Thursday, September 26, 2013

Manitou Springs and Miramount Castle

Had another lovely day visiting interesting things in the area.  Manitou Springs is just down the road from us here at Garden of the Gods RV Park.  The city is known for its naturally carbonated spring water.  There are 11 springs throughout the city and most of them are close together in the historic area. So we thought we would check them out.  The springs vary in mineral balance and carbonation and we found it fun and interesting to taste them!



We stopped for lunch at this cafe







After checking out some of the springs and having a nice lunch, we went to the Miramount Castle Museum.

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. Construction was completed in 1896. The castle is an architectural example of the Victorian Era. In 1976 Miramont Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places due to its significant historic heritage and architectural variety.
Sisters of Mercy operated a sanitarium at Miramont, sharing the property with Francolon.]
Popular folklore has it that the castle is haunted with various apparitions and unexplained phenomenon as reported by visitors and staff.

Miramount Castle




this fireplace weighs 400,000 pounds!
















Father Francolon had a great view of Pikes Peak from his bedroom!

this small attic room was a bedroom for one of the servants


2 comments:

  1. I just read a book about this. i lived in c spgs in the late 1960's and don't recall hearing much about this. Wonderful to see the room. I will definitely come and visit the next time I leave NY. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are most welcome! Thanks for checking out my blog, please become a member!

      Delete

Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota

We were staying just a few miles away in Blooming Prairie and, of course, were going into Austin to a couple of breweries....how could we no...