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Miramont Castle

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A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum . Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of standards, including those of the International Council of Museums . Houses are transformed into museums for a number of different reasons. For example, the homes of famous writers are frequently turned into writer's home museums to support literary tourism .

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38-626: Miramont Castle is a museum located in Manitou Springs, Colorado at the base of the Pike's Peak Cog Railway and infamous Manitou Incline . The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest. Today, the castle serves as a historic house museum. Located in the Manitou Springs Historic District , it is a National Register of Historic Places listing. Father Francolon

76-454: A "memory museum", which is a term used to suggest that the museum contains a collection of the traces of memory of the people who once lived there. It is often made up of the inhabitants' belongings and objects – this approach is mostly concerned with authenticity . Some museums are organised around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell

114-669: A collection consistent with the historical structure. Some museums choose to collect pieces original to the period, while not original to the house. Others, fill the home with replicas of the original pieces, reconstructed with the help of historic records. Still other museums adopt a more aesthetic approach and use the homes to display the architecture and artistic objects. Because historic homes have often existed through different generations and have been passed on from one family to another, volunteers and professionals also must decide which historical narrative to tell their visitors. Some museums grapple with this issue by displaying different eras in

152-593: A household in the city was $ 40,514, and the median income for a family was $ 57,260. Males had a median income of $ 39,102 versus $ 24,286 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,492. About 4.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over. Attractions include: Annual events include: January February March April June July August September October November December Historic house museum Historic house museums are sometimes known as

190-486: A professor of history and political science, further adds to social history and its relationship to locations by saying – Following this historical movement, the concept of " open-air museums " became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact the lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to

228-417: A tea room, gift shop, and castle gardens. The castle can be reserved to host weddings and other occasions. Manitou Springs, Colorado Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County , Colorado , United States . The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, particularly in

266-400: A year, more than fifty percent of historic house museums received fewer than 5,000 visitors per year. These museums are also unique in that the actual structure belongs to the museum collection as a historical object. While some historic home museums are fortunate to possess a collection containing many of the original furnishings once present in the home, many face the challenge of displaying

304-543: Is hot, and wintertime is cool, sometimes cold. Spring and fall are generally very pleasant. Manitou Springs is a local government and a home rule city located within the Colorado Springs metropolitan area . Manitou Springs is managed by the elected mayor and six city council members. The mayor is elected to a two-year term. Council members are elected to 4-year overlapping terms. Three council members are "at large" members and three members represent one of each of

342-535: Is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience. An example of a site that utilizes collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has

380-538: The 1970s and 1980s, as the Revolutionary War's bicentennial set off a wave of patriotism and alerted Americans to the destruction of their physical heritage. The tradition of restoring homes of the past and designating them as museums draws on the English custom of preserving ancient buildings and monuments. Initially homes were considered worthy of saving because of their associations with important individuals, usually of

418-654: The 3 wards in Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs residents may attend the following meetings or working sessions held each month at the Council Chambers at 606 Manitou Avenue. The Manitou Springs City Boards and Commissions include: As of the census of 2000, there were 4,980 people, 2,452 households, and 1,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,642.6 inhabitants per square mile (634.2/km ). There were 2,654 housing units at an average density of 875.4/sq mi (338.0/km ). The racial makeup of

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456-633: The United States a year later and continue into 1892. To restore his failing health, Father Francolon relocated to Manitou Springs, Colorado in 1892. This area was known for its healing mineral mountain spring waters and clean air. His mother would join him in Manitou in July 1893. The property is located on a parcel of land whose earliest deed dates back to 1862. The land was once owned by one of Colorado's most controversial men, Colonel John Chivington , commander of

494-649: The Winds , the town is bordered by Mt. Manitou to the west, Red Mountain to the south, and Englemann Canyon, south and west. It is near Garden of the Gods , with the same red stone as Red Mountain, and is at the base of Pikes Peak . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km ), all of it land. Manitou Springs has a humid continental climate ( Koppen : Dfb), categorized by four distinct seasons. Summertime

