Discover the Past
banner
discoverthepast.bsky.social
Discover the Past
@discoverthepast.bsky.social
📍Victoria, BC #yyj
History tours, Ghostly Walks, and more!
🪦 THIS SUNDAY 🪦
Join the Old Cemetery Society for the Annual Ghost Tour at Ross Bay Cemetery. Tours start at 2PM but guests are advised to arrive early. Cost: $5. No resos needed.
Meet inside the cemetery across the street from Ross Bay Villa (near the corner of Arnold Ave and Fairfield Rd)
#yyj
October 20, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Our October #GhostlyWalks are in full swing, and we are having the time of our lives !👻 Join us any day of the week this month to hear chilling stories of #yyj 's past!
October 7, 2025 at 5:02 PM
On September 20th and 25th, we have our next Queer Culture Walks! Join us for an evening where we celebrate the vibrant queer characters of Victoria’s past and their connection to the present! Pictured here are the Dunsmuir sisters, including Elinor. You can sign up through the link in our bio!
September 17, 2025 at 12:10 AM
The more things change, the more things stay the same 🚴‍♀️ This photograph of cyclists peddling up Fort Street was taken by Garret Smith some time in the 1890's. Note the voluminous dresses, wooden sidewalk, and streetcar tracks! Image courtesy of the BC Archives: H-02523 #yyj
August 28, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Tomorrow evening is our next #QueerCultureWalk! We have been having a lot of fun with these and hope you'll bring a friend and come on out! #yyj
August 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Eleanor Parker and Murney Pugh first met while working at a military hospital in England, and they quickly fell in love. They served together during the Second World War and eventually retired to #yyj in their later years, listing themselves as partners in government censuses. #BCHist
August 9, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The "Hanging Judge" himself, Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie. Lawyer, judge, and resident ghost of the old courthouse building in Bastion Square #yyj. Do you know his story?

Images courtesy of the BC Archives: A-08953 and B-04077
July 22, 2025 at 10:43 PM
#Didyouknow that Victoria's first pride parade was held in 1989? This photograph shows Judy Bell leading the march, dressed in drag as a mounted police officer. To learn more about Victoria's #queerhistory , sign up for one of our Queer Culture Walks!
discoverthepast.com
July 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Join us for a Queer Culture Walk, where we will delve into the colourful #queerhistory that makes up the fabric of #yyj. Learn about Victoria’s first pride parade, an openly gay town crier in the 1860s, and how the fight for love and acceptance leaves a lasting mark today! 🏳️‍🌈
July 7, 2025 at 7:52 PM
What gorgeous summer days we have been having in #yyj ☀️ This summery photograph of a lady and her bicycle was taken in 1947 on Dallas Road. Image D-02840 courtesy of the BC Archives.
June 10, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Our guides know #yyj like the back of their hand! Join us for a tour to explore parts of the city you've always been curious about

#travelbc #travelcanada #🇨🇦
March 31, 2025 at 10:55 PM
A moment captured in time: laying streetcar tracks in #yyj. Do you recognize this street?
March 25, 2025 at 10:37 PM
It would be a shame if we didn't mention the O'Reilly's on our Shamrock Shadows #GhostlyWalk! Pictured here is Kathleen O'Reilly, the eldest daughter of an Irish immigrant who loved her home at Point Ellice House so much that she has been seen guiding visitors through the halls years after her death
March 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Join us on this new Ghostly Walk as we go in search of Victoria's ghostly Irish connections!🍀 Gold Rush Victoria was home to many folk from the Emerald Isle, and some of them are still getting up to spirited shenanigans worthy of a special Ghostly Walks route.
March 11, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Spring is beginning to show its face all around #yyj 🌸 Join one of our history tours to learn the significance of the beautiful cherry trees that turn the city pink this time of year!
March 6, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Discover the Past is a family-owned, Canadian business that hires knowledgeable guides to show off the striking history of Victoria and British Columbia 🇨🇦 Join one of our tours to get the inside scoop on Victoria's multicultural history!
February 21, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Happy #FamilyDay! 📸 With the invention of photography in the mid-19th century, family portraits became more common as photographic processes became cheaper. Pictured here are two family portraits: the O'Reilly siblings and Lee Mong Kow and his family.
February 17, 2025 at 9:40 PM
👻❤️TONIGHT ❤️👻 Our Till Death Do Us Part tours kick off tonight and tomorrow ONLY. Join us for haunting stories of love, murder, and tragedy. Have you heard the drama-filled tale of Francis Rattenbury, his wife, and his lover? We promise it's to die for.
No date? No problem. Singles welcome
February 13, 2025 at 11:57 PM
For our special 'Till Death Do Us Part', #GhostlyWalk we are pulling the most heart-wrenching tales from our story vault. Join us on February 13th and 14th to hear the chilling tale of Sophia Cameron, the thriced buried woman, among other stories of love, murder, and mayhem ❤️‍🩹
February 10, 2025 at 7:43 PM
For our special 'Till Death Do Us Part" Valentines #GhostlyWalks, we OF COURSE have to tell the tragic tale of Belle Adams and her lover Charlie Kincaid, 19th-century Victoria's most toxic power couple 💋
#yyj Book your spot here:
discoverthepast.com/ghostly-walks/
February 7, 2025 at 1:07 AM
What better way to celebrate V-Day than to hear spine-tingling stories of tragic romances, murdered lovers, and broken-hearted spirits.
No date? No problem. There are plenty of ghosts who would love to make your acquaintance 💋👻 #GhostlyWalks
Book your spot:
discoverthepast.com/ghostly-walks/
February 7, 2025 at 1:01 AM
We hope that you are all staying warm in this chilly weather! This photo from the City of Victoria Archives shows a snowy Beacon Hill from 1899. #yyj #BCStorm
February 3, 2025 at 9:31 PM