Perception9 Paranormal Home Page Perception9 Paranormal Partners Page Ronald Wolf Main Page

The Haunted Old Spaghetti Factory

(The spirits of The Haunted Old Spaghetti Factory)

Things that go bump in the night can be anywhere. They could be in my office, bathroom or even watching me as I type this column or even you reading this. Vancouver has its share of haunting and those who haunt the old Gastown area. When investigating Canadian haunts Gastown is a very hotspot.

In 1970 The Old Spaghetti Factory opened to the public both living and dead. Not only does the living enjoy a great meal but the dead or those who are caught between the living and dead also can be seen and felt.

There have been sightings of a male in early 1900s sitting in a trolley car which is situated in the dining room. A man has also been seen in the ladies washroom specifically in the third stall as reported by two separate mediums. This ghost is not a poltergeist (mean spirited) it does seem peaceful in nature. Restaurant employees say the spirit is very active when the dining room is closed.

The spirit enjoys moving the cutlery that is on the trolley. The spirit will even call out the name of the employees which have been employed there for awhile.

Kris Newson was an employee of the Gastown location when he had his own experiences with the paranormal. Newson is now the owner and general manager of the Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster location in Vancouver, B.C. Although he says that he has never seen any spirits he did participate with them. From time to time mediums would visit the restaurant.

One time, mediums asked if there was anything they (the spirits) can do to tell Kris that they are here. "Can you swing a lamp or move some cutlery or move a chair right now to prove that you are here," asked the mediums. "Five seconds later a fork picked up off the table lift around and drop back on the table. A lamp started swinging and chairs collided. This was all visible and audible to us,"recalled Newson.

One of the main spirits is Edward who is 11 or 12 years old. "He's the playful one and he's the one who likes to move the cutlery around and unscrews the light bulbs and he gets a kick out of watching us stress about it," noted Newson. "We converse with about 10 or 12 spirits throughout the day."

There are two main reasons to explain the paranormal activity at the restaurant. One reason is the old train line used to travel under the restaurant in the 1890s. One day there were a massive collision in the tunnel under the restaurant where 92 people perished, said Newson.

Another paranormal reason is a huge church at the end of the block burned to the ground in 1886.