Real Haunts

The Haunted Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs

For the amateur paranormal investigator and horror fan, if asked about haunted hotels in Colorado, The Haunted Stanley Hotel immediately comes to mind, thanks in large part, to the terrifying film, The Shining.  But, nestled just southwest, inside Colorado Springs, Colorado, lies another spooky haunted hotel for weary travelers, The Broadmoor Hotel.

History of the Haunted Broadmore Hotel

In 1890, a wealthy Prussian Count, by the name of James Pourtales ventured out West to carve out an appealing parcel of land that could be used to cater to the ever-increasing upper class of Colorado. This is mostly thanks in large part to the ever-burgeoning prospector business. Over twenty-four hundred acres were set aside by Cheyenne lake, with minor amounts of housing and business, but primarily a casino built by Count Pourtales himself.  A smaller amount of time passed before the casino mysteriously burned down in 1897, but within a year, another was built over top of it, along with the hotel.

Spencer and Julie Penrose

Along the way, the Count developed a partnership with another business couple, Spencer and Julie Penrose.  As time passed, Julie frequently stayed at the hotel’s penthouse while her husband was away on business.  Spencer passed in 1939, but Julie lived on until 1956.  In a much undiscovered and unpublicized event, a week prior to her death, Julie supposedly went missing in a heavily wooded area by the lake.  She was found unrobed, shaking, and not fully aware of how she had gotten there or where she’d been.  Seven days later, she passed away.

Who haunts the Broadmoor Hotel?

Hospitality staff at the Broadmoor, notes that chief among activity in the hotel is the penthouse, the exact same one that Julie Penrose stayed in all those years.  Lights turning on and off, deep cold spots and objects moving on their own are the principal reports.  Other times, guests who stay in the penthouse report being watched in their own rooms and feelings of dread.  One guest reported having awoken in the night to have the covers peeled back and the feeling of someone dragging them by their foot out of the bed!

The staff notes that a woman in a period 1930s dress has been seen floating down the hallways and up the front staircases at night, which suggests that the ghost is indeed Julie Penrose.  There have been cases of multiple spirits being seen in the penthouse floor area, guess it must be more than Julie Penrose haunting the Broadmoor.  The most conclusive ending is that spirits of the victims from the casino fire of 1897 somehow still inhabit the building and haunt it along with Julie Penrose.  But despite the uneasiness, the penthouse is still quite available to stay in today and the Broadmoor is quite successful just as Count Pourtales would have wanted.

The Haunted Thornewood Castle Inn in Lakewood, Washington

Fans of Stephen King will recognize Thornewood Castle Inn as the location of the creepy film Rose Red, which was a television miniseries released in 2002. The location of the film wasn’t a fluke. The castle has been the home to many ghost sightings, hauntings, floating orbs and mysterious happenings.

Chester Thorne built the castle for his bride, Anna. They raised their daughter Anita in the mansion. She lived there with her first and second husbands for many years too. After the violent death of Anita’s second husband in 1959, Anita sold the castle. There have been several owners in the years since it was sold outside the family.

Haunted Bed & Breakfast

The castle is currently a bed and breakfast as well as being on the National Register of Historic Places. Guests at the haunted castle have reported numerous mysterious happenings. The owners, Deanna and Wayne Robinson, have seen Chester Thorne’s ghostly apparition on many occasions. The gardener and guests have seen him around the castle too.

Thorne has been known to unscrew light bulbs in the rooms. The owner asked him to write her a note instead of unscrewing the light bulbs. In the time since the request, Deanna Robinson says that he only touches the light bulbs when he’s particularly happy or unhappy about something she’s done.

The Ghost of Anna

Guests of the castle have seen Anna Thorne’s ghostly form sitting at a window overlooking the garden. One of the rooms is called “Anna’s Room” where her ghost has been sighted often. There’s an antique mirror in the room, which is said to be original to the home. In this mirror, guests have seen the reflection of Anna. Brides have said to see Anna brushing her hair.

Ghost sightings and Paranormal Activity

The Thornes’ son-in-law shot himself in the gun room of the castle, and that ghost has made appearances too. While many of the sightings can be scary or startling, the apparitions in the castle seem to be calm and playful.

At a wedding shot on the grounds and in the castle, a photographer and his wife saw floating orbs while trying to take pictures of a newly married couple having their first dance at the reception. The wife had experience with sightings before and asked the spirits to dance elsewhere. Instantly, the orbs disappeared from the viewfinder.

