From a hand-drawn wooden water cart from the 1860s to a modern, bright-red fire truck, visitors to Denver’s Firefighters Museum can marvel at the longstanding tradition of brave men and women taking on fiery threats large and small.
But during next weekend’s Halloween revelry, a different kind of bravery will be required to visit the museum’s 1909 building.
Fans of the supernatural are invited to spend the night there in hopes of meeting two of its most unusual permanent residents: the ghosts thought to haunt the facility.
“We do have a couple of ghosts who have interacted with staff here,” says Winifred Ferrill, executive director of the museum. “One is called Tom, according to psychics we had here years ago. He was the last horse handler to work in the building, pre-1920 when the trucks were motorized.”
Tom is apparently quite the trickster. He’s been known to harass museum staffers by sending copy machines into paper- spitting frenzies, hiding files, dumping papers into waste bins and flicking lights on and off.
The other ghost, Caleb, inhabits a specific closet in the museum basement. “He was a young man with Down syndrome who was murdered and buried in the vicinity,” Ferrill says, noting that the concrete floor of Caleb’s closet has been repoured multiple times over the years, as it never seems to properly set. “A lot of people feel uneasy going into that closet,” she adds.
In September, the Littleton-based business Spirit Paranormal Investigations thoroughly explored the museum. They captured the spectral image of a basement ghost — or a “partial manifestation” — using an infrared camera. In the photo, a skeletal figure with outstretched arms appears to be reaching toward a bookshelf. Ferrill describes the outline of leg and hip bones, as well as a spine, all covered by a gauzy white blur that suggests clothing.
“It’s an amazing image,” she says, “quite compelling.”
Skeptics can leave the ghost hunting to others and still enjoy a fun-filled night at the museum. Participants will start the evening with a “Firehouse Spaghetti Dinner” followed by a presentation by Spirits Paranormal Investigations. Then visitors can join the investigators on their hunt or opt to explore the museum’s many exhibits alone.
Yes, that includes the chance to slide down part of a fire pole. (The museum has six of them, but for safety reasons visitors are prohibited from dropping the full length of a pole from its second-story dormitory.)
Among the exhibits are stories about Denver’s famous fires. Entire blocks burned to the ground in 1863 and 1877, when many of downtown Denver’s buildings were made of fast-burning pine.
The Denver Fire Department was subsequently founded in 1866 as a private, all-volunteer organization.
In 1895, two disastrous hotel fires occurred, including the inferno at the St. James Hotel that took the lives of an entire team of firefighters. Other notable fire events in the city’s history include one at City Hall in 1901, another at the Denver Athletic Club in 1951, and a jet- fuel fire at Stapleton International Airport in 1990.
After the history lessons and ghost- hunting expeditions, guests will tote their sleeping bags into the dorms. While bunking with approximately 35 other overnighters, guests typically tell ghost stories late into the night.
“Overall the ghosts here are not vindictive or mean or out to get you, they just play tricks,” Ferrill says. “But we’ll all get to be scared just a teensy bit.”
MORE FUN
Shake your groove thing
Today. Amateur dancers ages 13-30 are invited to compete in a national dance contest pegged to the forthcoming film “Burlesque,” starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. Prizes in this contest co-sponsored by MTV, Hot 107.1 and others include cash and a chance at a national TV appearance. All dancers must perform an original, one- minute, family-friendly routine. The contest is from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Tavern Tech Center, 5336 DTC Blvd., Greenwood Village. For complete rules and registration details, visit .
High-minded hauntsTuesday and Friday. Science can explain some of the spookiness surrounding Halloween, at least that’s what biochemists think. Two Colorado State University graduate students will share that perspective Tuesday during a free presentation called “Vampires, Witches, Zombies and the Science Behind Halloween” at the Park Hill Library, 4705 Montview Blvd., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This event is recommended for ages 12 and up, and registration is required by logging on to . Then on Friday, Colorado State University’s Chemistry Club hosts a family-friendly Halloween Science Festival from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Chemistry Building on CSU’s main campus, near Lake Street and Centre Avenue in Fort Collins. This event will feature a large science show, Halloween crafts, carnival games and trick-or-treating. For more information about the festival, visit .
