Halloween is all about the chills and spooks. Here are some of the most haunted places around Colorado.
Stanley Hotel [gallery size="large" ids="2590,2589,2588"] A Colorado haunting CLASSIC. If you’re any kind of horror fan the Stanley hotel is not new to you at all. If you’ve watched the Shining over and over again as a kid like I did, you’d know the Stanley was what inspired the Stephen King novel. The Stanley is extremely well known in the paranormal world for its persistent and multiple ghost and spirit sightings. Several ghosts roam the halls of the Stanley, like Lucy, who froze to death in the basement and now remains down there, slamming doors on unwanted visitors. There are several spooky children who play around the Stanley also. Two of which who like to turn on lights and flashlights in one of the bathrooms. **There are many, many accounts of paranormal activity in the Stanley. If you’re into paranormal exploration this should definitely be added to your bucket list Molly Brown House [gallery size="large" ids="2601,2599,2597"] Molly Brown was a Titanic survivor who planted her roots and lived in her house in the fashionable Capitol Hill area of Denver. Known for her philanthropic socialite status, tons of people have been through her house, making it a hot bed for spirit activity today. The Molly Brown House is famous for its ghostly guests, making it one of the most haunted locations in Colorado. The entities of Molly Brown and her husband JJ have been seen wandering around the home, doing what they would have been doing if they were alive. Plenty of cold spots have been felt throughout Molly’s room and her apparition has been seen going around corners. There is a female entity dressed in a Victorian dress seen around the house. She likes to sit at the dining room table and lets visitors (alive ones) take pictures of her. When she’s feeling especially active, she likes to move chairs around tables. Among these regular apparitions, an entity of a male servant in a bad mood has been seen in a mirror hanging by the stairs on the first floor. Brown Palace Hotel [gallery size="large" ids="2607,2608"] The Brown Palace Hotel is a Denver historical staple and testament to the great westward expansion. Determined to build his own empire and make his mark Henry Cordes Brown designed the beautiful Brown Palace Hotel, which since its opening has never closed, not even for a day. It has though, gone through several repairs and renovations through the years. A few spirits inhabit the Brown Palace Hotel, including an old socialite who used to live in room 904 from 1940-1955. When the hotel began to give tours, the story of this socialite’s love loss was told to visitors. Shortly after this began, the switchboard started lighting up with calls coming from room 904, though no one was staying in the room and repairs were going on. After a while the story was removed from the tour and the calls from room 904 stopped. There is another story of an employee encountering some spirits. The main hotel’s dining room was known as the San Marco Room, where big bands and later on the San Marco Strings entertained the hotel’s guests. One night an employee overhead strange sounds coming from the dining room and went to investigate. He found a formally dressed string quartet practicing in the room. Shocked, he informed the musicians that they weren’t allowed to be in the room, to which they responded “Oh, don’t worry about us. We live here.” Pretty chilling if you ask me. Hotel Imperial Hotel Imperial was built in 1896 to accommodate the influx of miners and visitors to the Cripple Creek area. In the early 20th century an Englishman named George Long owned the hotel. After moving to the states he traveled to Denver where he married his first cousin. They ended up having two daughters and a son. Most likely due to their inbreeding their oldest daughter, Alice, had severe mental issues, causing her to be violent to the point of her having to be locked away in her room. During his time at the hotel George was heading down some narrow steps to the basement and tragically fell to his death. There is speculation that Alice had killed her father by striking him with a cast iron skillet at the top of the steps. It its George’s ghost who roams the halls of the Hotel Imperial. Security guards report hearing the dinging of the slot machines with coins hitting the hopper at night after the casino has closed. Guests, especially women, report feeling “someone” touching them during the night, and other stories report a chambermaid having her bottom pinched by an unseen hand. The historic Gold Bar Theater also holds some old actors who continue to perform their melodramatic acts. Today the [alive] actors report feeling the presence of someone while they are in the dressing room. Also, stories of the “crazed” Alice still roaming the halls are told. If the staff leaves the door the Red Rooster Bar (Alice’s old apartment) closed, they