Florence
The Antique Capital of Colorado!
Photos from: www.florencecolorado.net
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ghost Walk of historic downtown Florence!!
October 8th, 2011
Call the Florence Chamber for more information: (719) 784-3544
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Canon City Daily Record article from 7/19/2010:
Ghost Trackers
Florence hosts ghost walk featuring four downtown buildings
Larry Baker, left, and Tom Monaco, of Cañon Ghost Trackers talk about the spirits
haunting bar stools in Baker’s home Saturday during the Florence Ghost Walk.
Rachel Alexander/Daily Record
Rachel Alexander
The Daily Record
FLORENCE — The ghosts were out Saturday night during the third annual Florence Ghost Walk, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.
Tour guides took participants through four buildings in downtown Florence — the Blue Spruce Gallery, the Baker residence at Main and Santa
Fe, the Mezzanine and the Florence Elks Lodge.
Liana Winans, who organizes the event, said she suggested the fundraiser because she has had experiences in her own place of business at
Santa Fe Realty with odd occurrences.
“Everyone seemed to have something happening in these old buildings,” Winans said.
Winans wanted to authenticate the hauntings, so she called in the Cañon Ghost Trackers, who have been helping with the walk since the
beginning.
At the Baker home, three bar stools originally from the Oasis Bar have ghosts attached. One male and one female stay on the stools constantly
and another female haunts the third stool but also roams the home, which was originally a hotel.
Winans also wanted the tours to go into the buildings, allowing them to get some of the history.
This year, volunteers were in the some of the buildings to tell stories created based on what the investigations revealed.
In the Blue Spruce, Miss Bea told her story as the lady of the house. Evidence showed a woman called Bea and her husband, Leo, haunt the
building.
In the Mezzanine, Josephine told the story of her wedding to Jasper in 1914, which he stood her up. Evidence shows a woman haunting the
wedding dresses area, and a man named Jasper haunts under the stairs in the basement.
In the Elks Lodge, Sam told about how he ended up committing suicide on the second floor. The Ghost Trackers said evidence of a suicide was
found in that room, as well as hot spots on thermal imaging in the meeting room.
“Typically in these old buildings there’s always something,” Winans said.
Tom Monaco, one of the Cañon Ghost Trackers, said there were several ghosts in each of the locations.
Monaco uses dousing rods to detect spirits and also said he can speak to and see ghosts.
“I think there’s ghosts in every building in Florence,” Monaco said.
He said most of the ghosts in Florence are friendly, who like practical jokes, and they like getting attention.
“It’s a blast,” he said. “You never know (what will happen).”
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?id=14169
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
These 2 historic photos of Florence are from the City of Florence website
About Historic Florence:
Located in Fremont County
Florence's easily accessible downtown becomes a pedestrian mall of sorts with a dozen or so antique stores, shops with collectibles, lounges,
restaurants, coffee shops and other fine stores within a short walking distance. There is ample free public parking.
.......Welcome to the City of Florence, Colorado, a small yet vibrant community nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains astride the
Arkansas River. Incorporated in 1887, Florence still has many of the historic buildings and homes intact. Today many of the downtown merchant
buildings are fittingly filled with antiques and arts and crafts. There is plenty to do in Florence and the surrounding communities. Visit our 84 year
old Rialto Theater, fish in the Arkansas River, shop our many antique merchants, peruse the many art and craft galleries, partake in our unique
down home restaurants, and by all means feel free to visit with our great citizens – they truly are what make Florence the “hallmark” community
that it is.
Florence is a great place to shop, stay and visit – we are centrally located with the Royal Gorge Bridge (the world’s highest suspension bridge)
and its breath-taking views to our west, the Pueblo Reservoir and its great boating and fishing to the east, the always beautiful Sangre de Cristo
Mountains to the south, and Cripple Creek (a wonderful old mining town filled with casinos) at the foot of Pikes Peak to our north.
There's something about Florence ........ just ask anyone who lives in this quaint little turn-of-the-century town. They'll tell you about the tree-
shaded neighborhoods, the good schools, the Friday night high school football games and the live music in the park during the summer. They'll
tell you how great the weather is and how good the hunting and fishing is just up the road ... well, maybe they won't tell you exactly where, but just
up the road.
