A Tour of Boulder Haunts

October is a great time to be in the city of Boulder. There are history tours, the famed Naked Pumpkin Run (where runners wear only a carved-out pumpkin helmet), and The Munchkin Masquerade, which is a very popular family-friendly Halloween event held on Pearl Street. October is also a good time to take stock of houses and public buildings in the Boulder area that are rumored to be haunted.

One of the most enduring urban legends involves Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado. There is talk of lights turning on by themselves, as well as singing, screaming, and organ music playing in the middle of the night. One of the more ghastly reports associated with this haunting is that blood appears occasionally on the walls and floor of one of the towers.

While officials deny that there's anything spooky going on at Macky Auditorium, the legend of the haunting is passed down to new students every year. There is a grain of truth to the legend, with a terrible murder having been committed in the west tower back in 1966. A student was believed to be lured into the soundproof area by a janitor, and was brutally murdered there. Since then, many people believe that the ghost of the young woman still lingers in the west tower.

At Fairview High School, a senior reportedly killed himself in the auditorium in the early 80s. There have been reports of items moving of their own accord, lights turning on and off, and unexplained singing near the stage.

The south side of the College Inn at CU-Boulder has also acquired a reputation for strange goings-on, with elevator doors opening and closing on their own, mysterious noises in the bathrooms, and disembodied voices. There is also a story from 1999 where several lamps crashed to the floor when no one was in the building to knock them over.

Students have noticed inexplicable noises in the theater area of Boulder High School, and there's rumored to be an especially eerie feeling tunnel that connects with the University of Colorado campus.

In keeping with the theme of haunted theaters, the Boulder Theater has had a ghost since the 1940s by the name of George Paper. George is the former manager of the theater and accidentally hung himself while fixing some lighting. George has been seen in his former form, but his presence has also been sensed by people. There are reports of sudden cold spots backstage, faucets turning on and off, and missing light bulbs. George has become such a common feature that the café next door changed its name to George's Food and Drink, as homage to the former theater manager.

The Hotel Boulderado has its own apparitions, with a couple of third floor rooms said to be haunted. Misty figures have been seen, voices heard, and flickering lights have been reported, as well as a general creepy feeling. There is also a woman in white who has been seen by a number of guests at the hotel.

If you'd like more information on haunted houses in Boulder, ghost tours are held throughout October.