Miramont Castle

Last updated

Miramont
Miramont (Manitou Springs, Colorado).JPG
Miramont, also known as Miramont Castle and Montcalm Castle
USA Colorado location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location9 Capitol Hill, Manitou Springs, Colorado
Coordinates 38°51′33″N104°55′19″W / 38.85917°N 104.92194°W / 38.85917; -104.92194
Website Miramont Castle
NRHP reference No. 77000375
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1977 [1]

Miramont Castle is a museum located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. [2] The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest. [3] [4] Located in the Manitou Springs Historic District, it is a National Register of Historic Places listing. [5]

Contents

History

Father Jean Baptiste Francolon built Miramont Castle in 1895. The house is "an eclectic estate that blends a variety of architectural styles from Byzantine to Tudor." [6] Construction was completed in 1896. [7] The castle is an architectural example of the Victorian Era. In 1976 Miramont Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places [8] due to its significant historic heritage and architectural variety. [9] [10] [11]

Sisters of Mercy operated Montcalm Sanitarium at Miramont, [6] sharing the property with Francolon. [7] [nb 1]

Popular folklore has it that the castle is haunted with various apparitions and unexplained phenomenon as reported by visitors and staff. [12] [13]

Current

The house is now a Victorian-era historic house museum that is owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society. Visitors can tour 42 furnished rooms and gardens. The site also features a tea room and gift shop.

Notes

  1. There's also a report that the Sisters acquired the dormant Miramont Castle in 1904, after Father Francolon had moved away in 1900. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Springs, Colorado</span> City in Colorado, United States

Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, particularly in the summer, with many shops and restaurants, as well as a creekside city park. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to the base of Pikes Peak. Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. The subdivision Crystal Hills was added to the municipality in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Colorado</span> Historic hotel in Colorado, US

Hotel Colorado is an 1893 Italianate structure in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States, and one of the oldest hotels in Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade, Colorado</span> Unincorporated community in State of Colorado, United States

Cascade is an unincorporated community and U.S. Post Office in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Cascade Post Office is 80809.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarhurst</span> Historic house in Colorado, United States

Briarhurst Manor, also known as William A. Bell House, is a finely grained pink Victorian sandstone manor house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the city of Manitou Springs, Colorado. It is the second building on this site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pikes Peak</span> Mountain in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, United States of America

Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot (4,302.31 m) fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Springs Historic District</span> Historic district in Colorado, United States

Manitou Springs Historic District in Manitou Springs, Colorado is roughly bounded by US 24, Ruxton Avenue, El Paso Boulevard and Iron Mountain Avenue. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff House (Manitou Springs, Colorado)</span> United States historic place

Cliff House in Manitou Springs, Colorado is a Queen Anne style hotel in the Manitou Springs Historic District. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing. The Cliff House at Pikes Peak is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barker House (Manitou Springs, Colorado)</span> United States historic place

Barker House was once a hotel in Manitou Springs, Colorado in the Manitou Springs Historic District. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Mineral Springs</span> United States historic place

Manitou Mineral Springs are natural mineral springs in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Cheyenne Spring House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The springs are located in one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Bathhouse</span> United States historic place

Manitou Bathhouse or Manitou Spa is a historic building located along Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Once used as a mineral water bathhouse or spa, the building is now used for stores and other businesses on the first floor. The second and third floors hold residential units. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the building is Adam's Mountain Cafe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office-Manitou Springs Main</span> United States historic place

US Post Office-Manitou Springs Main or Manitou Springs Post Office is a historic building located on Canon Avenue in Manitou Springs, Colorado. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler Bank</span> Historic building in Colorado, US

Wheeler Bank is a historic building located on Manitou Avenue in Manitou Springs, Colorado built by Jerome B. Wheeler. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the course of its history, the building has been a financial institution, auditorium and retail business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Valley Cemetery</span> United States historic place in Manitou Springs, Colorado

Crystal Valley Cemetery is a cemetery located on Plainview Place in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Since its establishment in 1882, it has been the principal cemetery in Manitou Springs. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redstone Castle (Manitou Springs, Colorado)</span> Historic house in Colorado, United States

Redstone Castle or Crawford House is a historic building in Manitou Springs, located within the Manitou Springs Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Davis Boal</span> American architect and army officer

Theodore Davis Boal, also known as Terry Boal, was an American army officer and architect. He entered into several partnerships over his career, the Boal and Harnois architectural firm in Denver, Colorado and a partnership with Ward Brown in Washington D.C. He designed a number of important mansions that are listed with the National Register of Historic Places. One of his important works, also an NRHP property, is the ancestral family estate, Boal Mansion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Springs, Colorado</span> Neighborhood in Manitou Springs, Colorado

Iron Springs, a neighborhood in Manitou Springs, Colorado, was an area named for one of Manitou Mineral Springs. The Manitou area had been frequented by Native Americans who considered it a sacred and healing place before European Americans settled in Manitou.

The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado, played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th century, a movement for tuberculosis treatment in hospital-like facilities called sanatoriums became prominent, especially in Europe and North America. Thus people sought tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs because of its dry climate and fresh mountain air. Some people stayed in boarding houses, while others sought the hospital-like facilities of sanatoriums. In the 1880s and 1890s, it is estimated that one-third of the people living in Colorado Springs had tuberculosis. The number of sanatoriums and hospitals increased into the twentieth century. During World War II, medicines were developed that successfully treated tuberculosis and by the late 1940s specialized tuberculosis treatment facilities were no longer needed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old North End Historic District (Colorado Springs, Colorado)</span> Historic district in Colorado, United States

Old North End Historic District of Colorado Springs, Colorado is located north of Colorado College between Monument Valley Park, an alley between Weber and Nevada Streets, and Uintah and Lilac Streets. It was called North End Historic District until September 2015 when the district boundaries were expanded and the neighborhood was renamed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Hotels of America</span> National Trust for Historic Preservation program

Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels in the United States that have maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. Welcome to Miramont Castle. Miramontcastle.org. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  3. "Manitou Springs castle served as a refuge for a reclusive priest". The Gazette. Docs.newsbank.com (June 10, 1990). Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  4. Miramont Castle Museum Archived 2009-11-24 at the Wayback Machine . Pikes-peak.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  5. National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado. American Dreams. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Best of Colorado. Big Earth Publishing. September 1, 2002. p. 81. ISBN   978-1-56579-429-0 . Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Holiday house tour starts ominously, ends on a happy note". The Gazette. Nl.newsbank.com (December 15, 1991). Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  8. NewsLibrary.com - newspaper archive, clipping service - newspapers and other news sources. Docs.newsbank.com (December 9, 1988). Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  9. Star Telegram: Search results. Newsbank. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  10. "Lore Springs from Manitou Waters. (Sunday Magazine/Travel)." Denver: Rocky Mountain News. Primary Source Media. 1998. HighBeam Research. May 5, 2013
  11. Miramont Castle. Dread Central. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Dark Destinations - Miramont Castle. Thecabinet.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  13. Colorado’s Haunted Architecture – Miramont Castle. Thecoloradoarchitect.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.