The Molly Brown House was built for Isaac and Mary Large in 1889 by
architecht William Lang, a self taught architect, who began designing
buildings in Denver in 1885. After the repeal of the Sherman Silver
Purchase Act in 1893, Isaac and Mary were forced to sell the house. It was
purchased by J.J. Brown in 1894 for $30,000.
The 7,000 square foot, 3 story Victorian home is garnished with red sand
and gray rhyolite stone. The lions decorating the front of the house were
added by the browns during their ownership.
"Molly" (Margaret) and the family traveled a lot of the time, and so the
house was
rented out. In 1902, it was the governor's mansion for the Governor of
Colorado and his family (Maggie invited the governor and his family to use
her home while the governor's mansion was undergoing remodeling). During
the Great Depression, Margaret was forced to turn it into a boarding house
under the supervision of her housekeeper. It was also during the Depression
that the house was sold after Margaret's death in 1932, for $6,000. It was
in disrepair, and the new owners drastically remodeled it to house 12
roomers.
The house continued to deteriorate and by 1970 was set for demolition, but
a group of concerned citizens formed Historic Denver, Inc., raising the
funds for the house to be restored to its former glory. In restoration, the
group used architectural research, paintchip analysis, and original
photographs taken in 1910 as guides to reconstructing it. Today the home is
still owned by Historic Denver, Inc. and public tours are ran daily for
a fee.
The Molly Brown House is open daily for tours. Tour prices are $7 for
adults over 13, $4 for children 5-12 and $6 for seniors. Check the Molly
Brown House Museum website for more detailed times and dates of the tours.
The house is located at 1340 Pennsylvania Street in Denver, CO.
Reported Hauntings
The staff and guests to the museum have smelled J.J. Brown's pipe and cigar smoke in the
attic and basement (Molly didn't allow smoking in the home, so it's suspect
that's where he snuck off to).
Cold spots have been felt in Molly Brown's room and her apparition has been
reported by the living as she goes around corners.
A female apparition, dressed in Victorian attire, likes to sit at the
dining room table. When feeling energetic, this entity likes to rearrange
the chairs which are around this same table.
The window blinds in Catherine Ellen's room room raise and lower on their
own.
The image of the entity of Johanna has been seen in the room's window
Another apparition, thought to be a former male servent, has been seen in
the mirror hanging near the stair case.