The Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens
A 19th-century treasure of Denver, Colorado, The Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens promises visitors an exquisite stay in any of its beautifully decorated guest suites. The bed and breakfast features shining wood floors, antique wood accent furniture, and ornate detailing from floor to ceiling. Fully restored to the mansion’s original floor plan, the three-story inn is an escape from the super contemporary, where white-washed walls and clean edges are substituted for splashes of color and perfect imperfections.
It sounds like the ideal place any traveler would want to settle at night, especially knowing a succulent breakfast awaits them in the morning. However, there’s a black mark on The Lumber Baron Inn’s history: the bed and breakfast buries beneath the pretty language used to sell its accommodations. For all of its splendor and charm, the inn has been marked by tragedy, one that, even more than 40 years later, remains an unsolvable mystery.
The dark cloud hovering over The Lumber Baron hasn’t marred its ability to offer a comfortable and memorable stay, but be warned: it’s not all cozy bedding, fresh eggs, and brewed herbal teas at this haunted inn.
What happened at the Lumber Baron Inn?
Death is an inevitability likely to have touched many historical buildings anywhere around the world. Murder, though, is a relative rarity that often transforms the feel of a space, manifesting a physical heaviness that you can feel when you walk through it. The unsolved double homicide at The Lumber Baron hasn’t kept its proprietors from welcoming patrons with a smile, but it adds a unique layer to every stay. It may present itself as a gentle knocking on the wall, as the startling vision of an apparition, or as the hushed whispers in the night.
The Lumber Baron is a staple of Denver’s historic district. It’s also only one of several haunted locations around the city. Book your Denver ghost tour today to explore the Mile High City’s most haunted.
Enter John Mouat, the Lumber Baron
The name of The Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens may seem peculiar. After all, it doesn’t quite give off a “come and relax with us” vibe. Barons aren’t typically well-known for their hospitality. However, this exquisite estate’s name is quite deliberate, as a real lumber baron once owned the architecturally unique mansion.
There’s also a reason why The Lumber Baron isn’t directly named after its original owner. John Mouat may have been a magnate in Denver’s lumber industry, but beyond that, his isn’t a name you’ll come across often.
The Scottish immigrant came to the United States in the 19th century, settling down in the Potter Highlands neighborhood of Denver in 1873. By 1889, he established the Mouat Lumber Company and, over the next three years, built over 200 buildings throughout Denver. At the time, the region was still aesthetically a mining camp from the remnants of the mid-19th-century gold rush and silver boom that brought hopeful prospectors to present-day Denver. Mouat’s work helped modernize the area and pave the way for the bustling city Denver is today.
The Lumber Baron’s Legacy
One of Mouat’s prized developments was his mansion, built partly as a showcase of his work but more so as a comfortable and lavished estate for his wife, Amelia, and five children. The mansion’s brick exterior hid the esteemed talent of the baron, which, he ensured, was at its peak as he constructed the 8,500-square-foot mansion. Mouat meticulously designed each room to feature a different type of wood, from rich and deep cherry to strong and durable oak.
Mouat poured his essence into every inch of his future home, carving fine and ornate details on every fireplace and adding a private bath to every guest room. The third floor was the estate’s most unique feature—a large open space coated with brilliant maple set beneath a 20-foot pyramid ceiling. Here, he often hosted his neighbors with parties that matched the home’s regal look and feel.
As the years climbed, the baron and his wife moved to California, leaving the mansion to his children. Eventually, they, too, abandoned the baron’s legacy, leaving it in the hands of third parties with no relation to the Mouat family. Sadly, not everyone cared for the gorgeous space as much as the lumber baron, and it eventually succumbed to time. By the 1970s, the building was converted into a 23-unit lodging, primarily for the ill-fortuned.
The polished wood had long since lost its luster, but its sheen was completely wiped away on October 13, 1970, when blood was spilled on the once-cherished estate.
Potter Highlands Unsolved Double Homicide
For how magnificent every inch of the mansion was under Moaut’s care, everything dulled a little on a random October night in 1970. By the ’70s, Mouat’s former home had become a refuge for lost souls like Cara Lee Knoche, a 16-year-old runaway who couldn’t figure out her path in life. She rented a room at the deteriorating mansion, having dropped out of school to escape the world.
On October 11, the teen decided to return home to celebrate her 17th birthday with family. During this celebration, she announced she was finally ready to leave the tenement, come home, and return to school. Knoche had even found a job at that point and was well on her way to turning her life around. Unfortunately, fate would never give her a chance.
Two days later, on a return trip to the future inn to collect her things, Knoche was assaulted and strangled by an unknown assailant. The only witness to the heinous act was Marianne Weaver, Knoche’s friend, who arrived at the mansion to help her move. It’s believed Knoche’s killer was still in the room when Weaver walked in. Sparing the 18-year-old girl from the brutality suffered by her friend, the killer shot Weaver once, killing her.
Despite a thorough investigation into the night’s events, Knoche and Weavers’ killer was never found, and their murder remains one of Denver’s most vile cold cases.
The Haunting of The Lumber Baron Inn
The tragic events of October 13 left an imprint on the mansion, which remained long after current owners Elaine Britten Bryant and Joel Bryant restored the estate to its former glory. The inn’s Valentine Suite, painted pink and adorned in ornate wood decor, is said to have been Knoche’s apartment. Guests looking to experience a ghostly encounter should consider booking the suite, especially if they want to try communicating with the forlorn girls.
Knocke and Weaver aren’t the only spirits still tied to the stately mansion. It’s believed that the Mouats returned after their move to California to watch over John’s greatest work. If there’s a sudden light and comforting energy, something that feels almost motherly, that’s likely Amelia watching over the guests in her home.
According to the Bryants, the spirits of The Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens may even predate the building, such as the young girl whose father, a local trapper, died of hypothermia. Joining the bounty of spirits is the mansion’s former butler and even the steady footsteps of Ben, a soldier whose presence remains a mystery.
The Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens is a trove of ghost stories, but if you care to expand your search for the otherworldly, you’ll want to book a Denver ghost tour. The city is ripe with residual hauntings and spirit encounters, some of which you can read about on our blog. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to learn even more about haunted Denver.
Sources:
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-lumberbaron/
https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-gold-rush
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-lumberbaron/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/lumber-baron-inn-murders
https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=1090
https://www.westword.com/arts/lumber-baron-inn-28-days-haunted-ghost-denver-15347415
