"Ghost Hunters" coming to Manitou

If there are any spirits hanging out at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs, they may want to head south for the winter.

The 130-year-old mansion, now a restaurant, was one of three finalists for the Sci Fi Channel’s “Great American Ghost Hunt.” All three finalists presented their cases on Halloween night during a live investigation of Fort Delaware by the cable channel’s “Ghost Hunters” program, with the winner getting a full investigation by the “Ghost Hunters” team.

Then on Wednesday’s results episode of the show, head ghost hunters Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes announced that they’d be investigating all three finalists.

Colorado Springs residents and Briarhurst historians Tammila and Erick Wright traveled to Fort Delaware to make the case for the Briarhurst — where strange noises, mysterious footprints and unexplained happenings have convinced them the place is haunted.

he Wrights said they’re thrilled “Ghost Hunters” is coming.

“I get to start telling people all the ghost stories that we have,” Tammila Wright said. “We’re pretty excited.”

The show will tape at the Briarhurst later this winter and the episode should air sometime in the spring, Tammila Wright said.

The Wrights had a couple spooky experiences of their own while spending the night at Fort Delaware, which was once a Civil War prison camp. Erik Wright saw something large and grey run past him. Later, Tammila Wright said something as big as herself ran past her and into the night.

“I felt like someone was running on the left side of me,” she said. “I thought it was going to run me over. That really freaked me out bad.”

Until the “Ghost Hunters” show up, the Wrights have set up a Web site to collect ghost stories about the Briarhurst at www.hauntedbriarhurst.com.