An 1890s dry goods store in Trinidad's historic district where a gentleman on the stairs, a girl on the mezzanine, and a spirit named Dottie have been reported.
150 E Main St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
General admission; see armitchellmuseum.com for current rates
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic downtown building; main floor accessible; mezzanine may have limited access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1906 · Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District · A.R. Mitchell pulp illustration archive · Hispanic folk art collection · Historic 1906 commercial building
Arthur Roy Mitchell (1889–1977) was born in Trinidad and became one of the most prolific pulp-fiction illustrators of the 1920s and 1930s, producing covers for Western Story Magazine and other titles. He spent his later career in Trinidad, where he collected traditional Hispanic folk art from southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, building a collection of several hundred pieces.
The museum that bears his name opened in a historic 1906 commercial building on Main Street in Trinidad's Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District. The building—once the Jameison Dry Goods Store—retains its pressed-tin ceilings, original mezzanine, and early-20th-century commercial character. In addition to Mitchell's pulp illustrations, the museum holds Santos, retablos, and other devotional art produced by regional Hispanic craftsmen.
Trinidad itself developed as a significant rail and commercial hub in Las Animas County, and Main Street's 1880s–1910s commercial blocks are among the best-preserved in southeastern Colorado. The Corazon de Trinidad designation reflects the city's effort to protect and interpret this architectural legacy.
Sources
The A.R. Mitchell Museum appears on the Haunted Corazon ghost tour itinerary, which covers Main Street venues in Trinidad's historic district. Tour documentation and a local newspaper account describe three reported presences inside the building.
A gentleman has been observed on or near the interior staircase, described as appearing and disappearing without explanation. On the mezzanine level, visitors and staff have reported a little girl whose presence seems linked to the upper exhibit space. A third entity, referred to by regulars as Dottie, has been noted separately, though her identity and specific location within the building are less defined in available accounts.
The building's long commercial history—serving generations of Trinidad residents as a dry goods and mercantile hub—provides the conventional backdrop for these reports. No independent forensic investigation findings are available in the published record.
Notable Entities
Tour the collection of western and Hispanic folk art in an 1890s commercial building at the heart of the Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District. The staircase and mezzanine level where paranormal reports concentrate are part of the public exhibit space.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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