#mcst4180

[boooghouul]

Haunted Site: The Molly Brown House

While I loved learning about Molly Brown, who she was, what she stood for, and the history of her house here in Denver, I do not believe that her house, The Molly Brown House, was haunted in any way. I have always found myself more in touch with the spiritual world, I have sensed presences around me and have seen some pretty unreal things growing up. While we were taking our tour, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no weird cold spots, there were no smells of J.J.’s pipe, there was no furniture moving. When we took our tour, it was during the day and not during the Halloween time – which is when everyone says there some type of unexplained things happening. The reason people believe her house to be haunted was because Molly (Margaret) Brown was a socialist, as well as a philanthropist, but she was said to have loved parties, gatherings, hosting people. So, when her house was restored to her previous conditions and turned into a museum, more and more people began coming into her house. People believe that because there are so many tours and so many people in the house, that is why Molly Brown found her way back to it. Margaret Brown is also known as Molly Brown, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Margaret Tobin Brown, and Mrs. James J. Brown. She’s best remembered for encouraging the crew of Lifeboat Number 6 to return to the debris field of the 1912 sinking of RMS Titanic to look for survivors. Not only did Margaret survive the Titanic, she also founded the Denver Women’s Club, raised money for children, and fought for the rights of miners. After surviving the Titanic, she helped raise money for the less fortunate survivors from that night. Once she gained the popularity that she did, she used that fame for good. She continued fighting for rights; for miners’, for women’s suffrage, and for workers. She also worked hand in hand with the Red Cross and the American Committee for Devastated France in WWI. Margaret Brown was incredible and helped changed a lot of things. Not only does she have some pretty amazing history, her house does too. When it was first built, it was designed with styles of Classic Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque, making it unique and eclectic. Margaret and her husband James Joseph (J.J.) in 1894. The couple later split up, not officially, in 1902 where Margaret then started traveling the world more and renting out the house. Then the Great Depression and declining neighborhood hit and forced her to turn the house into a boarding house. When Margaret passed away, in 1932, the house was sold, and the subsequent owners altered the house. In 1958, Art Leisenring purchased the house, renting the rooms to gentleman boarders and later leased it to the city to use as a Jane Addams Hull home for girls. After a few years, Art Leisenring fought to have the house refurbished and turned into a museum. After seeking help, the Historic Denver purchased the house in 1970 and restored it through paint analysis, architectural research, and studying the house from photographs back to Margaret’s original house. The house has been through a lot, which is hard to believe that Margaret and J.J. have come back to “haunt” it, after all this time. Besides that, it was an awesome experience to see how something so old and worn down can be turned into such beauty with the proper care and maintenance. I also loved learning more about Margaret. 

[melindaabram]

Top photo has an orb in the middle of the picture

Bottom photo is the picture from Dave with the man standing against the lumber

[melindaabram]

Phoenix Gold Mines

Our group had a unique experience with the Phoenix Gold Mines. We were able to compare the Ghost Adventures episode to our own experiences, and the stories told by our tour guide Dave D. We learned there was a lot of misconception between what said in the episode verses what was real. We knew the gold mine was no longer functioning due to the price of gold being lower than the price it took to process the gold. It hasn't been a working mine since World War II because miners were needed to mine minerals that could be used in the war. When researching for the ghosts that haunt the mine not much came up besides what was said in Ghost Adventures. There was a double murder near the mine that is said the two gentlemen haunt the mine now. Dave explains to us exactly where the murders happened and they happened nowhere near the entrance of the mine. This begins the debunking of the stories Zak Bagan told on Ghost Adventures. We were able to play with some ghost capturing toys such as EMF readers, ghost boxes, recorders, and things that detect vibrations.

Dave was able to give us a lot of information on the ghosts within the mine. What surprised me is he would walk into the mine asking the spirits presents be known so he could make sure that they were okay, he asked to be scratched, and for rocks to be thrown. The first ghost we encountered was the ghost of Beth Miller, she was kidnapped on August 16, 1983 after she went on a jog alone. Her body has never been found but is believed to be buried deep in another mine nearby called The Crazy Girl Mine. She showed up on our EMF readers but she didn't go past the yellow light, it is believed her favorite color was yellow. The other ghosts we encountered were miners and not much is known about them, who they are, when they died, or how they died. When I was researching the mine it surprised me how the only information I found on the hauntings were from Ghost Adventures. But as we were touring it was made clear to us that the deaths that happened within the mine were never properly documented, because when they went to sell the mine they didn't want the buyer to know how many people have died in the mines. Looking at just the history of this mine it has been open since 1871 which has given plenty of people jobs, and most likely has had several cave ins.

The last thing that I found interesting was the story of the Tommyknockers. They are known to be small miners that create mischief within the mine such as stealing lunches, and tools that are left unattended. They can also cause the mine to cave in if they are disrespected. When we asked Dave about the Tommyknockers he simply says they are a folktale. They were created to keep the children out of the mine after the work day was done. Since the mine was empty children would want to go play in the mine, they could easily get lost, or simply get hurt. So Tommyknockers are just like Santa Clause or the Boogeyman, stories we tell children to make them behave.

