Haunted America: The Ghosts of the Costello Street Coffee House in Florissant, Colorado

When do you take an ordinary coffee house and put it on your list of extraordinary places to visit and explore a little bit more deeply than the next average run of the mill java house? When it is located in a town heaped with rich history, beautiful panoramic views layered with acres of Ponderosa pines and of course, active ghosts that add that special something-something to the mix. The Costello Street Coffee House in Florissant, Colorado is not only haunted it is located in an area that is abundantly supplied with deep history that starts with the Tabeguache Ute Indians, the first people to set foot on this rocky mountain valley, and later, the farm minded homesteaders that streamed through during the early 1800s, to the ruddy gold miners who passed through Florissant on their way to Cripple Creek in search of wealth.

The small community of Florissant, located at the heart of the rocky mountains in Colorado in Teller County has been made popular by the visitors streaming through to the local fossil beds and it is also located just a few miles west of Pikes Peak, a pink granite filled mountain that rises 14,000 feet above sea level that draws in thousands of hikers and climbing enthusiasts each year. During the cooler seasons chilled hikers flock to the local coffee shop located at the main junction on highway 24 between Colorado Springs and Manitou, Colorado to savor some of the finest dark brewed beverages the area has to offer. Built in 1886, the historical Victorian style building known as the Costello Street Coffee House offers both quaint and quirky touches with an obvious stress free environment that allows patrons to sit back and relax while enjoying their favorite espresso, latte, macchiato or coffee of the day.

The haunted coffee shop also prepares some of the most delicious Panini grilled sandwiches, breakfast entrees and desserts that you have ever had the luxury of sinking your teeth into. However, along with the great food and cozy atmosphere, many of the customers have noticed that the coffee shop exhibits a certain quality that can only mean one thing. It is clearly haunted. In fact two of the ghosts, a middle-aged male and female walk through the place like they own it. Oh yeah, once upon a time they did own the building, but back in the late 1800's it was a house. The previous owners, James and Catherine Costello both met with untimely deaths right in their own home. First James passed away in the upstairs of the house, and later Catherine burned to death when her long ornate dress caught fire, and she found herself unable to extinguish it before succumbing to the burns and smoke inhalation that the fabric caused so easily with its bulkiness.

The Costello's also suffered the loss of two young grandchildren that belonged to their son Frank. A picture of a small girl resting on the edge of a bathtub is displayed in the coffee shop still today. Perhaps this is the mystery ghost girl that plays with the musical toy moose around the Christmas holidays, or maybe it is Mr. or Mrs. Costello attempting to put the toy away so that nobody trips and falls to their death before their time. Regardless of who it is, the moose has managed to scare both the staff and the patrons half to death when the furry creature randomly starts playing music on its own accord. Pranks on the workers are just a regular part of the work day at the Costello Street Coffee House. Objects set out for immediate use come up missing or moved to the other side of the kitchen, and they sometimes end up in the dining area at one of the tables or other locations throughout the shop.

Footsteps from overhead are a big part of the coffee shop's atmosphere due to their persistence that can be heard quite regularly. It is believed that the heavy booted steps belong to none other than Mr. Costello, but he has been seen in the downstairs area at the same time the footsteps are heard upstairs, so it is anybodies guess as to who this apparition might be. The upstairs also has a cold quality about it despite the fact that it has more than adequate heat blowing through the entire floor during the cooler months. The largest bedroom has serious issues with cold spots, so much so that the person entering the room has an automatic experience with arm hair rising quite literally on its own when crossing the threshold of these very haunted quarters. The employees and guests of the coffee shop are treated with a light show that features flickering lights fairly frequently, and it can be unnerving when you aren't expecting it or you need to get a food request completed in a timely manner.

Location: 2679 W. Highway 24, Florissant, Colorado. Phone: 719-748-3567. Winter in Colorado brings out the winter games and avid winter sports fans, and the Costello Street Coffee House is conveniently located close to the Copper, Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Monarch ski areas. Visitors with a historic interest will enjoy the nearby famous gold camp of Cripple Creek by touring a gold mine, and for those who enjoy a more scenic tour, the single-track trails are a must see as they literally wind through the forest of the Pikes Peak region.

Sources:

http://costellostreetcoffeehouse.com/

http://www.tellercounty.net/coffee-shop.htm

http://theshadowlands.net/places/colorado.htm

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-28809643R-costello_street_coffee_house-i

http://ghostdepot.com/rg/history/utes.htm

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/co/florrisant.html

http://cripple-creek.co.us/