Victoria, BC is guarded by a mystery Edwardian fortress on the West Coast. Once home to James Dunsmur, a powerful and rich provincial politician, Hatley Castle to day houses, Royal Roads University.
He intended to retire and enjoy fishing, hunting and golfing away from business and political life. Laura, his wife, craved attention. Unlike James, she intended the interior to host her prominent guests, including local celebrities and British nobles. Laura adored these events and sang to her guests.
The castle was erected in 18 by Samuel McClure. Despite costing over $4 million, the structure fulfilled James and Laura their desires. The 50 room structure is 200 feet long, 86 feet broad and has a medieval castle facade. Norman Tower and two Tudor Renaissance wings on each side. An outstanding 10 kilometer winding Rd. wanes across the 640 acre property.
Beautiful rose, Japanese and Italian gardens. Originally required 100 workers to maintain. James Dunsmore was born to prosperous coal mine owner Robert James, studied mining engineering at Blacksburg, VA, where he married Laura Searles, the daughter of a famous farmer, to follow in his father's footsteps.
After moving to Nanaimo, BC, James became his father's mining manager and Laura a socialite. James was an effective manager. Production increased 350%.
He also boosted maritime wharves and rail locomotives. The Esquimalt and non Naimo railway was needed as the firm expanded. Robert became a provincial cabinet minister in 1883, giving James more corporate control. James drove development and earnings after opening a coalfield in Camacs. His father's mine north of Nanaimo took twice as long to produce coal as the mine did in 1890, its third year.
James conquered the mining empire when Robert died in 1889, he expanded and improved mining and transportation. Eskimos and Nanaimo Railway made its first profit. British Columbia's wealthiest family was the dunsmuir's. At 69, James Dunsmuir died at his fishing lodge.
Daughter Eleanor and Laura resided in the castle. Laura died in 1937, Eleanor six months later. After Laura's death, a maid felt watched while no one was there. Her emotions were so strong that she hesitated to enter several castle chambers alone. Three years after Laura's death, the Defense Department bought the castle for 75000 to use as a Naval training center. Cadets and staff officers lived and ate in the castle at Royal Rd. S Military college. It was then that lore became noticeable.
The lads began reporting unusual incidents almost immediately after settling there while studying late at night on the second or third level. Cadets sometimes felt like they were surrounded in frigid cobwebs. They regularly saw a little elderly lady near their beds. The specter sometimes tore at their covers as they slept. Many thought it was Laura Dunsmere's ghost, a cadet playing as a senior officer, found the female ghost very unsettling.
A pull on his legs woke him up early one morning. He was horrified to find the female ghost. He struggled to escape, but she held on. The lady vanished when he fled. Laura didn't enjoy the houseful of lads she may have been protecting them.
She may have been attempting to have them expelled from school to avoid her son's destiny with her pranks. A lady on a Hatley Castle Ghost tour in 2012 captured a female apparition, a vintage hat wearing ethereal lady stands on the steps.
Are the lights playing tricks, or is Laura Dunsmir's ghost monitoring her house for visitors? Could one of the castles other female ghosts be it? As a naval Training college, cadets occasionally glimpsed a young lady roaming the castle corridors before leaving via a door or window. She sometimes cried in one room and floated out the window toward the sea. This window has opened and closed on its own for years.
Annabel. Young chambermaid who wooed Laura Dunsmuir is sometimes identified as the disturbed spirit. Laura volunteered to pay for Annabelle's wedding. Groom tragically left young lady at Altar. Annabel discovered her fiance was married with children. After being devastated, she returned to Hatley Castle and plunged to her death from a higher window. Some believe the ghostly apparition is cradling a baby. Visitors took more than memories from the castle.
A young mother, husband and daughter visited Hatley Castle in 2013. Nothing unusual happened. But when they arrived home, strange things happened. A baby's sobbing awakened the tourist and her husband early the next morning. They ran to their daughter's room in fear, but found her asleep. It happened again.
The mother promptly checked on her peaceful, protected daughter. She heard wailing in her room and realized it was the baby monitor. She was horrified to see the monitor disconnected and battery less to sleep. Moved it to another room. Her workplace had more unusual events. Boxes dropping suddenly and other issues.
The couple consulted a psychic who informed them the castle nanny spirit had followed them home. Good thing the restless spirit left them, witnessing James Junior's spirit roaming the castle. He's wearing his military uniform and staring at his sister like everything is alright Dola he vanishes as she rushes to him. People are still astonished to see a young guy in AWI military uniform going through the garden. Or up from the lagoon.
About the Creator
The Voice That Waited
Seen (1) At the edge of a quiet town stood an abandoned radio station, forgotten by time and avoided by locals. The building had been shut down for over twenty years, yet people claimed that at exactly 2:17 a.m., a faint broadcast could still be heard on an old frequency. No music. No news. Just a voice. Daniel was a small content creator who specialized in audio storytelling. He didn’t believe in rumors, but he believed in stories. When he heard about the mysterious broadcast, he decided to investigate—not for views, but for curiosity. One cold night, Daniel entered the radio station with his recorder and headphones. Dust covered the equipment, and spider webs hung from the ceiling. Everything looked dead. Silent. At exactly 2:17 a.m., the old transmitter crackled. A voice broke through the static. “Hello… is anyone listening?” Daniel froze. The voice was calm but tired, like someone who had been waiting for a long time. “My name is Arthur,” the voice continued. “I used to work here. If you can hear me, please don’t turn this off.” Daniel whispered into his microphone, “I’m listening.” The voice seemed relieved. “For years, I spoke into this microphone, hoping someone would hear me. When the station shut down, everyone left. Everyone except me.” Daniel’s heart raced. “Are you… alive?” There was a pause. Then a soft laugh. “That depends on what you mean by alive,” Arthur said. “I passed away in this building many years ago. But my voice stayed. This place remembers me.” Arthur explained that he had been a late-night radio host, speaking to lonely people, travelers, and insomniacs. The night the station closed, he stayed behind to record one final message—something meaningful. But no one ever aired it. He died alone, with his words unheard. “So I kept talking,” Arthur said. “Night after night. Waiting for someone to listen.” Daniel felt a heavy silence fill the room. “What do you want from me?” Daniel asked. Arthur answered gently, “I don’t need fear. I don’t need fame. I just want my message to reach someone. Anyone.” Daniel nodded, even though Arthur couldn’t see him. “I’ll share your story.” For the first time, the static disappeared. Arthur’s voice became clear. “Tell them this,” he said. “You are not invisible. Someone, somewhere, needs your voice—even if you don’t know it yet.” The broadcast ended. The room fell silent. Daniel left the station before sunrise and spent the next day editing the audio. He uploaded the recording as a simple podcast episode titled *The Voice That Waited*. He didn’t add music. He didn’t add effects. Just the truth. Within days, thousands of messages poured in. People said the voice helped them through loneliness, grief, and dark nights. Some cried. Some found comfort. Some found hope. Daniel returned to the radio station one last time. At 2:17 a.m., there was no broadcast. The transmitter stayed silent. But Daniel smiled. Because he understood something important: Some voices don’t fade because they are loud. They survive because someone finally listens.
By Do bol ho jaaye 3 days ago in Horror
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.