Ghosts in the Palace

Once upon a time, a woman named Louise Crawford Hill lived in Room 904 of the Brown Palace Hotel. She kept her room in the hotel from 1940 to 1955, ruling over Denver society. Years later, when Mrs. Hill was but a distant memory, renovations were being done to the...

By Amber Taufen

October 23, 2008

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Once upon a time, a woman named Louise Crawford Hill lived in Room 904 of the Brown Palace Hotel. She kept her room in the hotel from 1940 to 1955, ruling over Denver society. Years later, when Mrs. Hill was but a distant memory, renovations were being done to the top two floors of the hotel — where she had lived — and a hotel historian was giving tours of the floors, telling interested participants about the people who used to reside there. When he got to the tales of Mrs. Hill, which in-volved heartbreak suffered over a lost love, the hotel’s main switchboard suddenly began receiving calls from Room 904 — which had been stripped of all furniture, lights, wallpaper, carpet and telephones during the renovation. Hotel operators could hear only static when they answered the calls. And when the historian removed Mrs. Hill’s saga from the tour, the phone calls from Room 904 ceased.

Hear this story and others on tonight’s Haunted Happy Hour tour, which begins with drinks and hors d’oeuvre in one of the Brown Palace’s most haunted rooms, followed by a brief overview of the hotel and a ghost tour. “We can’t provide enough days for these tours!” exclaims the hotel’s Shannon Dexheimer. “They fill up so fast — people are so excited to hear this element.”

Take the hint and sign up early for the event, which starts at 5 p.m. (if you miss out, another will be held, appropriately, on October 31). And be sure to check out the Brown Palace’s Monster Brunch on October 26, featuring costumed waitstaff and Halloween-themed food. The hotel is at 321 17th Street; call 303-297-3111 or visit www.brownpalace.com.
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 1 p.m. Starts: Oct. 1. Continues through Oct. 31, 2008

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Amber Taufen has been writing about people, places and things in Denver since 2005. She works as an editor, writer, and production and process guru out of her home office in the foothills.

Contact: Amber Taufen

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