A previous owner’s child drowned in the small lake, and guests have reported seeing a small child down by the lake. When they arrive, the child is nowhere to be found.

The owners, staff and guests have reported sightings in many of the rooms in the castle. Chester Thorne’s former smoking room sees a lot of activity from Thorne himself. There are 28 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms in the castle. Guests have reported various unexplained lights, orbs and activities in many of the rooms.

Angry Apparition

The only startling, scary report came from a guest who says that at 3:33 a. m. his locked room door began to open and slam repeatedly. After four slams, the ghost ceased its violent activity. This guest also reported after he left the haunted mansion, he developed the pictures from his stay in the castle, and the film showed full apparitions in them.

It’s not surprising that the ghost’s of the Thornes would linger in their beloved castle. When Thorne built the castle for his bride, Anna, he had much of the bricks transported from a manor in England. The oak paneling and staircase as well as the stained glass were brought over by ship from another castle in England too. After four years of loving construction, the Thornes spent their entire married life in the castle and raised their daughter there.

Curbed Seattle named Hotel Andra one of Seattle’s most haunted hotels. The hotel was built in 1926. It was the time of prohibition and loud parties. Today, guests as well as staff have reported hearing jazz and the sound of breaking glass from the 9th floor of the hotel. Whenever someone tries to investigate, the noise and music stops. Guests have seen apparitions in their rooms. In one room a paperweight levitates before hitting a glass table with a loud noise. People believe that it’s done by a hotel worker who fell from one of the hotel’s top floors.

Is the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle Haunted?

Seattle’s Mayflower Park Hotel was opened in 1927 and has had several reported paranormal sightings. Many involve an older man who once lived in the hotel. On the sixth floor, guests have seen the man’s ghost flitting from one room to another. Often, guests have reported that they feel like someone is watching them. Another older gentleman is seen on the 11th floor. Once, an employee was mopping, and when he turned back to his mop bucket, it was gone. He found it one floor below where he was mopping.

The Mayflower Park Hotel was originally called The Bergonian.

Haunted Rooms of the Mayflower Park Hotel

• Room 1120 is said to be haunted by The Man. Guests don’t always last the night.
• The 6th floor is where guests see a man’s ghost from time to time.

The Plaza Guest House located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, has earned a title of being a haunted house due to the many strange occurrences and sightings guests have experienced there. Some guests have reported seeing people in old-fashioned clothing walking the halls of the guest house and especially in Room #006. On the same floor, there are reportedly bloodstains that will not go away no matter how many times the floor is polished. Even more eerily, some people report having had objects thrown at them by unseen forces, seeing doors opening and closing by themselves and being chased by a glowing apparition.

To make matters even more interesting, dogs and cats supposedly will not cross the threshold of Room #006. Although there is no historical evidence of foul play in the guest house, the bloodstains and many apparitions do cause one to wonder whether something unsavory occurred there in the past. To date, only one apparition at the Plaza Guest House has ever been identified, and that is the one of Zeke Cabal. Zeke was reportedly the town drunk back in the 1920s, and his ghost was said to have been seen crouching behind the living room desk of the guest house. Zeke’s spirit is reportedly shy, and that’s why he’s seen crouching behind the desk, trying to stay out of view.

The Sorrento Hotel in Seattle, WA has been accepting guests since 1909. In the early days of the hotel’s existence, there weren’t any signs of apparitions or appearances. That changed when Alice B. Toklas died. She’s been seen haunting the halls of the Sorrento. Her family lived in the First Hill neighborhood in the late 1890s, which is where the Sorrento now stands. It’s thought that’s why she haunts the location.

Numerous people have seen a ghostly figure walking the halls in a flowing white gown. She’s especially visible on the fourth floor around room 408. Locals around the hotel have seen a strange looking woman with a parasol wandering around outside the hotel at night.

Some guests have seen glasses move in the bar area. One woman reported that she was sitting in the bar when she felt someone poke her gently in the back. Her husband was several feet away and no one else was near her.

Other guests have heard stomping footsteps in the hallway at all hours of the night. One guest reported that he would fall asleep only to wake up to screaming and yelling from the hallway. There have been cold spots in some of the rooms, phones not working and moving objects in some of the rooms.