Earth Day Jaunt Through Two Haunted Parks of My Youth

My restless spirit never feels more at peace than when my jaunts take me outdoors. Maybe because growing up my family was only inside when we had to be. If we could get out and experience nature, we did. If we couldn’t get away for the weekend or a day trip as we often did, we’d inevitably jaunt to one of Denver’s abundant parks.

For Earth Day, I thought it’d be fun to reminisce about two haunted parks from my youth: Cheeseman Park and Washington Park. I didn’t know then that either was haunted, though I had my suspicions…

CHEESEMAN PARK

As a kid, this was one of my favorite places in the park to come to.

As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in Denver, Colorado and attended a small private school called Cheeseman Academy. It sat on the edge of Cheeseman Park.

Of all Denver haunted parks, Cheeseman may be the best known. One of it’s claims to fame is being inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist.

There used to be a cemetery where part of the park now stands. In fact, if I understand the logistics right, the pavilion pictured above is on a section where the cemetery once was.

When the city decided to re-zone and move the cemetery, the bodies were relocated. Except, not all of them were treated properly. In 1893, an investigation into the unscrupulous practices of the man hired to move the bodies discovered he was chopping them up and putting them in child coffins to make more money. (He got paid on the amount of coffins he moved.) He was shut down (and I believe jailed). No one else was ever hired to pick up where he left off. The city simply didn’t move the other bodies.

The ones that remained were vagrants, paupers, and criminals. Their families and loved ones either could not afford to, or did not want to, claim them and pay for their transfer. It’s long been thought their restless spirits still roam the park –and the neighboring areas, such as the mansions (much like the one Cheeseman Academy was once housed in), apartments, and even the Denver Botanical Gardens (which backs up to the part of the park where the pavilion is located).

WASHINGTON PARK

One of the flower gardens in Wash Park

Another of Denver’s haunted parks that I frequented in my youth was Washington Park, or Wash Park as it’s more commonly known. Wash Park will always hold a special place in my heart. We didn’t go there as much in the cold months, but during summer? We enjoyed evening concert picnics, took flashlights after the sun had set to hunt for night crawlers (worms we’d use on our fishing trips), and during my dad’s metal detector phase days, we’d hunt for treasure.

One of my fondest memories is from when I was 10 years old, mere days before my 11th birthday. I desperately wanted a 10-speed bike (I know, I’m dating myself). Unfortunately, this was after my parent’s divorce. Neither of them had money to buy me one.

My dad took me to Huck Finn Days, though. The American Legion sponsored it every year. It was a fishing contest for kids. They’d stock the creek that runs through Washington Park with trout, then let the kids fish. But you had to use an old-fashioned pole, meaning one you made from a stick, string, and a hook. Parents could help with that, but not with the fishing part. And you were only allowed to catch so many fish. When you caught your quota, you were done.

The first fish I caught that day would end up winning me the grand prize –a red ten-speed bike. It almost also nearly pulled me in the creek. But I was a feisty little booger. It pulled hard, but after I got my bearings (I vaguely remember with some assistance from a nearby adult who grabbed the back of my shorts before I fell in face first), I pulled back harder and landed that sucker. Much to the jealousy of all the boys around me. They all knew a winning fish when they saw one. I was definitely getting a prize that day, but we had to wait all day to see if it was the bike. Luckily, it was.

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Me with my 1st place winning catch.

Do ghosts roam Wash Park? There are two “lakes” (for lack of a better word) in the park: Smith Lake and Grasmere Lake. There’s also the Lilly Pond.

I always felt the boathouse on Smith Lake must be haunted. In winter, when it got cold enough to freeze the lake, that’s where you could rent skates. It always had an eerie feeling to it. Actually, even to this day I feel uneasy when I walk by it.

The boathouse on Smith Lake in Washington Park.

However, in an article about the Haunts of Washington Park, I learned the island in Wash Park’s Grasmere Lake is said to be haunted by “the ghost of of a misbehaving young woman.”

I’ll have to dig deeper to find out if a young woman ever really did die there or who she might be. (There’s a book about the area called Haunts of Washington Park: Vol. 2 of the History of South Denver that might tell me more about it.)

WASHINGTON PARK’S CONNECTION TO TITANIC

You know how most everything is connected by six degrees of separation? I guess because it’s Titanic’s 100 year anniversary, I keep coming across connections to the disaster. Like the marble statue of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod in Washington Park.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod Statue in Wash Park.

I don’t remember it from my youth. Not surprising. It’s not something I would’ve paid any mind to then. I did on our last visit, though. It enchanted me.

In double-checking some of my facts for this post, I learned it was created by a woman from Colorado, Mabel Landrum Torrey. At one point the marble statue had been in the Children’s Fountain in the park. Later it was moved near the home of the man who wrote over 500 children’s poems, including “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” Eugene Field, also a Denver resident.

