HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A Salida restaurant in a building that served as a mortuary for most of the 20th century, where kitchen staff have seen a man in black and a paranormal team confirmed an entity on its 100th investigation here.
136 E 2nd St, Salida, CO 81201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Restaurant dining; menu prices apply
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown restaurant on flat ground; street level entry
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1890 · Stewart Mortuary — decades of funerary service in Salida · Late-Victorian commercial building in downtown Salida · Site of documented paranormal investigation milestone
The two-story commercial building on East Second Street in Salida dates to around 1890, when it operated as a furniture store—a common pairing with funeral services in that era, as furniture dealers frequently supplied coffins alongside their regular stock. At some point the business transitioned fully to funerary services, and the Stewart Mortuary operated from the building for the better part of the 20th century.
Salida grew as a railroad hub on the Arkansas River in Chaffee County, and its downtown commercial blocks retain much of their late-Victorian character. The block containing what is now Amicas is within walking distance of the Arkansas River and the downtown arts district that has developed since the 1990s.
Amicas, a pizza and craft beer restaurant, now occupies the building. Staff began reporting unexplained activity that they connect to the building's long mortuary history. Shannon Watt, a kitchen employee, described repeated sightings of a man dressed in black whom she and coworkers believed to be a former mortuary worker. Colorado Central Magazine documented her account and those of other staff.
Sources
Shannon Watt, a kitchen employee at Amicas, reported multiple sightings of a man dressed in black moving through the kitchen and rear areas of the building. Coworkers corroborated her account. The self-slamming front door became one of the building's most noted features: witnesses described it banging shut with no discernible mechanical cause, and localized cold air pockets were also reported.
Hotchkiss Paranormal, a Colorado-based investigation group, selected the former Stewart Mortuary for their 100th official investigation—a milestone they used to mark significant cases. The team's work at the building confirmed the presence of an entity they associated with the structure's funerary past, according to Colorado Central Magazine's account. The Mountain Mail, Salida's local newspaper, also covered the paranormal activity at the building.
The convergence of staff eyewitness accounts, the documented investigation milestone, and coverage by two independent regional publications gives this case a stronger evidentiary record than most. The identity of the apparition remains unknown; the attribution to a former mortuary worker is local inference, not documented fact.
Eat pizza and craft beer in a building that served as the Stewart Mortuary for much of the 20th century. The front door and kitchen are where staff sightings of the alleged mortuary-era apparition have been concentrated.
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