Central City Opera House - Central City, CO - Ghosts and Hauntings on Waymarking.com

The Opera House -- One of the more famous landmarks in the old mining town is the Central City Opera House. Here, some of Colorado's finest troupes of entertainers performed, and some have seemingly stayed on to perform long after the troupes have left. Built in 1878, the national historic Opera House has hosted performances for well over 100 years. Unfortunately, shortly after its opening, the Central City mines played out and the Opera House fell into disrepair. However, many years later the 550-seat Opera House was saved by a volunteer effort in 1932. Restoring the Opera House to its former grandeur, performances were brought back to the old Opera House for summer festivals that continue to this day.

Among the remaining troupes of the Opera House was s a miner turned stage performer by the name of Mike Dougherty, who was a favorite in 1865. Unfortunately, like many residents of this rough and tumble frontier town, Dougherty drank himself to death. Apparently, Mike's love of the stage has caused him to linger.

Over the years, numerous back-stage visitors have reported being nearly overwhelmed with the strong (but fleeting) odor of alcohol, which is sometimes accompanied by a stout nudge on the shoulder, or by their hair being lightly ruffled from behind. While Dougherty seems to be a friendly ghost, the living are always considerably startled when they turn to look and realize that they are alone in the darkened corridor.

Other reported occurrences have included strange flickering orbs of light that seem to float across a darkened stage and then vanish into the wings. The distinct sound of footsteps is also heard in the balcony, thought to be those of a long departed female patron, Occasional cold spots have been felt which move from one corner to the next backstage. Nearly all of these occurrences have been reported when the theater is dark and not in use for performances.

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Public access?: The Opera House is open for performances and tours during the summer. It is closed other times. Visting hours: Varies - visit http://www.centralcityopera.org/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=3 for their yearly schedule. Website about the location and/or story: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/20/2013 M2H visited it