Saloon, Georgetown, Colorado, between 1880 and 1910. X-1287
A Ghost at Georgetown, 1868
"Georgetown has a haunted house," proclaimed the December 26, 1868, issue of the Rocky Mountain News:
The Ghost of Bainbridge, who was hung by a vigilance committee, has returned to earth to vex and worry the people who lived in a house hard by the fatal tree. It opens doors that are locked and slams them in a way supposed to be natural to a house breaker. One citizen of keen perception has seen him with the rope still around his neck. The family has moved away. The Miner tells all about it.
Letter of warning by the Committee of Vigilantes (Georgetown, Colorado), 1870s. C MSS -M805
This article led me to question who Bainbridge was and just what he had done to have been lynched by a vigilante group.
By looking in the Western History Subject Index and then the Rocky Mountain News on microfilm, I learned that Edward Bainbridge was a murderer:
We learn from Mr. J. P. Waterman, who has just arrived from Georgetown, that a man named Ed. Bainbridge shot another by the name of Martin, yesterday evening. A dispute arose over a game of cards, when Bainbridge drew his pistol and deliberately shot Martin through the head, the ball penetrating his forehead. Martin died instantly. It was reported in Central that the murderer would be lynched, and our informant thinks he has been strung up ore [sic] this. —Rocky Mountain News, April 25, 1867, page 3
Reports of Bainbridge's gruesome hanging by an angry mob appeared in the Rocky just a few days later on April 29. This article also mentioned that Martin was actually still alive, but was not expected to recover.
Many books and web pages have been written about the ghost of Edward Bainbridge haunting Georgetown, but few can point to documented evidence about Bainbridge's life. Where was Bainbridge from? Was he a miner? Did he have a history of violence?
Can YOU fill in the details of this ghost story using the Western History/Genealogy department's genealogy resources?
Want to hear a ghost story? Several iterations of the Edward Bainbridge ghost story can be found in these DPL titles:
- From the grave : a roadside guide to Colorado's pioneer cemeteries by Wommack, Linda
- Georgetown : a quick history : including the Georgetown Loop by Jessen, Kenneth Christian
- Haunted places : the national directory : ghostly abodes, sacred sites, UFO landings, and other supernatural locations by Hauck, Dennis William
- Lynching in Colorado, 1859-1919 by Leonard, Stephen J.
Comments
You may want to get a hold of Becky Pentland. Edward Bainbridge was found to be haunting her cafe and the world renowned psychic, Peter James, visited and verified that he was haunting the cafe. Once, while working there, I turned around and the coffee machine was making coffee. I had unplugged the machine and it was still unplugged, but yet was making coffee!
That's the scariest coffee-related story we've ever heard! Thanks for posting, Kerry Ann!
Google The Full Circle Cafe Georgetown Colorado.
Thanks for the post, Becky! Our readers are undoubtedly Googling away now.
James Martin the guy that Edward Bainbridge shot actually did not die. Everyone just assumed that he would. After Bainbridge was lynched his ghost has been seen in Georgetown many times. One notable event happened at the Point of Rocks in the late 1800's. The card game was over a can of oysters. Bainbridge had also bragged that he was part of a Massacre in Utah. Bainbridge was the first person to die in Georgetown. His bones were later dug up and put on display at a Doctor's home in Georgetown. The house still stands to this day but the owners never allowed us entry. Sightings named Georgetown one of the most Haunted Places in America.
We found all of our information at the Denver Public Library.
Thanks for sharing your research, Becky!
Hello, I am the grand daughter of Hank Binder who has a history book from I believe from 1910 or earlier and it talks about the Murder and chase of this man Bainbridge, and my grandpa I believe has several more books relating to Georgetown with this subject in them. I say this with relevance of who I am and who my grandad is because I believe we're relatives of the man who bainbridge shot. He was the owner of a butcher shop (Martin?) and Bainbridge was an apprentice for him. That is about as much more info as I know. If you would like to get in touch with my grandfather or me, I'd be pleased to give further info.
I would love to talk to you or your grandfather!! Beckypentland@gmail.com
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