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Posted By: Jill Pope
Related Subjects: Ghost Stories
Cheyenne's Warren Avenue has some quaint homes. Those located south of Pershing Boulevard were constructed in the 1920s and 30s.
Ellen and Stella grew up in one of these homes. As children they often spotted human like forms moving though the house, but usually did not feel any fear. They believed the spirit to be a woman looking after them. Despite the fact that Ellen knew the home was haunted, as an adult she was excited to recover a slice of her childhood by purchasing the house when it was placed on the market. Her husband, Matt, was shocked that she would want to move back into the home. Although somewhat anxious about the move, she convinced him to go through with it.
After the purchase they swung into a full renovation project, completely gutting the house. Apparently the resident spirit became restless with the changes. With its attempts to guard its home the construction workers soon became familiar with the ghost. These men were quite shaken when their power tools, even their radio, began turning on or off by themselves. Occasionally they would notice unusual aromas drifting through; they detected sweet smells similar to cherry pipe smoke and grape Kool-Aid!
With constant nervous reports from the workers Ellen became frustrated. She spoke out loud to the ghost, stating that she had grown up in this home and she loved it here. The changes they were making were to update and improve the home. Well aware that this spirit was attached to her home, Ellen promised to take good care of the place. They didn't have as much activity after that, although Ellen did make note that February was the most active time in the house.
Ellen is a creative person. She made a decorative sign from a piece of the old kitchen floorboard and proudly hung it in the newly remodeled space. Shortly afterwards, while sleeping soundly, they awoke to thunderous noise, only to discover that the large sign had crashed down and shattered their new ceramic floor tiles. After checking the nails and the hanger on the back of the sign they could tell it had been hung properly and they blamed the spirit. Matt became annoyed and yelled at the ghost. The spiritual activity pretty much ceased after this. It remains a mystery as to whose spirit lingers with them.
Have you heard this story or another version of it? Do you have a ghost story to share? Click on "Comments" to tell your tale!
Posted By: Jill Pope
Related Subjects: Ghost Stories
While researching for Ghost Tours, we have come across an assortment of theories. Among these is the theory that ghosts may be imprinted upon an existing surface of a building, such as a wall or doorway, similar to a taped recording. Alteration or removal of the surface can cause portions of the recording to fade, eventually disappearing entirely. But one home turns this theory around.
The Voorheeses were among the first settlers in Cheyenne. The home of Luke Voorhees, head Stagecoach operator for the Cheyenne Deadwood Stagecoach, was built along "Millionaires Row" (Carey Avenue) in 1884; 50 years later it was moved north to its current location at 2910 Thomes Avenue. Through the years, the lives of many people would become entwined with the home. And, as should be expected, there were many alterations to suit the needs of the different residents.
Most recently purchased by empty nesters, the home has been beautifully restored. During the process, layers of linoleum and sub-flooring were found covering the original hardwood floor. Closets were exposed. False ceilings were removed, exposing window frames that had been cut down to fit the lower ceiling, and window outlines were found hidden beneath wallpaper. During the process, this couple found a great deal of history, both of the home, and of those whose lives where touched by the home.
They also found they were not alone in the home. At night they would lie awake to the sounds of children laughing in the home. Their ghosts returned with the restoration of the home.
By Val Martin and Jill Pope
Have you heard this story or another version of it? Do you have a ghost story to share? Click on "Comments" to tell your tale!
Posted By: Jill Pope
Related Subjects: Ghost Stories
Governor Freudenthal is popular among the residents of Wyoming. His witty candor and charm are appreciated by most everyone that he encounters. I've even heard of spirits that like to hang around him in the Capitol Building.
There's a lovely young lady who appears upstairs on the 3rd floor. She is dressed in period clothing, a charming blue dress with petticoats. While you can vividly see her, you can also see through her. She likes to walk around the balcony, especially when the Legislators meet. While I'm not certain who this spirit is I can tell you that a family did reside within the Capitol from 1895 through 1905. The Maintenance man who oversaw the boiler system, gardening and basic custodial work was provided living quarters in the basement for his family as part of his pay. There was a huge coal fired steam boiler in the Capitol that needed to be attended to regularly so it made sense for him to live on property. It's my thought that this may be his daughter. She had a taste of the elegant high life of Cheyenne's cattle boom era. I imagine her watching the parties and events with great curiosity, pretending she were a fine lady of the day. Now she's chosen to stick around, glimpsing at what future generations bring. She is dwelling in layer upon layer of history, enjoying the fabric of the building and the lifestyles and merely walking in a path she once strode.
Have you heard this story or another version of it? Do you have a ghost story to share? Click on "Comments" to tell your tale!