532-532: The city was 93.98% White , 3.65% Hispanic or Latino , 0.50% African American , 1.06% Native American , 1.12% Asian , 0.12% Pacific Islander , 0.94% from other races , and 2.27% from two or more races. There were 2,452 households, out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 40.2% were married couples living together' 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present; and 48.8% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who

570-423: The city was under evacuation orders from only 1:30 a.m. Monday until 8 p.m. the same day. There was no fire damage visible from Manitou Springs, and all businesses reopened. On the afternoon of August 9, 2013, the city was inundated by a flash flood entering the northern edges of the city via roadways and natural channels as it descended from the flooded-out US Hwy 24. Traffic was stopped in both directions as

608-403: The elite classes, like former presidents, authors, or businessmen. Increasingly, Americans have fought to preserve structures characteristic of a more typical American past that represents the lives of everyday people. Historic house museums usually operate with small staffs and on limited budgets. Many are run entirely by volunteers and often do not meet the professional standards established by

646-420: The era, adding to authenticity. Collective memory is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums; however, not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of collective memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs , in "La Memoire Collective" ("On Collective Memory", 1950). This extended thesis examines the role of people and place, and how collective memory

684-404: The features he liked into one castle. It features nine separate architectural styles randomly incorporated throughout the castle, including Shingle-style Queen Anne, Romanesque , English Tudor , Flemish stepped gables, domestic Elizabethan , Venetian Ogee, Byzantine , Moorish , and half-timber Chateau. Being perched on a mountainside, the front door is on the first level, and the back door is on

722-507: The fourth, with the two floors in between also having at least one exit to level ground. The castle is over 14,000 square feet, with most rooms being uniquely shaped to fit their purpose. Rarely was there a room with four square corners. The house is now a Victorian-era historic house museum that is owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society. Visitors can tour 42 furnished rooms. The site also features

760-592: The highway barriers formed a river drifting several occupied cars down a runoff ditch. The strong current made a path down Manitou Avenue from Cavern Gulch, as well as Canon Avenue, meandering turbulently through streets, homes, businesses, and spillways , damaging 20 homes, 8 of them significantly. The flood water threatened buildings and parking lots along Fountain Creek , and closed a portion of Manitou Avenue, which reopened later that evening. Situated directly along U.S. Route 24 just west of Old Colorado City and Cave of

798-446: The inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The Hiroshima Traces (1999) text takes a look at the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war. Problematic creation of collective memory occurs within historic house museums when

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836-498: The infamous Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Records show he sold the land in 1867 through his son-in-law who had power of attorney, but later filed a lawsuit claiming he had not given the power of attorney. Colonel Chivington would lose the lawsuit, and the land would move from The Colorado Springs Company from 1871-1882 until being sold to the City of Manitou. Father Francolon had collected architectural ideas from his early years of travelling

874-534: The local community, despite their efforts to give back to the community by hosting two fundraising balls at the castle in 1897. Unexpectedly, the Francolons left Manitou in 1900, leaving behind their furniture to their beloved castle. Madam Francolon would return to France where she would pass away in 1907, and Father Francolon spent his final years in New York City where he would pass away in 1922. The Miramont Castle

912-553: The museum industry. An independent survey conducted by Peggy Coats in 1990 revealed that sixty-five percent of historic house museums did not have a full-time staff, and 19 to 27 percent of historic homes employed only one full-time employee. Furthermore, the majority of these museums operated on less than $ 50,000 annually. The survey also revealed a significant disparity in the number of visitors between local house museums and national sites. While museums like Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg were visited by over one million tourists

950-403: The narrative of all people who lived there is dangerous. While some plantation museum narratives have changed following an outcry from the public and the academy, "plantation museums reflect, create, and contribute to racialized ways of understanding and organizing the world" by limiting or eliminating the narrative of the enslaved inhabitants. A degree of authenticity is also to be considered in

988-481: The narrative of non-family members is dismissed, ignored, or completely rejected. Within the Southern United States, plantation museums (the former homes of enslavers) constitute a significant portion of the museum community and contribute to the racialized collective memory of the United States. Because museums are responsible for "the building of identity, cultural memory and community", neglecting to include

