Miramont Castle 1896

Miramont Castle was built in a variety of styles by Jean Baptiste Francolon, who was a parish priest of Manitou Springs. Father Francolon also lived there and came to Manitou Springs to be near the curing mineral waters because of abdominal problems. This magnificent castle now houses the Manitou Springs Historical Society.

Son of a wealthy and aristocratic French family, Father Francolon bought a lot next to a site where the Sisters of Mercy were building their Montcalme Sanitarium. Father hired Angus Gillis to build his home, describing features he remembered from childhood travels with his diplomat father. He shared his home with his mother, Marie, and named it "Miramont" after her.

By 1895, the main part of the castle was completed. But in 1900, the Francolons left unexpectedly. Mrs. Francolon died within months of returning to France. The priest's will was offered for probate in New York City in December 1922. The Sisters of Mercy, with Dr. Kneipp, took over the place offering Kneipp's water cure. It required drinking and bathing in Manitou's mineral waters several times a day. In 1907, the Sisters' adjacent building burned and they moved their patients into Miramont. The Sisters' renamed the castle Montcalme and it remained 1976. The castle was purchased by the Manitou Springs Historical Society in 1976 through a matching grant from the Centennial-Bicentennial Commission.

The architecture is eclectic, a combination of nine styles: Gothic, Romanesque, English Tudor, Flemish stepped gables, Shingle-style Queen Anne, Elizabethan, Venetian Ogee, Byzantine, Moorish and half-timber Chateau. Significant features are the corbels, the upper story ramparts, the bracketed gables, the gothic windows and the lozenge windows on the third story. The exceptional use of cut greenstone as the predominant building material largely sets this building off as a castle.

Historic Manitou Springs, Inc., is an educational non-profit based in Manitou Springs, Colorado, at the foot of Pikes Peak which operates the Manitou Springs Heritage Center and was formed in 1997 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Our mission is to collect, preserve, research, and interpret the history and culture of Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak Region.

The intent of the organization is to educate citizens and visitors in order to increase appreciation and understanding of this unique community. Before opening the Center Historic Manitou was operated by a board of three persons–Jean Garrity, Deborah Harrison, and Michelle Anthony. During the initial 10 years, we developed a track record of participating in and supporting community projects and events, such as restoration of the Eastern Gateway Arch, rehabilitation of Mansions Park, installation of over 30 Historic Interpretive Plaques throughout town, and placement of the memorial in Crystal Valley Cemetery for Emma Crawford. We have presented the “Ghost Stories of Old Manitou” haunted walking tours as part of the Annual Emma Crawford Festival (i.e., the events surrounding the Coffin Races) since its inception.

Pearring, John. Pearring, Joanne. The Walking Tour - A Guide To Historic Manitou Springs. Volume Revised Printing. Manitou Springs, CO. TextPros, 1998.