Peabody-Whitehead Mansion

Posted: 04.15.2021 | Updated: 05.06.2025

The most haunted house in Colorado, The Peabody-Whitehead Mansion was the former home of well-known surgeon, William Riddick Whitehead. After his passing in 1902, Governor James Peabody took up residence in this Denver mansion. In the 1960s and 1970s, the home played host to an assortment of bars and restaurants.

As for Dr. William Whitehead, he is best known for his work treating patients during the Crimean War. But his intensive care did not end during the war. Many of the souls he was not able to save followed him back to 1128 Grant Street. Their stories still continue today inside this Denver haunted house.

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Denver’s Most Haunted Mansion, 1128 Grant Street

Dr. William Riddick Whitehead was the President of the Denver Medical Association in 1877, one of the founders of the 1881 Denver College of Medicine and even became the President of the Colorado State Medical Society in 1883.

With such an extensive medical background, and the heaps of cash that come with it, it’s no wonder that Dr. Whitehead built such a large and imposing home. Only using the best materials, Dr. Whitehead and his builders finished his home in 1889 and moved in shortly after that.

Strange things began to occur soon after Dr. Whitehead and his family moved into the home. It seems odd that a brand new house would carry such hauntings in it, but apparently, it wasn’t the brick-and-mortar that was haunted. It was William Whitehead himself.

He had just moved to Denver from New York, where he was a wartime surgeon during the deadly Crimean War. Due to the war’s severity and the primitive medical knowledge of the time, Dr. Whitehead lost many of his patients. It is said that the spirits of the soldiers that died under Dr. Whitehead’s care followed him to his new home.

The Whitehead family reported heavy poltergeist activity like flying books, falling pictures, and extreme disturbances throughout the night. Dr. Whitehead was reportedly tormented by the spirits of the soldiers he said he ‘failed’ and said that he could see these ghosts everywhere he looked.

Peabody-Whitehead Claims Its First Victim

 The stress of living in the home became too much for William, and in 1902 he passed away inside the mansion. The poltergeist activity in the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion did seem to calm following his death. Perhaps proving that the spirits were actually only attached to Dr. Whitehead.

The mansion’s second owner, Governor Peabody, made loads of enemies in Colorado by breaking up labor unions with brute force. His extreme energy is said to linger inside the mansion, as he was always known to get what he wanted in life, so it’s no surprise that he’s going to stay stubborn and stay where he wants in death as well.

The home lay dormant for some time, and the ghosts of the Peabody Mansion lay in rest. However, the activity picked back up when the home was purchased and converted as a bar and restaurant. It seems the presence of new life and strangers coming in and out stirred up the energies at rest.

Hauntings at The Peabody-Whitehead Mansion

During the busy parts of the Peabody Mansion’s life, poltergeist activity was yet again on the forefront of the hauntings.

Strange issues with electrical equipment were common, and visitors even began to report the sounds of disembodied infant cries throughout the mansion. Witnesses also report books flying off the shelves, objects moving on their own, and other disturbances.

Employees reported glasses crashing to the ground, being thrown against walls, and even breaking as they sat still on the bar top. There is also a disconnected chandelier that often flickers without any known power source.

The spirits in the home are also very progressive. One story came out that a spirit poured a bottle of beer down the back of a cook’s shirt after he bad-mouthed the LGBT community.

Twelve Spirits at 1128 Grant Street

Investigators report that there are the least twelve spirits in the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion.

Dr. Whitehead’s spirit is said to roam the halls along with a ghost named Eloise, or Ella. The basement is said to be haunted by the spirit of a waitress who reportedly committed suicide.

A woman who died in the building while waiting for her fiancé has also been seen peeking out of the mansion’s windows. An older man is said to haunt the women’s restroom and smoke a strong cherry-scented pipe.

Ghost Adventures Reveal A Dark Secret

The home was also featured on Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures witj Zak Bagans and his paranormal investigation team. They unveiled a dark mystery that has plagued Denver for years.

In the 1970s, a couple of unruly construction workers abducted a young girl. They brought her into the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion, which was being remolded, and proceeded to sexually abuse and murder her. They are said to have buried her body in the basement of the house under the foundation.

During the Ghost Adventures investigation, the crew set their sights on the basement and went down to investigate. When they asked what happened to a girl down there, they received a response from a disembodied voice that said ‘she was raped.’ It was spot on to the crime that was committed. May her soul one day find peace.

Visiting The Peabody-Whitehead Mansion

The mansion’s sinister past has created such negative energy that most locals tend to stay away from it, worried that a spirit may follow them home.

If you want to know more, the mansion lies vacant these days, an empty, abandoned shell of its former self. The future of the building is uncertain, but it is a protected landmark. Perhaps in the future, some other wealthy physician will see the beauty in the chaos and awaken the spirits of the Peabody-Whitehead mansion once again.

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Sources Cited:

• https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/peabody-whitehead-mansion/
• https://mountainscholar.org/handle/10968/1988
• https://amyscrypt.com/peabody-whitehead-mansion-haunted/
• https://www.cohauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/peabodywhitehead-mansion.html
• https://www.travelchannel.com/videos/recap-peabody-mansion-0180604