In 1914 DeHart, then mayor of Kelowna, built the DeHart House. In the entrance way there is the enscription Brookside above a large D with a little heart inside. It became known as the DeHart House. The DeHart family could not keep the house and in 1937 it was sold to W.A.C. Bennett. Years later there were stories of an old man in a grey suit seen by members of the Bennett family, known as the DeHart ghost.
During WWII Winnie Earle noticed the shape of a young man sitting on the bed about the time one of the DeHart sons had been killed in battle.
In 1965 Mrs Bennett stayed at the DeHart House alone over night with her two dogs. She had gone to bed and heard something outside the bedroom door. The dogs immediately started barking. The doors were locked...
It happened about 1981 and Andrew Bennett relates his ghost story: "The house keeper, we lovingly called Aunt Winnie, was leaving at 5PM and said to me that my grandmother would be away for a few days and perhaps I would feel more comfortable staying in Westbank with my parents. She told me there were stories of ghosts and I said I was not scared of any old ghost, I would be OK. 11PM I decided to go up to bed. While I was in my room getting ready to turn in. I heard footsteps up the stairway beside my bedroom. There was shuffling feet, rubbing on the bannister, and heavy breathing as from an old man climbing the stairway. They reached the top by my door and then a loud knock jolted me. Of course, I froze. There was no sound. Morning could not come soon enough. I rose at sunrise."
One night before going to bed I looked towards my grandfather's chair and could see his familiar outline in the shadows.
One day I looked into the far corner of my grandfather's bedroom, the room was dark because the windows had heavy drapes, and saw the outline of a lion man being.
The security guards notice the horses in the pasture next to the house seemed spooked by the house.
About 1991 - 1994 when no one was staying at the DeHart house, a security guard would come in and look things over every night. One night the elderly guard drove by and looked up to see a white figure waving to him from the balcony above the entry way, as Mrs Bennett had done many times before. That was too much, the gentleman quit his job right then and went into retirement. Years later I repeated this story to a close friend who had been the security guard about this time. He would not admit it was him, he just said "pretty hairy!"
In July 1997 Richard of All-Rite Security looked the house over at 8PM (They always make sure it is day when they enter the house! And Richard was a big, young and strong man not afraid of anything!). He saw something behind him and gave chase. Moments later he left the house running and screaming. When he returned to the cottage next door he was as white as a ghost!
s@sunnyokanagan.com1997