Or ask a downtown merchant. She'll tell you about the new benches, trees, planters and corner directional signs that merchants have installed as
part of a beautification project on Main Street. She'll mention the Friday evenings when the shops stay open late and when the galleries have
special openings for a new artist. She'll direct you to the new shops and galleries that have opened in the next block just last month.
Ask one of the visitors to Florence. He will tell you about the great old tool chest he found in one of the many antique shops along Main Street.
Then he'll tell you about the gourmet lunch he had at the corner cafe as he heads toward the yarn shop where his wife has been lost for the last
hour or so.
If you run into the editor of the local paper or the city manager, he'll tell you about the new high school that just opened, the new sports complex
and the complex that will house the city hall, the new library and the museum. (exerpt from Royal Gorge Country magazine)
Florence is noted for its thriving downtown with beautiful Victorian buildings which house numerous antique shops, art galleries, coffee shops and
restaurants. It is rapidly becoming the "Antique Capital of Colorado."
www.pcsfremontcounty.com/web/pgcnfID_7320/Florence
The historical heritage of Florence began with the migration of trappers, explorers and pioneers into the area in which the Native Americans,
mainly Utes were already inhabiting the land. Later Spanish-French trappers and explorers passed through the foothills surrounding Florence.
The French built a fort and trading post south of Florence. In 1887 Senator James A. McCandless incorporated the City of Florence, named after
his youngest daughter. Soon the town bustled with the same sort of activity that made the west legendary. Stagecoaches and wagon lines
brought new faces and goods into this growing community. Narrow and standard gauge railroads chugged their way through this basically
agricultural region picking up supplies before treading their way up the Colorado mountain sides to the dozens of mining communities. In 1898
the second oil well in the United States was discovered near Florence, almost instantly boosting the local economy and providing jobs for
hundreds of people. This same well is still producing oil today, although oil production has declined dramatically. Coal later became the chief
industry with nearby mining camps, Rockvale and Coal Creek, boosting populations in the thousands.
From the City of Florence website: www.florenceco.govoffice2.com
Back to Home Page
The Antique Capital of Colorado!
Photos from: www.florencecolorado.net
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ghost Walk of historic downtown Florence!!
October 8th, 2011
Call the Florence Chamber for more information: (719) 784-3544
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Canon City Daily Record article from 7/19/2010:
Ghost Trackers
Florence hosts ghost walk featuring four downtown buildings
Larry Baker, left, and Tom Monaco, of Cañon Ghost Trackers talk about the spirits
haunting bar stools in Baker’s home Saturday during the Florence Ghost Walk.
Rachel Alexander/Daily Record
Rachel Alexander
The Daily Record
FLORENCE — The ghosts were out Saturday night during the third annual Florence Ghost Walk, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.
Tour guides took participants through four buildings in downtown Florence — the Blue Spruce Gallery, the Baker residence at Main and Santa
Fe, the Mezzanine and the Florence Elks Lodge.
Liana Winans, who organizes the event, said she suggested the fundraiser because she has had experiences in her own place of business at
Santa Fe Realty with odd occurrences.
“Everyone seemed to have something happening in these old buildings,” Winans said.
Winans wanted to authenticate the hauntings, so she called in the Cañon Ghost Trackers, who have been helping with the walk since the
beginning.
At the Baker home, three bar stools originally from the Oasis Bar have ghosts attached. One male and one female stay on the stools constantly
and another female haunts the third stool but also roams the home, which was originally a hotel.
Winans also wanted the tours to go into the buildings, allowing them to get some of the history.
This year, volunteers were in the some of the buildings to tell stories created based on what the investigations revealed.
In the Blue Spruce, Miss Bea told her story as the lady of the house. Evidence showed a woman called Bea and her husband, Leo, haunt the
building.
In the Mezzanine, Josephine told the story of her wedding to Jasper in 1914, which he stood her up. Evidence shows a woman haunting the
wedding dresses area, and a man named Jasper haunts under the stairs in the basement.
In the Elks Lodge, Sam told about how he ended up committing suicide on the second floor. The Ghost Trackers said evidence of a suicide was
found in that room, as well as hot spots on thermal imaging in the meeting room.