[kianaheber-blog]

Haunted Site Visit: Cheesman Park & The Fairmount Cemetery

Cemeteries just come with the connotation of being haunted anymore. However, does that hold true to those locations that once were cemeteries and have now transformed into another landmark in the city? This is the question my group and I wanted to answer, so we paid a visit to both Cheesman Park, a retired cemetery and Fairmount Cemetery, a currently operating burial ground. While both carried an eerie vibe, due to the nature of their existence, both locations seemed to offer an environment that could host gatherings of those near and dear to each other and be an escape for some. 

This time when I visited Cheesman Park, I chose to go in the evening as opposed to during the day, when I normally would be there, to really test the boundaries. While I never came across any ghosts or other paranormal activity, I will admit the overall feel of the park felt spooky and left me with an uneasy feeling. 

At the very beginning of my time spent at the park, there were others surrounding me, participating in common and everyday activities from dog walking to jogging. Quickly I was left surrounded with no one in site. As I continued to explore the location, I was surrounded by only the sounds of nature and consistent sirens blaring from nearby ambulances and fire trucks, assuming they were attending to the activity from the city. The park was quite dim, very little lighting from external sources was shed upon the landscape. The largest dose of light could be seen under the white monument placed perfectly at the top of the hill, making it the icon for the park.  While there was little activity happening, I still felt as if I was being watched. Maybe knowing the history of the location influenced such feelings, either way, I felt slightly uncomfortable for most of my stay there. 

Towards the end of my time spent at the site, I revisited a place in the park to grab further video footage. As I walked there, I came across a dozen chocolate chip cookies placed on a plate sitting in the wide open with no one else around. I found it to be odd and out of place, given I never saw who dropped them off there. Why would they leave them and there out of all places? Maybe this was just a friendly gesture from the ghosts of Cheesman Park. 

[seeingisbelievingblr]

Haunted Site

I would describe myself as a chicken or scaredy cat. When asked if I want to watch a scary/thriller movie the answer has always been no way! So when we were assigned this project I was excited but also nervous from the start. On our way to the mine our car was having trouble and I totally thought it was a ghost preventing us from going much like the priest’s car in The House on Haunted Hill. This is another reason I do not watch scary movies because every little thing makes me think about incidences like this. Everything ended up being fine with the car and as we got closer and closer to the mine the more and more nervous I became.

Once we arrived at the location it was definitely not what we expected. The mine was much smaller and the location had no front office, just the mine and men outside working. As we sat and waited I received a call once I answered it no one answers and the call ended. This freaked me out again! I was getting paranoid from every little thing happening in this place. As we started preparing to go into the mine we were given a variety of ghost hunting equipment. This was something I’ve never experienced and was super excited to see if it actually worked. We were able to do our interview before entering and it was really interesting to learn how her got started in the mines and how he felt about the Ghost Adventure episode. We had our tour with another group of people most of who were a lot older but there was one little girl within the group.

Once we were inside the mine they shut the doors and we were surrounded in darkness, my heart was beginning to race and as much as I wanted to run or hide I continued to film what he had to say. We started the tour learning about a missing girl whose body was thrown into a nearby mine and he stated that her presence was with us that day. There was an uncanny feeling in the air but that could also be from just listening to the story and empathizing what happened to his poor child.

As we went further into the mine Dave told us stories of an old man who didn’t like visitors and had old fashion ways in believing women weren’t allowed in the mine. Once we entered his “section” there was a LOUD BANG that went off, at this point all sorts of things were running through my head as I jumped and panicked a bit. It was only later did I find out that they had blown a horn to scare us into believing it was the ghost.

Much like magicians, these workers are playing with our perception and using the fact that all we can see is darkness within the mine to their advantage. This makes whatever they are saying or what they think they heard more and more believable. The more you focus on the fears of the mine itself the more you believe these phenomenons are possible. One thing I didn’t enjoy was how enthusiastic the workers were. Overly asking if we had heard the footsteps creeping behind us when there was nothing to be heard. Much like the Ghost Adventures episode where they freaked out over everything thinking it was a spirit or “tommy-knocker” when in fact it was just a raccoon and noise made by the miners themselves. Overall this was definitely an incredible experience because we were able to go inside an active mine and see this show the put on for us.

[littlepookaharvey]

Haunted Visit

First visit: Fairmount Cemetery During my first visit to the Fairmount we went to visit I found it really calming.  Most would associate cemeteries as morbid places only to really be visited when absolutely necessary.  Most cemeteries are usually located in the most beautiful locations.  The remains of the dead are housed in areas that are associated with beauty and peace.  They are also that seem to have an abundance of hauntings.  During my research and several haunting.  It makes sense that haunting would fallow the second oldest running cemetery’s in Colorado.  The Fairmount also cares for many military veterans.  One of these veterans is John Chivington who is the perpetrator of the Sand Creek Massacre.  The Fairmount cares for several famous Denver citizens in addition to Chivington.  I feel that part of what makes the Fairmount so unique is that it is home to many who have shaped history.  Though how Chivington influenced history is terrible it is essential to know and learn about.  The Sand Creek Massacre is one of the most tragic events in both the history of Colorado and the of the United States.  If you visit the Fairmount Chivington will not be found among the other veterans despite him fighting in the civil war.  He has a modest headstone in comparison some of the others around.  

