传媒�

Andrew didnsa国际传媒檛 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.

sa国际传媒淕hosts are essentially the spirit or energy or essence of the person who passed away,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淢ost of the time they cross over, as the term is, to where theysa国际传媒檙e supposed to be, wherever that is depending on your belief system, and the reason they donsa国际传媒檛 is primarily they are attached to loved ones, children, spouses, that sort of thing.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭here are other cases where they donsa国际传媒檛 feel worthy to cross over, and feel like theysa国际传媒檙e going to be judgedsa国际传媒� or if theysa国际传媒檝e done something they feel is unforgivable, they stay behind,sa国际传媒� Rowland said.

He said ghosts will attach to houses or people and can change the atmosphere of the thing they attach to.

sa国际传媒淚t seems that earthbound spirits, like attracts like. If itsa国际传媒檚 a loving household, the earthbound spirit desires that, it may attach to that,sa国际传媒� Rowland said. sa国际传媒淭hey tend to collect together and Isa国际传媒檓 not sure exactly why that is.sa国际传媒�

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A haunted house will also have unexplained happenings, that cansa国际传媒檛 be attributed to things like a creaky floor, or a running refrigerator, he said.

sa国际传媒淗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,sa国际传媒� Rowland said.

sa国际传媒淪ome people will have a knock at the doorsa国际传媒� some people can feel a sense of anger or anxiety in their house and when they leave they donsa国际传媒檛 have that feeling.sa国际传媒�

But itsa国际传媒檚 not like Hollywood, ghosts cansa国际传媒檛 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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