ellisnelson

Last week we attended a session of ghost hunting at a local historical site. The Highlands Ranch mansion was the home of John W. Springer, a man with ties to politics, banking, and law. He owned the site from 1897 to 1913. The mansion sits on a hill south of Denver with great views of the Rockies.

It’s also connected to a very notorious set of murders. John’s two-decades younger wife, Isabel, became involved with two different men who had an altercation at the downtown Brown Palace (connected to Molly Brown- remember the Titanic?) resulting in two deaths. Frank Henwood shot and killed his rival, Tony von Phul, and an innocent bystander in the Marble Bar. The murders culminated in a series of high-profile trials in 1911. John then dumped Isabel who ended up dying alone and destitute in New York. The mansion went on to pass through a series of different owners over the years. Much later, the TV mini-series Centennial (1978) used the site for the fictional Venneford Ranch. Interestingly enough, reading about that nugget soon led me to uncovering that actor Richard Kelton died of carbon monoxide asphyxiation in his trailer while filming. Reading the newspaper accounts, they say he was at a ranch near Denver but doesn’t name the exact location…

Anyway, the mansion is a pretty place with spectacular views! We joined others in the ballroom for a presentation on ghosts and haunting phenomena given by a local paranormal investigator. He showed some photos and played recordings of things his group had caught in various haunted places including the mansion. Later we broke into three groups for our ghost hunting “experience.” People were encouraged to download various apps or checkout (by leaving your driver’s license) various detectors. We didn’t. The groups were taken around the ground floor rooms and given access to the upstairs bedrooms. We heard the story of the murders upstairs. We also heard one group’s device say, “What are you doing here?” just as we walked into a room. Another group reported their device called out the name, “Kevin”- who was our presenter that night. We stood around the paranormal investigator who spoke into one of the devices asking for spirit interaction but never really heard anything clearly. I’m not a fan of EVP. Toward the end of our tour, I overheard someone ask Kevon if he had seen the ghosts of animals. He said he hadn’t but had experienced things after the deaths of his own pets. I almost wanted to shout, “Me too!” Which led me to ponder…

I think there was a lost opportunity there. This group really wasn’t a collection of hard-core skeptics and deniers. How many of us have had our own experiences? What could we share if given the chance? Weren’t they more meaningful than stumbling around in the dark in a strange location?    

We returned to the ballroom. As we waited for everyone to have a turn at “ghosthunting,” we could watch four different cameras aided by the various kinds of instruments set up around the mansion to capture phenomena. They picked up interesting orbs which we were already told were mostly dust particles swirled about by natural currents in the house. The highlight of the night was probably the card readers stationed in the ballroom. Three different psychics had been chosen to read cards. I had someone read angel cards which resulted in an overall energetic analysis with guidance and a tarot reading. The tarot reading was more practical and relatable. Even my husband said he got something out of his reading. Yay! (But mostly he wanted me to copy the cards down so I could tell him what it really meant.)

Overall, it was something that got us out of the house and doing something local. It was another one of those events we’d always wanted to do and so now it’s crossed off the list. Returning to the idea of the missed opportunity. I think the planners should consider facilitating an experience where everyone could have the chance to discuss what they may have experienced in their own lives in small, comfortable groups.  

MY GHOST STORY BOOK:

TIMELESS TULIPS, DARK DIAMONDS- A GHOST STORY

When fourteen-year-old Lydia travels to Amsterdam with her parents, the last thing she expects is the weird incidents that plague her stay. Curtains flutter mysteriously, and unexplained shadows move through the kitchen unnerving her. But Lydia is more concerned with the potential move to upstate New York. She dismisses the odd occurrences blaming them on jet lag and the various symptoms of her migraine disease.

When Lydia’s father lands a new job and the family moves to an area first settled by the Dutch, the bizarre happenings continue. Suffering from migraines has never been easy, but now Lydia has to contend with what she may have inadvertently brought home with her.

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