Staff at Lethbridge’s historic Bowman Building have reported a mysteriously moving chair, a door that slammed shut without warning and a television that appeared to switch itself on after years out of service.
The incidents have added to a longstanding local legend that the downtown building is haunted, according to City of Lethbridge officials. One version of the story involves Starr, a former student who was reportedly beaten by a teacher in a case of mistaken identity. The tale even appeared in an episode of Lethbridge Ghost Stories.
But the story comes with a significant caveat: Starr was a real person who later said the incident never happened. Still, when the City of Lethbridge’s Community Social Development team moved into the building, staff decided it couldn’t hurt to make a little peace with its alleged resident.
General manager Andrew Malcolm said they had get good vibes and spirits when we moved in.
“So, we named a meeting room the ‘Starr Meeting Room.’ I think that goes a long way in why she hasn’t bugged us … too much,” Malcolm said.
After nearly a year in the building, staff have accumulated a few strange stories of their own. Whether Starr has anything to do with them remains unproven.
Encampment response technician Kerissa Kingston offered a practical warning: “Don’t walk around here in the dark.” When the lights go out, she said, the building feels less welcoming.
“As soon as you turn the lights off, you just get this eerie feeling that you’re not alone, and someone’s watching you,” Kingston said. “It’s like, ‘How fast can I get out of this building?’”
According to the release, employees have also described incidents involving objects and equipment. One account centres on a chair in a lower-level office that seemingly moves to the middle of the room overnight. Staff say it isn’t the work of the overnight cleaning crew.
Encampment support specialist Sean Middleton recalled sitting in his office when the door suddenly slammed shut.
“Nobody else was here,” he said. “I couldn’t think of a way that happened.”
Community safety specialist Allison Sherry described another encounter involving technology that appeared to have outlasted its useful life.
“There’s an ancient security TV monitor that hasn’t worked in years,” she said. “All of a sudden, I hear static. The TV somehow turned itself on.”
Sherry said she quickly switched it off and decided the mystery could wait.
“I thought, ‘That’s a future me problem,’”
Systems performance specialist Aum Patel described an early-morning security alarm that prompted questions about what had triggered it.
“Around 5 a.m. one morning, the building alarm was tripped,” Patel said. “Security searched the building and found nobody. When the guard reviewed the security video, an exit-door sensor suddenly turned green. The door opened, then closed completely on its own.”
Sherry offered her own explanation for the building’s alleged activity.
Sherry said she thinks, “Starr was getting a coffee.”
Despite the stories, staff remain divided on whether the building is haunted.
“I haven’t been convinced quite yet,” Middleton said. “But maybe I’m just too scared to admit it.”
Sherry is taking a more cautious approach.
“I’m saying yes, just so the spirits don’t have to prove me wrong,” she said. “I respect them and I hope they respect me in return!”
The accounts remain staff reports, not proof of paranormal activity. The reported movements, noises and equipment malfunctions have not established that a ghost is responsible, and the origin of the Starr legend still requires independent verification.
For the team working in the Bowman Building, however, the stories have become part of the workplace lore. A meeting room bears Starr’s name, and staff have their own explanations — or questions — about what happens after the lights go out.
