Denver's Haunted Platt Park - The Fleming Mansion

October is here. Time to start thinking about all things spooky in Denver. 

Indeed, you should keep an eye out. There are ghosts roaming the halls, rooms, lobbies, restaurants, basements and parks throughout the DU/Platt Park neighborhoods. This year we delve a bit deeper into the local disembodied spirits, with a trip to South Denver's Deckers Library and the adjacent Fleming mansion. Home, town hall, library and jail, the house and surrounding property have generated numerous reports of paranormal activity, primarily of lights on the adjacent grounds.

It all started in 1886, when the Town of South Denver stretched from South Alameda to Yale, from Colorado Boulevard to Pecos. A major investor in the the Platt Park neighborhood was James A. Fleming (1849–1917) who in 1880 purchased 70 acres from South Broadway to South Clarkson Street between Florida and Mexico avenues.

Fleming built a stone mansion at the southeast corner of  South Grant Street and Florida Avenue, landscaping the surrounding land (today’s Platt Park) and dubbing it Fleming’s Grove. Unfortunately, his family booted him out of  the house when, in December 1884, at age 35, he married 19-year-old Nellie J. Paddock. True enough, soon after the marriage, Nellie dumped Fleming and headed for the bright lights of San Francisco.


Fleming bounced back and became the first mayor of  the independent Town of  South Denver from 1886 to 1890. When he left office, he sold the house to the community for use as its city hall and jail.  Legend has it that one of the very large trees on the grounds of the home saw more than a few hangings. When Denver annexed the Town of  South Denver in 1894, it used the residence as the Platt Park caretaker’s residence before leasing it to the South Denver Woman’s Club. After the club exited the building  in the 1950s, the mansion became part of the  Platt Park Recreation Center, adjacent to Deckers Library..

That's the property's history in a nutshell. Less documented, but equally interesting, is the property's paranormal reputation in Denver. Still known as the Fleming house, it is allegedly haunted by the pounding of the walls and groans of prisoners from the days when it housed the South Denver jail. The adjacent Platt Park is a shining star during the day, but has a melancholy feeling after dark. Mysterious lights have been reported from the house after dark, as well as floating amid the nearby trees.

Some insist that the spirit of  James Fleming still knocks around the building. Others have reported strange groaning and knocking in the basement, where prisoners were housed. Despite a no-smoking policy, the odor of  tobacco wafts through the mansion.

The Fleming house has been underutilized in recent years. A few pool tables sit in the main room, and another room on the main floor was at one time converted to a wood working shop that is rarely used and is something of a hazard. The upstairs is mostly used for storage and is only accessed by an existing servants' stair. The interior is in desperate need of repair and refurbishment, something that will not happen given the budget constraints on the Parks and Recreation Department.
  

Currently, The Park People non-profit group is working to rehabilitate the Fleming House. The first floor will be upgraded into a beautiful community space, available for a variety of meetings, events, and special gatherings. A reconstructed central staircase to the second floor will be installed where the original existed years ago; a bearing wall that was removed circa 1914 will be relocated to its original location. The second floor will be renovated for use by The Park People for their headquarters. Offices, work spaces, a break room, and a bathroom will all be updated using the existing layout of the top floor. Throughout the house, the floors and windows will be replaced and refurbished, along with updated electrical and plumbing to allow for the building’s expanded use. Where ever possible, fixtures and finishes will reflect the idea of a modern use for a historic structure. This project will breathe new life into this building, creating a public amenity for the Platt Park neighborhood and giving The Park People a larger home for its growing list of activities. The renovation will preserve this important historical structure going into the future, and The Park People’s presence will ensure that the Fleming House will receive the tender loving care that it deserves.

University of Denver's Ghostly Residences

October in South Denver. How can the conversation not turn to ghosts, specifically the alleged haunting of the University of Denver?

Any self respecting college is bound to have a ghost story or two, but few are as well documented as the spectral sightings at DU. Let’s start with the Mary Reed building, its dark, gothic interior and imposing castle tower making it one of the easily recognizable and most stately buildings on campus.

Completed in 1931, the building served as the university’s second library and today houses administrative offices and Penrose Library storage.

A transparent female figure is occasionally seen reading in the dark in a high back chair in the building's DuPont Room (believed by some to be Mary Reed herself). Others have complained of cold drafts in otherwise warm rooms, doors that jam and then mysteriously open and fresh light bulbs that inexplicably burn out. Frankly, that isn’t too hard to imagine, since the building is XXX years old.