According to the Denver History Tours Blog:

When his modest home was threatened with demolition along West Colfax, Molly Brown had it preserved by moving it to the park.

Yep, as in Denver’s famous Unsinkable Molly Brown who survived the Titanic disaster.

IF I COULD HAUNT SOMEPLACE…

I do believe if my spirit was restless and prone to wandering instead of crossing over to wherever we go after death, I’d hope to haunt a park. Not just on Earth Day, but like I do now. Whenever I can get out and appreciate the awesome wonder of nature’s beauty.

What about you? Do you find peace in nature too? If so, what are some of your favorite places to jaunt? Are any of them haunted parks?

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24 Comments

  1. Where I find peace is in the desert. Not much room for haunting there, I guess, except for the wind. I’d like to become a desert wind when I move on from this existence to the next,

  2. Aww love the photo of you as a kid, you were so cute.

  3. I wonder how many of us were guilty of ‘misbehaving’ as young women?!?! Love the Haunt stories, but LOVING your childhood win!! You GO girl!!!!

  4. Amazing what we miss as kids. And this is one place to put on my list to check out. Poltergeist! I really should compile all of the film locations that I visit.

  5. Author

    Film and book, Lane! It’s amazing how many of them are out there! And I agree…I didn’t “get” a lot when I was little. (as in understanding things.) Trying to do better with that as an adult.

  6. Author

    I was curious what might constitute “misbehaving”, Red, because I certainly have done some misbehaving in my time too! LOL! THANKS for the enthusiastic congrats over my fish victory. =)

  7. Author

    Oh, how poetically written your comment was, Inka! I love it!!!! Beautiful sentiment!!!

  8. I love the photo of you holding the fish =D Who would have guessed the park can have such dark history o_O (eek, the part about the guy chopping up bodies was freaky)

  9. Author

    Thanks so much, Annie! And isn’t that park’s history gruesome? It really is freaky.

  10. Lived in Boulder for almost 10 years and loved the concerts in the Botanical Gardens.
    Knew nothing about the history of those parks before reading this blog.
    Nature anywhere is good for me – in the desert or mountains or on some water.

  11. Oh yes I find peace in nature – mountains, lakes and rivers to be exact! I can see why you like Washington Park. It is so beautiful! I too have spent many days fishing with a stick, line and hook. Grand memories 🙂

  12. I didn’t know about these haunted parks. Cool about Cheeseman Park being the inspiration for Poltergeist — must be a scary place! Enjoyed your “winning fish” story and very cute photo!

  13. Author

    I think the idea of Cheeseman is more macabre than anything. It wasn’t all that scary. (Although, I did have some experiences IN our school, but nothing too frightening.) And thanks so much for the comment on the pic!

  14. Author

    Ah, all of what you said brings peace and joy to me too, Debbie. I used to LOVE fishing in the mountains as a kid. I lived for it. Nowadays I also find solace at the beach though too. Which is super surprising because I never fancied myself a beach person until we lived near one. Oh how I miss it now!

  15. Author

    Leigh, a fellow Coloradian! Boulder is SUCH an amazing place to do all of the hiking and biking like you love too. I bet you know of some super awesome spots to enjoy nature. (That’s why I’m happy to now follow your blog. I will get to learn of them through reading about you adventures. 😉

  16. I always feel great solace in the lap of mother nature. It really rejuvenate and energize me whenever I am very much near to nature. 🙂

  17. Awww, look at cute little Courtney with a big fish and a brandy new bike! Cool! 🙂 Haha, my Dad had a metal detector phase when I was a little girl too. I most certainly find peace in nature. Hard to choose a favorite place though. I love the ocean, I love the mountains, I love the local state parks, I love walking the woodsy trail that starts around the corner from my house & leads to the lake, I love sitting out in my Dad’s back yard that is bordered by woods and watch the local wildlife go about its business, etc. I know I’ve been to some supposedly haunted outdoor places in my life, but right now I’m having trouble recalling where they were…the memory isn’t what it used to be 😉

  18. What a lovely park. It must have been nice to go to school by something so lovely.

  19. Author

    It was a totally magical place that has left my heart filled with nothing but the best memories, Jessica!

  20. Courtney,

    Maybe the spirits of beautiful Nature helped you catch that fish, and win the very bike you wanted. Sort of magical! Thanks for sharing this story.

  21. P.S. You asked about favorite places in nature we like to jaunt—I love sitting under the dark, starry sky in my overgrown Secret Garden backyard. I suspect there are fairies in the bottom of my garden!

  22. Author

    Hey, Nancy, I think Nature’s angels were certainly helping me that day, yes ma’am!

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