the Ghosts of 1128 Grant St
Meet The Ghosts of 1128 Grant St
The Whitehead-Peabody Mansion is one of Denver’s most well known haunted buildings. Many paranormal publications claim it is the most haunted building in Colorado. At least twelve spirits have allegedly resided in the mansion over the years. They come from varied backgrounds and time periods. Among the spirits thought to have resided at 1128 Grant Street are wounded soldiers who died under Dr. Whitehead’s care on the battlefields of The American Civil War and the Russian-Crimean War.
Dr. Whitehead built the mansion in 1889, and stories of the mansion’s hauntings start at the very beginning. Dr. Whitehead is said to have struggled with recurring nightmares of his days as a wartime surgeon. It is said that soldiers followed him home from the battlefields, and apparitions of men dressed in military uniform have been lurking around the mansion through the years. The Whitehead family apparently witnessed books flying off shelves, falling picture frames, and glasses breaking on their own in the middle of the night. Dr. Whitehead died in the mansion in 1902. It is rumored that his spirit also still resides in the mansion.
Governor Peabody is thought to have brought his own ghosts to the mansion. James H. Peabody moved into the mansion in 1903 after Whitehead’s death. Peabody’s time as governor is wrought with scandal and violence, voter fraud and broken union strikes. Many men died due to his actions and policies. It is easy to imagine that James Peabody brought disgruntled spirits into the mansion, even having only lived there for two short years.
The mansion became a rental and then a boarding house after Peabody left in 1905, so many people moved in and out through the early to mid 1900s. It was then converted into many renditions of night clubs, restaurants, and bars through the years. In the middle of the century, 1128 was a popular location for Jazz musicians of the day to showcase ther music.
Elloise, or Ella is a beautiful woman ghost who resides on the second floor. Legend says she died in the building while waiting for her lover who promised to return and marry her, but never did. She could bear to wait no longer and in desperation, took her own life. Some say she hung herself; some say she withered away in depression and grief. It is said she can still be heard screaming, and she is commonly seen appearing in mirrors, or staring out the windows of the mansion still longing for her lover to return. Elloise is known to be jealous and during the years in which the property housed bars and restaurants, she reportedly pinched waitresses if they flirted with men she found attractive. Another woman is said to have taken her own life in the basement of the mansion. She allegedly still haunts the basement. Yet another woman is said to have been abducted, raped, and murdered by construction workers in the property’s alley in the 1970s. Her body is rumored to be buried under the foundation the workers were laying at the time. In 2012, the popular show “Ghost Adventures”created an episode in the basement of the mansion in which they are filmed hearing a spirit verbalize “She was raped.” It is a chilling episode to watch. Find it here Ghost Hunters (season 6 episode 2)
Two of the ghosts are children. One is thought to be a six year old boy who messes with the second-floor chandelier making it glow with the touch of his fingers, and the other is the commonly heard sound of a crying baby. Throughout the years, the chandelier has become a well-known haunted story regarding its constant flickering. When an electrician was finally summoned he famously almost fell off his ladder because upon further investigation the chandelier was found not connected to electricity, yet it had been flickering and glowing for years. The ghost of a crotchety old man was known to haunt the third floor and grew agitated at bartenders and waitstaff during the restaurant and bar years. Staff felt they were not welcome in his space. Glasses and beer bottles commonly leapt from trays, and drinks spilled without being touched. Another old man haunts the first floor especially near what was once the women’s bathroom. Visitors have reported the strong smell of a cherry-scented pipe associated with his presence.
During its restaurant/bar years, it was common to hear stories of glassware falling off shelves or mysteriously breaking without being touched, silverware and dishes flying, furniture thrown across rooms, trays tipping over, apparitions in mirrors, the sound of a ringing bell that didn’t exist, and even mysterious scratches and bruises appearing on patrons and employees. The specters who allegedly reside in the grand structure that is 1128 Grant Street in Denver, Colorado are an eclectic crew of spirited beings. Their stories have been told countless times in and around Denver. They have seen residents, businesses, ghost hunters, and construction crews come and go. It is thought that these spirits may be at ease now. The building has been refurbished into its forever-rendition, and only its skeleton remains in its current form. It feels like perhaps the spirits are settled now that someone has turned their stories into amazing architecture and beautiful rental units