“Typically in these old buildings there’s always something,” Winans said.
Tom Monaco, one of the Cañon Ghost Trackers, said there were several ghosts in each of the locations.
Monaco uses dousing rods to detect spirits and also said he can speak to and see ghosts.
“I think there’s ghosts in every building in Florence,” Monaco said.
He said most of the ghosts in Florence are friendly, who like practical jokes, and they like getting attention.
“It’s a blast,” he said. “You never know (what will happen).”
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?id=14169
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
These 2 historic photos of Florence are from the City of Florence website
About Historic Florence:
Located in Fremont County
Florence's easily accessible downtown becomes a pedestrian mall of sorts with a dozen or so antique stores, shops with collectibles, lounges,
restaurants, coffee shops and other fine stores within a short walking distance. There is ample free public parking.
.......Welcome to the City of Florence, Colorado, a small yet vibrant community nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains astride the
Arkansas River. Incorporated in 1887, Florence still has many of the historic buildings and homes intact. Today many of the downtown merchant
buildings are fittingly filled with antiques and arts and crafts. There is plenty to do in Florence and the surrounding communities. Visit our 84 year
old Rialto Theater, fish in the Arkansas River, shop our many antique merchants, peruse the many art and craft galleries, partake in our unique
down home restaurants, and by all means feel free to visit with our great citizens – they truly are what make Florence the “hallmark” community
that it is.
Florence is a great place to shop, stay and visit – we are centrally located with the Royal Gorge Bridge (the world’s highest suspension bridge)
and its breath-taking views to our west, the Pueblo Reservoir and its great boating and fishing to the east, the always beautiful Sangre de Cristo
Mountains to the south, and Cripple Creek (a wonderful old mining town filled with casinos) at the foot of Pikes Peak to our north.
There's something about Florence ........ just ask anyone who lives in this quaint little turn-of-the-century town. They'll tell you about the tree-
shaded neighborhoods, the good schools, the Friday night high school football games and the live music in the park during the summer. They'll
tell you how great the weather is and how good the hunting and fishing is just up the road ... well, maybe they won't tell you exactly where, but just
up the road.
Or ask a downtown merchant. She'll tell you about the new benches, trees, planters and corner directional signs that merchants have installed as
part of a beautification project on Main Street. She'll mention the Friday evenings when the shops stay open late and when the galleries have
special openings for a new artist. She'll direct you to the new shops and galleries that have opened in the next block just last month.
Ask one of the visitors to Florence. He will tell you about the great old tool chest he found in one of the many antique shops along Main Street.
Then he'll tell you about the gourmet lunch he had at the corner cafe as he heads toward the yarn shop where his wife has been lost for the last
hour or so.
If you run into the editor of the local paper or the city manager, he'll tell you about the new high school that just opened, the new sports complex
and the complex that will house the city hall, the new library and the museum. (exerpt from Royal Gorge Country magazine)
Florence is noted for its thriving downtown with beautiful Victorian buildings which house numerous antique shops, art galleries, coffee shops and
restaurants. It is rapidly becoming the "Antique Capital of Colorado."
www.pcsfremontcounty.com/web/pgcnfID_7320/Florence
The historical heritage of Florence began with the migration of trappers, explorers and pioneers into the area in which the Native Americans,
mainly Utes were already inhabiting the land. Later Spanish-French trappers and explorers passed through the foothills surrounding Florence.
The French built a fort and trading post south of Florence. In 1887 Senator James A. McCandless incorporated the City of Florence, named after
his youngest daughter. Soon the town bustled with the same sort of activity that made the west legendary. Stagecoaches and wagon lines
brought new faces and goods into this growing community. Narrow and standard gauge railroads chugged their way through this basically
agricultural region picking up supplies before treading their way up the Colorado mountain sides to the dozens of mining communities. In 1898
the second oil well in the United States was discovered near Florence, almost instantly boosting the local economy and providing jobs for
hundreds of people. This same well is still producing oil today, although oil production has declined dramatically. Coal later became the chief
industry with nearby mining camps, Rockvale and Coal Creek, boosting populations in the thousands.
From the City of Florence website: www.florenceco.govoffice2.com
Back to Home Page
