The Capitol Hill neighborhood has long been known as the hub of haunted happenings in Denver.
As the city’s oldest neighborhood, the area includes well-known spooky tales surrounding Cheesman Park, and the Colorado State Capitol Building.
Cap Hill is also home to mansions over 125-years-old, some of which have gained a creepy reputation over the years.
So with less than a week until Halloween, we decided to take a look at the some Capitol Hill mansions and explore the legends behind their sinister history.
Grant Humphrey’s Mansion
Part of the mystery behind this allegedly haunted mansion at 7th and Grant involves the suspicious death of a man who lived inside.
Originally built as the home to Colorado’s third Governor James Grant, by 1917 the home was inhabited by Albert E. Humphreys – an oil man and philanthropist.
One evening, Humphrey’s was said to have left the dinner table to “clean his gun,” only to be found moments later with a gunshot wound to his head. He died the following day.
But whether his death was an accident, a homicide or a suicide remains up for debate. While some argued suicide, some believe the circumstances surrounding the shooting were more ominous.
Humphrey’s restless spirit is still said to haunt the third floor.
According to other reports, up to four other ghosts have made the mansion their home.
A well-known haunted location, numerous ghost tour events have been held at the mansion – particularly around Halloween.
Molly Brown House Museum
Chairs rocking by themselves. The smell of cigars burning in the library. Unexplained energy orbs.
These are just a few of the creepy happenings said to have happened at the Molly Brown House at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
What once was home to the famous socialite and Titanic survivor, today serves a museum where history buffs can catch a glimpse into the life of the Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Museum volunteers also have reported seeing faces and figures that are hard to chalk up to coincidence.
Other reports include a woman looking out of a second floor window at 3 a.m.
Last Halloween, we sent 9NEWS reporter Dan Grossman to the Molly Brown House to check out the legends for himself: http://on9news.tv/2yMvVN7
Croke-Patterson Mansion
Even before the Croke-Patterson Mansion was completed in 1891, there was something creepy about the place.
The original homeowner, Thomas Croke, allegedly got a bad vibe from the mansion upon completion and never spent anytime living in the home located on the southwest corner of 11th Avenue and Pennsylvania.
Over the years, the home has had several different owners, and was eventually converted into six apartments by the 1930s.
But it was during renovations to make the space an historic landmark in the 1970s that things started to get really weird.
Construction workers started to report oddities – like tools going missing or having to do the same tasks multiple times.
In response, several guard dogs were tasked with watching over the place during the nighttime hours.
At least one of those dogs was believed to have acted out in fear and jumped from a third-story window to the sidewalk below.
There have also been various reports of typewriters, copy machines and light bulbs going haywire inside the mansion.
Now known as the Patterson Inn, those looking to spend a night inside the home can rent a room and check it out.
Peabody-Whitehead Mansion
The Peabody-Whitehead Mansion that sits at 11th and Grant is widely known as one of the most haunted in the area.
First belonging to William Riddick Whitehead, and later to Governor James Peabody, the mansion has a haunted history dating back to the 19th century.
Whitehead, who was a surgeon for the Russian army during the Crimean War – one of the bloodiest wars of modern history, passed away inside the home after a brief illness in 1902.
Peabody rented out he mansion the next year, and for awhile things were relatively quiet.
But that changed during the 1960s and 70s, when the space was home to numerous bars and restaurants where eerie happenings like food flying off the shelves, lights flickering for no reason, and cries from a baby would occur.
One waitress who worked there reportedly took her own life, and since then, her spirit has also been known to haunt the building.
This mansion was even featured in Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel.
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