Avery House

A Victorian sandstone house built in 1879 by Franklin Avery, Fort Collins' first surveyor and founder of the First National Bank. The home is now a museum operated by the Poudre Landmarks Foundation.

The Avery House was built in 1879 by Franklin Avery, one of the most important figures in Fort Collins history. Avery surveyed the town in 1873, and Fort Collins has him to thank for its characteristically wide streets -- he took advantage of the open prairie spaces when laying out the grid. Avery went on to found First National Bank and was instrumental in developing the water projects that enabled agriculture to flourish in northern Colorado, transforming the region from open rangeland into one of the most productive farming areas in the state. His sandstone Victorian home on Mountain Avenue became a landmark of the community he helped build.

The most prominent ghost at the Avery House is believed to be Franklin's brother, William Avery, whose story is one of the most disturbing murder cases in Fort Collins history. When William died in 1890 of an apparent stomach ailment, suspicions led to the exhumation of his body, and death by arsenic poisoning was determined. Mary Avery and a man named Frank Millington were tried for William's murder in 1891 in a case that captivated the community. To the surprise of nearly everyone following the proceedings, both defendants were acquitted. The betrayed ghost of William Avery is said to now roam the halls of the Avery House, unable to find peace -- a man murdered by arsenic and denied justice by the courts.

Visitors touring the house have reported an unhappy child's spirit in the middle upstairs bedroom, and others have described interactions with what they believe are other members of the Avery family. The paranormal activity ranges from cold spots and unexplained sounds to the feeling of being watched as visitors move through the elegant Victorian rooms. The house is maintained by the Poudre Landmarks Foundation and is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Its combination of genuine historical significance -- as the home of the man who literally laid out Fort Collins -- and the dark undercurrent of the William Avery poisoning makes it one of the most compelling haunted locations in northern Colorado.