Second Visit: Cheeseman Park Cheeseman Park is one of the most beautiful parks that I have visited.  It has a long history that too many would seem odd.  It was first a cemetery that then was taken and transition to a public park for the beauty of Denver.  Today is extremely active during the day.  It is full of life, individuals enjoying the sun having a picnic, riding bicycles, walking their dogs, and taking pictures.  It is truly a beautiful place to be during the day.  It also has been reported to be haunted.  It is hard to imagine that with as active as it is.  However, during the night it can feel quite the opposite.  The park it emptied out and is left a dark place where a ghost can come out and play.  I have visited the park on two occasions.  Once during the day and once at night during October well before this class.  In both visits, I felt no ghosts.  Though research into the haunting would suggest that there are I did not experience any myself.  I think that the haunting could be due to the history and bodies of the park being discovered while the city was renovating. The town was confronted with the idea that one of their most beautiful parks was once a holding place for remains and they may still be there.  After all stepping on the dead is bad luck and could potentially ‘wake them’ and dancing over the graves is even worse.  Death is not something that the living like to confront.  Having a park that has the remains of the dead is a morbid thought.  Cheeseman Park is beautiful and lively, it is a place where haunting may take place, but it is a place that history wakes up and becomes alive.  

Sources and Videos Below are some videos of both Chivington and Cheeseman Park, enjoy. PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/chivington.htm. George, Lawrence. “Chivington.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 June 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGMuDAlHjE. PBS, Rocky Mountain. “Colorado Experience: Sand Creek Massacre.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Nov. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnPT1qYa64.

[jasmineevegaa]

Grant-Humphreys Mansion

When we first were discussing as a group what place to choose we wanted to go to the least creepy sounding place. We chose the Grant-Humphreys mansion after we googled it and did quick research on it. I had never heard about this mansion I didn’t know that there was a haunted site in Denver I always thought that haunted places were in the middle of the woods abandoned by all people.

We started doing research on the Grant-Humphreys mansion and it seemed only as a party venue that hosted weddings and other types of meetings, there was no information that any of us could find on it being a haunted place. I was wondering how this could be on Dr. Battista’s list of haunted places. There was no information regarding the history of the mansion at first, our group started to find more and more things about it but it still wasn’t talking about the house only about the owners of the house.

When we went on the tour I wasn’t expecting anything because I was primed to think, from all of the research that we did, that there was nothing haunted about this place only that they had sketchy owners in the past. Our tour guide gave us an extensive history lesson that we didn’t find anywhere else. It ranged from specific things within the house to history on the area and he even told us a little bit about Cheeseman Park and debunked the myth that those ghosts came over to haunt the mansion. When I walked into the house I was immediately uncomfortable, I was afraid to take the pictures because I didn’t want to accidentally find something. The house was a little disorienting because there was so many ways to get to the same room and there were different hallways everywhere it seemed like an easy place to get lost.

Once we went onto the third floor that was when I felt the most uncomfortable my chest felt heavy and I didn’t know why. I thought it was just because it was hot upstairs, but the energy was off. We went into the room where the man tried to kill himself and where the tour guide had had the most “ghostly” encounters. At the end of the tour we talked as a group and we all had a really weird feeling in the same spot so I was validating and creepy that we all felt the same thing in the same spot.

Our tour guide gave some really insightful things at the end of the tour that made me feel better about believing and being afraid of ghosts. He said that he didn’t believe in ghosts until he had his encounters, even after being shown a real life ghost he respects that they were there before us. He also said that he doesn’t have time to worry about ghosts when there are crazy real life people out there and that eased my fears. All in all it was a cool experience even though I wasn’t able to go full Ghost Adventures mode.

[the-chefcurry-blr]

Haunted Site: The Stanley Hotel

Our haunted site was the Stanley Hotel which we visited during the weekend of April 13-14. We attended a ghost tour which was about 75 minutes and we toured various locations on the property. The first was the concert hall which had three floors to it. The most interesting was the location of the second gathering are with Flora’s piano. It had its own little niche in the wall and is rumored to be heard being played during off hours.

Another interesting location was the billiards room as it had mirrors on each wall. There was at least one mirror for the original four billiards tables. The Northeast table was Freelan Oscar Stanley’s favorite. Our tour guide mentioned that the mirrors perpendicular to the table would give off strange vibes as it had the most spiritual energy attached to them.

but the most interesting part of it all was the basement. It was very dark and luminous as we entered, and it was filled with machines and heating elements. We were able to find a couple of figures that mysteriously resembled one of the Stanley brothers in the grain of wood next to one of the old tunnels. We also just had similarly strange vibes taking our own pictures in the spot where we found the guy.

Personally, I didn’t feel anything throughout the whole tour until we reviewed the film and discussed it together. I probably wasn’t paying too much attention over taking my own pictures but after viewing the film we did notice the guy. However, for me it’s still not enough to be convinced of the existence of spiritual figures beyond the mysteries and cultural beliefs my family raised me with.