COBWEB CORNERS: Houses can be note-worthy

By Mel McFarland

       A trip up the streets of town tells us a lot about our history. On Pikes Peak Avenue or Kio-wa Street, there are many interesting houses. A trip to the Old Colorado City History Center even spells out the history of a few of them.
       This is an idea for some of you.
       Do you know anything about your house? Old people are fun to talk to; many have great stories. Houses are the same, but in most cases it is more difficult to get their stories. There is a famous story about one of our houses. When it was being remodeled, a confession of a murder was found written in its walls. This sounds like a mystery novel or some TV crime show, but it was right here. It took quite a bit of searching, but the connections to the house and the murder were finally found.
       Now that is an extreme case, but I have heard of houses with their own ghosts. As a teacher, these stories were often told from a child's point of view, but I have heard some interesting tales from adults about things that happen they can not otherwise explain. One or two have tried to figure out, after learning who lived in a certain house, who it might be that is doing some of these odd things. In at least one case, we cannot find any connection with the former residents and the events still happening. Then again, there is the house that once was a Colorado Springs street car!
       As our town spreads, it is easy to forget what the town once was. That is the entire purpose of my little corner of the paper. Now Old Colorado City has a growing Historical Society and museum. But you can do your part too. If you know things about some of the houses in town (hopefully your own, too), get yourself a notebook and write them down. If you can find old pictures that show these houses over the years, add them to your notebook. If you have a computer, you might use that instead of a notebook, but as you think of things, add them to your file. Put it away, some place safe once you think you are finished, then dig it out again a year later and see if you can add to it. You might want to give a copy of it to your kids, or if you sell the place, to the next owner. The museum would also be a good place to send a copy.