Posted By: Jill Pope
Related Subjects: Ghost Stories
Nestled in the historic Rainsford District bordering downtown Cheyenne, we find the quaint Deselms Fine Art Gallery at 303 East 17th Street. When you walk amongst the fine art displayed here it is hard to believe that there have been a number of deaths at this location. Built in 1883, tt was the home and clinic of Union Pacific's Dr. Barkwell. Due to severe and gruesome railroad injuries common at the time, many patients perished in his home.
The home also is infamous for the murder of film producer Alan Ross, whose body was found in the crawl space under the house eight years ago. Mr. Ross and his common-law wife had lived in the house before it was turned into the art gallery. Police searched the crawl space beneath the house at the time he went missing, but did not find any evidence of him. The police searched the crawl space again in July 2000. This time, as they entered the musty confined space, Allen's shoe was seen sticking out of the dirt ... his body was finally found.
A man, who'd lived next door for 20 years, told us that for the past five years, he had been hearing a moaning sound coming through the closed-off tunnel in the basement that had once connected the two homes. He continually told his wife of the sound. Once Allen's body was unearthed, the moaning stopped.
These stories of tragedy do not stand alone, for there is yet another tale of turmoil to be told. The date was October 22, 1965, when 15-year-old Anthony Blankenship violently attacked 86-year-old Lena Herbert in her upstairs room. With a long and demented rap sheet behind him, Blankenship was arrested and sent to Evanston, WY. for a psychological evaluation. Doctors determined that he was without psychosis and had fully known at the time of the attack that the vile acts he was committing were wrong. With no regret or empathy, the junior-high student confessed, he was tried for first degree murder, and sent to the Rawlins prison for a dismal life of hard labor.
Recently, a woman who claims she is able to "clean" places of spirits came to the Gallery. After walked around looking at the artwork, she expressed with certainly that she felt spirits there. She said any building that old has some residual spiritual energy. The owner told her about the home's Allen Ross murder, but she replied that it was not him she was communicating with. She went upstairs where she reported feeling the presence of a terrified woman who was hiding. The medium relayed that the spirit "comes out" once in a while and may cause disruptions. About a year later, the Gallery owner was stunned to learn of Lena Herbert's murder that had transpired upstairs.
One evening just before Halloween of 2001, the gallery was hosting an artist's drawing class. The owner went outdoors and placed a battery-operated skull under the porch to decorate for Halloween, while the artists were inside painting. Immediately upon doing this all of the lights in the house went out. He flipped the breaker to no avail. The lights would not turn back on, that is ... until he removed the skull from beneath the porch.
With the buildings history, the owner allowed C.P.I., Cheyenne Paranormal Investigators, to investigate the premises. Two of the investigators experienced a soft whisper in their ears and could feel a small breeze while in the crawl space. Another saw a dark shadowy object go by him in the alleged area where Allen was shot. Two Investigators heard a metal tapping sound coming from a hole in the wall where the old stairs used to be. Before the investigation began, all lights inside and outside of the gallery were turned off. Halfway through the evening the outside lights came back on by themselves.
Investigators also report that an upstairs door unlatched itself and the door mystically opened without any human assistance. The current tenants relay similar accounts. The clink of the latch turning and the creak of the old door opening were captured on the audio from the handheld DVR recorder the investigator was carrying. A second audio tape also recorded the sound of the door unlatching and opening, as well as the investigator uttering "did you hear that!" Finally, an infra-red camera had been set up in that area and also captured the door opening by itself.
Have you heard this story or another version of it? Do you have a ghost story to share? Click on "Comments" to tell your tale!
Posted By: Jill Pope
Related Subjects: Ghost Stories
In 1867 the Union Pacific steel ribbon flowed west to the "end of the tracks town" which would be named Cheyenne. Originally they thought to place the depot and town nearly a mile west of its present location. It was fortunate the plan was changed due to flooding that has occurred in that neighborhood. The Union Pacific constructed tracks and rail yard buildings along 15th Street around Snyder Avenue. The surrounding neighborhood became known as "the Bottoms". Underpasses were built for the passage of traffic and water drainage. The original underpass at the end of Snyder Ave, just off 15th St. was destroyed in the 1950s by a train collision.
On May 20, 1904, the flooding was deadly. A home at the corner of Lincolnway and Snyder was completely washed away, and the remains were found against the underpass to the south. The home sealed off the entrance to the bridge under the tracks causing the floodwaters to back up, engulfing a four block area. The small bodies of the two Clayton brothers were found in their bed in this home beside the tracks, their deaths the devastating result of Mother Nature's fury.
Twenty-five years later, during yet another flood in the low-lying area, an elderly woman fell victim to the same fate as the Clayton brothers. She was living at the exact same location. Events that happen in a place make an impression. Is this the result of lingering remnants of the first tragedy, known as a RESIDUAL HAUNTING?
Have you heard this story or another version of it? Do you have a ghost story to share? Click on "Comments" to tell your tale!
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