Spirit Tales of the Vancouver Barracks

This walking tour takes place in Vancouver, Washington, at the historic Vancouver Barracks. Regularly scheduled tours run June through Halloween 2023, and by special appointment year round.  The Vancouver Barracks was founded in 1849, and members of the United States military served there until 2011. In those years, thousands of service members, their families, civilians, and prisoners walked its grounds.  In over 150 years, they left their mark on the land and the buildings, leaving behind many memories. Stories have grown up about the Vancouver Barracks, stories of loneliness, fear and tragedy, all part of the darker aspects of military life.  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, you will be interested in the stories of the Vancouver Barracks’ past inhabitants.

The Spirit Tales of the Vancouver Barracks tour was designed by local historian and author Jefferson Davis. Jeff served at the Vancouver Barracks for many years, and has first-hand experience with both the spooky and ordinary history of the Vancouver Barracks.  Please join him and the other tour guides to learn more about the Vancouver Barracks’ shady past.

The tour lasts between 1 1/2 to two hours and is about 1 1/2 of a mile long.  The tour starts at the west end of the Grant House Restaurant parking lot.  It follows a loop to the western half of the Vancouver Barracks, then back to the Grant House Restaurant.  Along the route, visitors will stop at locations such as the Parade Ground, and outside of several buildings like the O. O. Howard House, Post Hospital, and Ulysses S. Grant House, to learn the haunted history of the Barracks.