But there have been numerous eyewitness accounts from staff and students. Ghosts.org features a great tale of a student who wandered into the DuPont room and switched on a light, only to be started by an elderly woman in old fashioned dress, who stood up, faced the student and said hello. The student apologized and backed out of the room, leaving the light on. When he looked back, the light had turned off.

Books have been known to fly off the shelf in both the DuPont and Renaissance Rooms, and staff has complained publicly about strange rattling noises, and the elevator’s penchant for running on its own. Mary Reed herself is apparently watching over her building’s Renaissance Room, and the eyes in a portrait of her can be seen following visitors,

Some say the spirit is Mary Reed herself, while others say it is Marcella Miller DuPont, daughter of wealthy Colorado pioneers who were contributors to the university.

Either way, custodial staff have refused to work alone in the building after 10PM, when the building’s workers head out.

Equally creepy stories emanate from the Lamont School of Music’s Dunklee Hall. Legend has it that a student killed herself on the second floor of the hall, when it was a dorm. Music students have reported strange lights. One door, the last door on the right out of the elevator) is usually standing open. Upon exiting, students experienced the door quietly closing itself. 

Other ghosts in the DU neighborhood include a ghost child, allegedly seen in an alley near Jewell and Downing. There are also reports of a spectral flight crew from a WWII bomber that crashed on South Marion, near Porter Hospital. The crew's spirits have reportedly shown up in backyards and kitchens of area homes for decades now.

Spooky Walking Tours -- Inexpensive and Informative

Denver is a haunted city. Ghosts haunt the State Capitol building, the Tivoli (left), DIA, DU and Cheeseman Park. Let's not even start with the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion. Anyway, with it being October and all, you might want to hook up with Denver eccentric and historian Phil Goodstein, who is offering a walking tour on Saturday, Oct. 17: Ghosts of Cheeseman Park from 11 AM–1 PM.

Meet at the gazebo. This is the wooden structure just south of the RTD bus stop along the 12th Avenue loop between Gilpin and Williams streets. The easiest way to find it is to enter the park at Gilpin Street along 13th Avenue. Turn east. Just past the RTD eastbound bus stop is free on-street parking. (Gilpin Street is 17 blocks east of Broadway and six blocks west of York Street.) The cost is $10 per person.
 
Other upcoming tours:
Friday, October 23: Ghost Walk, 7-9 pm
Meet in front of the statue of the Indian on the east side of the Capitol on Grant Street between 14th and Colfax avenues. (Meters are free on Grant Street after 6:00 pm.) This tour is $15.

Saturday, October 24: Ghost Walk, 7-9 pm
Meet in front of the statue of the Indian on the east side of the Capitol on Grant Street between 14th and Colfax avenues. (Meters are free on Grant Street on Saturdays.) This tour is $15.

Friday, October 30: Ghost Walk, 7-9 pm
Meet in front of the statue of the Indian on the east side of the Capitol on Grant Street between 14th and Colfax avenues. (Meters are free on Grant Street after 6:00 pm.) This tour is $15.

Saturday, October 31: Haunted Halloween, 6:30–8:30 pm, 9:00–11:00 pm
This is a bus tour that passes by the notorious, haunted, and ominous buildings of Capitol Hill. We explore the ghost who went up in smoke, the hippie mother who stabbed her two-year-old baby to death while high on peyote, and spook who haunts lawyers. For our own safety, we stay on the bus for the entire two hours. The cost is $29. Reservations for the tour are necessary through Colorado Free University, 393/399–0093.

Goodstein is at 303.333.1095. More info at Leonard, Leonard and Assoc. website here.

Seasonal Survey Shows Ghosts Aren't The Worst Roommates

In a recent survey commissioned by Rent.com, it was revealed that 11 percent of renters believe they have lived in a home inhabited by ghosts. What's more, about half of those surveyed said they'd be willing to bunk with Casper if they got a deal on expenses.

Have these people seen the movie Paranormal Acitivity?

Apparently not, since another 30% of the 1000 people surveyed said they'd do it for free utilities. Rent.com says 23% said they would bunk with a spook for a free flat-screen TV with cable. And a sensible 31% said they would not live with a ghost under any circumstances.

The biggest horror stories renters tell is of nightmarish roommates -- 35 percent said the worst thing a roommate can do is leave the living room or kitchen messy, while 13 percent said blasting loud music was the mark of the worst roommate.