• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Logo

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism

Travel, Hotel and Visitor Information

Bellingham Outdoors Animated Logo
  • Home
  • Places to Stay
    • Hotels / Resorts
    • Vacation Rentals / Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping / RV Parks
    • Hotel Packages / Special Rates
    • Park n’ Fly Hotel Packages
  • Places to Eat
    • Restaurants
    • Craft Breweries
    • Wine, Spirits & Wineries
    • Coffee Shops & Sweets
  • Things to Do
    • Events Calendar
    • Annual Events
    • Agricultural
    • Attractions
    • Bicycling
    • Bird Watching
    • Cannabis
    • Casinos
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Hiking
    • Itineraries
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Parks & Playgrounds
    • Running
    • Scenic Drives
    • Shopping
    • Snowsports
    • Spas & Health
    • Theaters & Music
    • Tours
    • Water Adventures
    • Summer Activities
    • Fall Activities
    • Winter Activities
    • Spring Activities
    • Whatcom Arts Project
  • Outdoors
    • Bicycling
    • Bird Watching
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Hiking
    • Parks & Playgrounds
    • Running
    • Scenic Drives
    • Snowsports
    • Water Adventures
  • Getting Here
    • Maps
    • Ground Transport
    • Air Transport
    • Water Transport
    • US/Canada Border
  • Blogs
  • Communities
    • Bellingham
    • Birch Bay
    • Blaine
    • Downtown Bellingham
    • Fairhaven Historic District
    • Ferndale
    • Lummi Island
    • Lynden
    • Mt. Baker
    • North Cascades
    • Point Roberts
    • Sumas
  • Media
    • Media Request Form
    • Articles & Coverage
    • Press Releases
    • Photo Contest
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Weather
    • Request Information
    • Jobs & Volunteer
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Membership
    • Member Directory
    • Services
      • Event Planning
      • Relocation
      • Business
      • Education
      • Financial
      • Medical
      • Out of Area
Home / Insider Blogs / Soul Searching in Bellingham’s Fairhaven District

Soul Searching in Bellingham’s Fairhaven District

By Annette / March 18, 2013

Haunted Fairhaven Cover

I’m not sure if I believe in ghost stories, but I have to admit I am intrigued by Taimi Gorman’s new book Haunted Fairhaven, which discusses the spirits long suspected of lingering on the south side of Bellingham. I was excited to take an after dark tour with her in the Sycamore  Square building (at the corner of 12th Street and Harris Avenue) to learn more.

Although from the street Sycamore Square looks like an average Victorian-era structure, the interior is a scene right out of a Wild West movie. It is essentially hollow, with huge wooden staircases and four levels of wrap-around balconies. Taimi calls the building “Fairhaven’s Spirit Portal.” Black-and-white photos on the walls tell the story of Fairhaven’s origins in the 1890s,  when the building was constructed.

Sycamore Square interior
Sycamore Square interior

During that early era, Flora Blakely and her husband City Marshall Joseph Blakely lived on the 4th floor of the building. In March, 1892, Flora mysteriously died and it is humored she may have jumped to her death from the 4th floor into the courtyard, where her burial was held. For more than 100 years, business owners in the building have reported strange phenomena that many believe to be the presence of Flora and other spirits. Although Taimi does not directly speak to ghosts, she does sense their presence and she has invited teams of psychics to investigate Sycamore Square and multiple buildings in the Fairhaven District. They have made contact with numerous souls.

Taimi’s main contact is through her digital camera. While photographing rooms inside the Fairhaven buidlings, she frequently encounters images of orbs floating through the air. They are not visible to the eye, but somehow are captured electronically. She says the cell-like structure of the orbs in the pictures rules out simple dust particles. To our excitement, one person in our group actually captured orbs on her own camera while we were touring. These invisible energy fields seem to be simply hovering, and oblivious to our presence. Can you spot them in this image taken at Skylark’s Hidden Cafe?

FairhavenOrbs1

Although our private tour was after dark, the experience was interesting, not scary. Many businesses in Fairhaven’s historic buildings are open late, and the curious are welcome to look around. Guided walking tours of Fairhaven are offered in the summer and in October. Taimi told us Haunted Fairhaven is currently the 10th best seller at our local Village Books in Fairhaven. I have always known that Fairhaven district seems to be alive with its own vibe. Maybe there is much more truth to that than I realized.

 

Share:

Filed Under: Insider Blogs Tagged With: Bellingham, Fairhaven, ghosts, haunted, spirits, Sycamore Square, WA

About Annette

Annette Bagley is the Director of Marketing for Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. As a writer and media relations consultant, her work has appeared in local and national media. She has been enjoying life in the Bellingham and Whatcom County region for more than two decades. Her ideal escapes include water, mountains, a farm visit, or a history lesson, accompanied by good food and a glass of wine.

Footer

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
Visitor Center Located at I-5 Exit 253
904 Potter Street, Bellingham, WA 98229

Hours: Due to COVID-19, the Visitor Center is open limited hours: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10am-3pm. Masks required.

Phone: 360-671-3990
Email: tourism@bellingham.org

Join

Sign up to receive Bellingham Whatcom County events & information!

Share

site by highwaters.net