Haunted in Denver

 The Patterson Inn is considered one of the most haunted places in Denver.  His Lordship and I spent the night there on Sunday Feb. 25 to check it out for ourselves. 

 The Patterson mansion was built for Thomas B. Croke in the late 1800's. According to one account, he only ever entered the stunning Manitou Sandstone residence once and vowed never to return. However, other tales have him living there for 6 months.  Regardless, in that time, both his wife and mother passed away and, in his grief or relief, he sold the house to Thomas Patterson's family.

The residence has served many purposes from radio station to apartment complex and now is a beautiful upscale bed and breakfast. 

Over the years, people have seen the ghost of Thomas Patterson wandering the home. He died  in the mansion in the 1920's. Senator Patterson is thought to spend his time in the downstairs pub, which originally served as his smoking lounge.  Renamed the 12 spirits, after the ghosts that haunt the home, the pub is a cozy place to have a drink. His Lordship and l enjoyed one on the house with our stay.

There have also been reports of the sound of barking dogs coming from the upper story. Two guard dogs were found dead after being left locked up in the home one night. The dobermans apparently leapt from a third-story window to their deaths to get away from whatever.   We stayed on the third floor in room number 9.  We did not leap to our death although I considered it after waking up every hour and a half due to the heat in the room (we keep our house at 55 degrees at night to avoid "hot flashes"). That's our window to the left of the turret.

Other spooky things reported about room number 9 are talking and things moving "in the insulation" whatever that means. People have also done work in the home only to find it undone the following day. We, however, heard no voices nor dobermans barking while we stayed there.  The door knobs were awesome.

In the basement, the sound of a mother and child, both crying out from the dark have been heard over the years. It is said that a baby named Sarah had once died in the home and the mother, so distraught with her child’s death, buried it deep beneath the basement.

The ghost of Katherine, Senator Patterson’s wife, often turns the lights on and off in the middle of the night exclusive to unmarried couples staying in the Biltmore Suite, which was her room.  She does not approve of relations outside of wedlock.

Over the years, people have heard footsteps, knocks on walls, and disembodied voices and recently have been awakened by a ghost choking them - kinky!  The mansion has also been home to multiple suicides, a pregnant ghost and other strange occurrences.  All in all, a total of 12 ghosts are said to haunt it. His Lordship and I saw none of these specters but did enjoy a lovely breakfast - the staff made me a special vegan burrito!

Other aspects of this beautiful old property like the intricate stained glass windows and  woodwork, added to the ambiance.

All in all, a lovely stay at a gorgeous home.  Too bad about the ghosts!