Overview
While you may know that the Oxford Hotel is Denver’s oldest hotel, you might not know that is also allegedly haunted. Founded in 1891, the Oxford Hotel has certainly seen enough history to warrant a haunting, and there are several stories behind many of its alleged haunts.
The Post Man
The Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel was the first bar to open in Denver after the Prohibition was repealed in 1933. Bartenders at the Oxford speak of a post man who walks into the bar, sits and orders a beer. As he sips his beer, he mutters about getting “gifts to the children” and then quietly leaves upon supposedly finishing his beer. However, when bartenders go to collect the bottle, the beer is mysteriously full again.
The legend is that back in the 1930s, a postman was on his way to the city during a blizzard. When he never arrived, the rumor was that he sold the gifts and pocketed the cash. However, later his remains were found along with the undelivered presents after the snow melted. It is believed that his spirit is the one that frequents the Cruise Room looking for one last drink before venturing out into the cold.
The Lover’s Quarrel
The lover’s quarrel is the grounds for perhaps one of the most popular Denver ghost stories. It occurred in 1898 when Florence Montague shot and killed her married lover before shooting and killing herself in Room 320. Single men who stay in the room report having their arms pulled and their blankets pulled off them in the middle of the night. The spirit of Florence Montague poses no threat to married men and women or children, but single men must beware of staying in the room where the deadly lover’s quarrel occurred.