hear the sounds of scratching on the other side of the door. Heres a video of a couple getting promptly freaked out by the old hotel's permanent guests and staff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1zOSPo-Ik Hotel Jerome [gallery size="large" ids="2620,2621"] Jerome B Wheeler built the Hotel Jerome in the 1880s, after falling in love with the beauty and mining potential of Aspen. Wanting to create a sense of civility and community, he built the large hotel after investing heavily in several mining deals. During the “silver crash” the hotel began to fall on hard times, and prohibition called for changes in the hotels, bar, and recreational areas. Ultimately it became a place to stay for ski bums in the 70s. Around the 80’s the hotel was revamped into its old 1800s glory. Those who stay in the hotel can account for several different apparitions who inhabit the historic hotel. One story states that a 10 year old boy supposedly drowned in the hotel’s pool. Room 310 is a part of the hotel’s new additions and sits above where the old swimming pool. In 1988 a woman who was staying in room 310 called in to the front desk about a lost, soaking wet boy. When the staff appeared the boy vanished, leaving wet footprints in its place. There is also talk of an old prospector, Henry O’Callister, who arrived in Aspen in 1889. After he discovered a 1,500 lb. silver nugget, he checked into the hotel and fell in love with the daughter of a prominent Boston family. After her father forbade them from seeing each other he shipped her back to Boston and O’Callister, distraught, ran though his fortune and died a lonely man. Guests and employees have accounted hearing sobbing late at night and the vision of a man wandering the halls Hotel Colorado [gallery size="large" ids="2611,2610"] This historic hotel has housed many illustrious guests, from presidents to Chicago gangsters; tons of people have been in and out of Hotel Colorado since it opened its 191 rooms in 1891. Now with only 131 rooms available to guests, the living aren’t the only occupants of the historic site. Guests and staff have reported strong activity between 2-4 a.m. The elevator moves up and down with no passengers, there is a lingering smell of cigar smoke, and a young girl has been seen playing with a ball in different areas of the hotel. There is also a persistent female spirit that peers over sleeping male guests. One of the strangest experiences occurred in 1982 while the hotel was being renovated and new wallpaper was being applied to room 551. The next morning the wallpaper was found removed from the wall and neatly rolled up on the floor. After the third attempt to apply the same wallpaper, the remodeler’s placed several wallpaper samples on the bed and the next morning, all but one was gone. The sample that was left was applied and remains there today. Cripple Creek [gallery size="large" ids="2614,2616,2617"] Cripple Creek is an old mining town known to be extremely haunted. Known in the old days for having plenty of mining accidents, floods, fires, lawlessness and bloody battles between mine owners and labor unions, it’s no surprise the town is a hotbed for spiritual activity. The Colorado Grande Casino is definitely one of those spiritual hubs. The casino used to be a commercial building, housing several businesses, including, at one point, a mortuary. One prominent spirit is Maggie, who has been lingering around the building for decades. Described as about 25 years old, her high heels are heard clicking through the halls of the top two floors, leaving a scent trail of rose perfume. The Hotel St. Nicholas is perched atop a hill overlooking Cripple Creek. Built as a hospital that served many prospectors and families in the area, the building expanded a ward for the mentally ill. Today you can find several ghosts of children, nuns, and former patients of the mental ward. One of the most spotted spirits is known as “Stinky,” who makes his presence known through a sewage-like smell. Central City Masonic Cemetery Cemeteries can already be pretty scary and lonely places. This is especially true for the Central City Masonic Cemetery. Orbs of light take over photographs at this cemetery at night, but that’s to be expected of a cemetery. What makes this particular graveyard especially creepy are its two consistent visitors. A little boy has been known to follow visitors around the grounds; his shyness takes over though, and he hides behind trees if you try to talk to him. There have also been several sightings of a beautiful woman in black who visits twice a year and places columbines on the grave of John Edward Cameron. Nothing more is known about the women, considering she vanishes as soon as visitors approach her. Check out this night time servailence that shows tons of orbs and activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoVVilrzkEWant more creepy haunted places? Click here for unexpected haunted places in Colorado Springs!
