Paranormal group finds strange activity at Vernon’s Caetani house

A paranormal investigation group is unveiling its spooky findings while exploring the Vernon Caetani Centre right in time for Halloween. Peter Renn is the head of the Canadian Paranormal Foundation, a non-profit aiming to support other charities through fundraisers. He said supporting...

Paranormal group finds strange activity at Vernon’s Caetani house

A paranormal investigation group is unveiling its spooky findings while exploring the Vernon Caetani Centre right in time for Halloween.

Peter Renn is the head of the Canadian Paranormal Foundation, a non-profit aiming to support other charities through fundraisers. He said supporting history and communities have always been key parts of the foundation.

Last April, the group spent time at the Caetani Centre, the former home of renowned Vernon artist Sveva Caetani, to find out if her ghost still walks through the halls.

Many spooky stories have been told about the house over the years, with people hearing voices and seeing apparitions, Renn said.

“The Caetani house was definitely an interesting night to say the least when we went up there,” he said.

The group heard women's voices while filming, he said.

The story around the house is an unusual one. Sveva's family immigrated from Italy to Canada in 1921. They were one of the top Italian families for more than 1,000 years. When her father died in 1935, she was kept prisoner in the house for more than 25 years by her mother Ofelia, who refused to let her leave.

After her mother’s death, she became a teacher and was known to have the best Halloween treats, said executive director Susan Brandoli, with the Caetani Cultural Centre Society, in a previous iNFOnews interview.

The Caetani Centre is opening its gates to trick-or-treaters for Haunted Halloween Tours Oct. 26, 27 and 28 at 6 and 8 p.m.

Renn, along with Paranormal Foundation co-founder Jason Hewlett, are also presenting their paranormal findings Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. in the Caetani Gallery.

He believes Sveva and her mother, Ofelia, who kept her daughter locked inside the house for 25 years after her father’s death, still have a presence inside the home.

While he said these experiences are scary, it’s also an adrenaline rush to see something or hear something.

“It’s that element of excitement that draws me through it and it’s also the fact I’m helping heritage sites get revenue for people coming through the door,” Renn said. “It’s us uncovering a story of what went on there. We’re trying to put pieces of the puzzle together.”

Their findings will also be published online in the coming months through the society’s YouTube channel, The Paranormal Network.

Tickets to the presentation are $25 per person, ages 16 and up, and are available through Ticket Seller by calling 250-549-7469 or booking online. Tickets for the Halloween tours are $25 per adult and $15 per youth ages 18 and can also be purchased through Ticket Seller.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the maintenance and upkeep of the Caetani Centre and its facilities and programs.

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