Is Briarhurst Manor haunted, or have guests at the Manitou Springs restaurant simply overdosed on the duck confit ravioli?

Owner and president Ken Healey won't say the manor is haunted, but he maintains there's some weird stuff happening there.

"There's a lot of strange things that happen over time that are really unexplainable," Healey said.

Apparitions, levitating vases, electrical equipment switching on and off, motion detectors triggering, mysterious footprints with pointed toes, a water valve shutting itself off behind a locked door and the sounds of a child's ball bouncing in an empty room ... there's certainly more going on at the Briarhurst than fine dining and wedding receptions.

"There's odd things that happen," Healey said. "They don't happen constantly, all day long."

Fans of the paranormal and, in particular, of the Sci Fi Channel show "Ghost Hunters," will get the chance tonight to decide whether the Briarhurst deserves a more thorough investigation.

A film crew from the Sci Fi Channel spent two days filming at the Briarhurst earlier this month. A segment on the restaurant will air during a "Ghost Hunters" 7-hour live marathon tonight, along with segments from two other locations. Viewers can vote for which site they'd like to see investigated and the winner - if that's the appropriate word for a spooky locale - will get a visit from the "Ghost Hunters" team.

Local historical researchers Erik and Tammila Wright were the ones who got Sci Fi involved. They are working on a book on the Briarhurst's history and are fans of "Ghost Hunters." Erik Wright said he's had his own unusual experiences there.

"The most recent one was only a week and a half ago," he said. "I had something come up next to me when I was in the office. It kind of grabbed a hold of me and pulled me down the hallway."

Sci Fi is flying the Wrights to Delaware for tonight's live show, during which they'll talk about what they think is happening at the Briarhurst. Wright said he's really hoping the "Ghost Hunters" team visits Manitou Springs to investigate.

"It would give some credibility to the stories (and) to the history of the property," he said.
Healey said he'd welcome a investigation; he's not aware of any traumatic events in the Briarhurst's history.

The large vase that levitated and then dropped and broke during a reception was seen by many people, Healey said. He saw the footprints with his own eyes. And the water valve and the motion detectors.

"How do you explain that?" Healey asked. "There may be an explanation, we just don't know what it is."

Janice Montoya, the Briarhurst's sales director, used to think that she was the only one at the manor who hadn't experienced anything unusual. Then one morning when she was at the restaurant all by herself, a boom box switched on suddenly in another room, then suddenly switched off.

"I complained to someone that I had been here for years and nothing had ever happened to me," Montoya said. "Be careful what you wish for."

-

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0275 or awineke@gazette.com

 
GHOST HUNTERS LIVE

7-hour live event from Fort Delaware begins at 5 p.m. today on the Sci Fi Channel.