1026-557: The next 20 years. Miramont became known as Montcalm Sanitarium during this time to keep the familiar name. By 1928, it the sanitarium fell under economic pressure, and the Sisters used the building as a boarding, vacation, and retreat house before eventually vacating. It stood empty until it was sold to private owners in 1946. Popular folklore has it that the castle is haunted with various apparitions and unexplained phenomenon as reported by visitors and staff. Father Francolon incorporated all

1064-472: The previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of social history . The idea of a historic house museum derives from a branch of history called social history that is solely based on people and their way of living. It became very popular in the mid-twentieth century among scholars who were interested in the history of people, as opposed to political and economical issues. Social history remains an influential branch of history. Philip J. Ethington,

1102-463: The public good and the preservation of American history, especially centered on the first U.S. president, General George Washington. Since the establishment of the country's first historic site in 1850, Washington's Revolutionary headquarters in New York, Americans have found a penchant for preserving similar historical structures. The establishment of historic house museums increased in popularity through

1140-405: The restoration and creation of a historic house museum. The space must be authentic in terms of truly replicating and representing the way it once stood in its original form and appear to be untouched and left in time. There are three steps when declaring if a space is authentic: The earliest projects for preserving historic homes began in the 1850s under the direction of individuals concerned with

1178-512: The story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The " narrative " of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. Another alternative approach, deployed by nonprofit organization House Museum , includes contemporary art integration, where artists are invited to respond to the physical and conceptual history of a site, thus injecting contemporary perspectives and value into historic places. In each kind of museum, visitors learn about

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1216-595: The summer, with many shops and restaurants, as well as a creekside city park. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to the base of Pikes Peak . Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. The subdivision Crystal Hills was added to the municipality in the 1960s. The city population was 4,858 at the 2020 United States Census . Students are served by Manitou Springs School District 14 and Manitou Springs High School . General William Jackson Palmer and Dr. William Abraham Bell founded Manitou Springs in 1872, intending

1254-560: The town to be a "scenic health resort". Bell's home, Briarhurst Manor , is open to the public as a fine dining restaurant, which is listed on the National Register of Historic places. In 1876, the town was incorporated. "Manitou Springs has been the quintessential tourist town since the 1870s, when visitors discovered the healing waters the Ute Indians had been drinking for years. Many of the town's mineral springs still function today and

1292-631: The water is free." In 1980, the Manitou Springs Historic District was formed by the Historic Preservation Committee to manage development, renovation and preservation within the town. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and one of the country's largest National Historic Districts. In June 2012, the entire city was evacuated due to the Waldo Canyon fire nearby. Parts of western Colorado Springs were also evacuated. Manitou Springs did not suffer any fire damage, and

1330-557: The world with his diplomat father, and would spend hours describing his plans in detail with his contractors. Construction began in the Fall of 1895, where the Manitou Springs Journal would report progress. Miramont gets its name by translating to "look at the mountain," a fitting name for Manitou Springs' mountain town feel. The castle was built with indoor plumbing and electricity. Father Francolon and his mother were deemed recluse by

1368-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.73. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for

1406-624: Was born in France in 1854 into a wealthy aristocratic family. He immigrated to the United States in 1878 at the age of 24 after being recruited by Bishop Lamy of Santa Fe, New Mexico to serve as an assistant priest at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. After moving around the southwestern United States for nine years to oversee mission churches for various Native American tribes and eighteen small chapels, Father Francolon returned to France for health reasons in late 1886. He would resume his parish duties in

1444-440: Was vacant from 1900 until 1904 when The Sisters of Mercy were urged to purchase it for use in conjunction with operation of their Montcalm Sanitarium . Father Francolon donated his first Manitou home for their use, mainly treating patients with tuberculosis, and receiving their first patients in 1895. After the original Montcalm Sanitarium burnt down in 1907, the Sisters moved their patients into Miramont, where they would serve for

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