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 Heritage Building's Specter, Vancouver, Washington Posted by:  Rose Red
N 45° 37.550 W 122° 40.298
10T E 525597 N 5052528
In "Darkness Next Door" Pat Jollota writes about "a specter that walks about on the stairway to mezzanine in the Heritage Bldg. He has been described as a man dressed in rough work clothes. Perhaps it is the man who attempted to hold up the bank."
Waymark Code: WM37BC
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/22/2008
Views: 52
In her book "Darkness Next Door" Pat Jollota writes about "a specter that walks about on the stairway to the mezzanine in the Heritage Building (formerly the U.S. National Bank). He has been described as a man dressed in rough work clothes. Perhaps it is the robber who attempted to hold up the bank."
According to several issues of “The Columbian” newspaper, on Wednesday, July 1, 1925, Joyce D. Thomasen, 31, attempted to rob the U.S. National Bank at 6th & Main Street in downtown Vancouver at about 8:00am.
For 40 minutes, the would-be robber, with a gun in each hand took command of the bank. As each employee entered Thomasen ordered him or her into a small, back room for a total of four women and three men and also ordered them to remain quiet.
When J.S.G. Langsdorf, the cashier, arrived at the bank, he took in the situation immediately, backed out of the entrance into Main Street, and refused to comply with Thomasen’s demands that he open the vault doors. Instead Langsdorf ran with the Thomasen in pursuit and refused to halt after a chase up and down the streets.
When Thomasen found that his efforts were futile he dashed through a store on Main Street into an alley where he leaped into Ed VanDeven’s car, poked one of his guns into VanDeven’s ribs, and ordered him to drive away. The flight led out the Battle Ground Highway east to Orchards and from Orchards south to Fishers and the North Bank Highway (now Hwy 14 or Evergreen Hwy). Thomasen made VanDeven change clothes with him. Thomasen then left VanDeven up a side road while he flagged and boarded the Camas-Portland stage, heading west.
Traffic officer Vic Eaton attempted to arrest Thomasen at the stage terminal at 5th and Main. Instead the officer was covered before he could draw his gun so he dropped it with the expectation that some one would pick it up and cover Thomasen. Vic Eaton was ordered to accompany Thomasen east on 5th Street.
Thomasen, with Vic Eaton in tow, accosted Mrs. H.J. Savage, a California tourist who was waiting for her husband in a Buick roadster at 5th & Broadway. He told her to start the car so he could make his get-a-way. She replied rather sharply that she couldn’t start the car. Thomasen turned to Eaton and demanded that he start the car. In spite of the fact that Eaton was disarmed and covered by Thomasen he replied, “I won’t do it.”
It was then that Eaton was able to break away from his captor, went back to get his gun and returned immediately to the chase. A tip was received at the police station which led them to believe that the robber was out on the river road so all available police had driven in that direction.
Thomasen was shot by Harry Williams, state highway patrolman, a few hours later in the Proctor residence bathroom at 402 Reserve Street where he had taken refuge. Mrs. Proctor had left the building.
Thomasen died about a week later about 9:20am on Thursday, July 9, at St. Joseph’s Hospital after fighting a remarkable uphill battle for more than a week. He was buried at a cemetery in Yamhill, Oregon.
Does Thomasen haunt the building repenting his actions? Is he trying to figure out where it all went wrong? Or is he casing a bank that is no longer there.
Photo from the collection of the Clark County Historical Museum, which is located in the 1910 Carnegie Library at 1511 Main Street in downtown Vancouver. The photo shows the building as it most likely looked at the time of the attempted robbery.
Instructions for logging waymark: A photograph is required of you (or your GPS receiver, if you are waymarking solo) and the Heritage Building (formerly the U.S. National Bank Building).
Public access?:
No public access
Visting hours: Not listed
Website about the location and/or story: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. Photos you took of paranormal activity are great. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit
Tell your story if you saw, felt, or smelled anything unusual. Post pictures of what you saw.
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