Wayne Aspinall - Skeptic Turned Believer Spooky Music Say hello to the podcast where history and mystery come together. In this series, we're taking you on a journey through the haunted halls of federal buildings across the country, where the past continues to linger in unexpected ways. From mysterious footsteps echoing in empty corridors to spectral figures seen after hours, these stories remind us that history is more than what's written in textbooks—it's alive in the places we work and through the people who've come before us. So, turn down the lights, get comfortable, and join us as we explore the haunted history of America's federal buildings. Welcome to Haunted Halls. “I’m not a believer but with everything that has happened it is hard to be a skeptic.” Let me ask you, what happens when you take a historic building that is over 100 years old and modernize it? Did the construction to make it one of the most energy efficient and sustainable historic buildings in the country wake something up? Or perhaps it was there all along just waiting to make itself known… The Wayne Aspinall Federal Building and US Courthouse sits on the other side of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, amongst the hustle and bustle of Grand Junction’s booming fruit industry. Initially completed in 1918, the building was the first permanent post office building constructed in the city. Prior to Grand Junction becoming the center of the Manhattan Project’s secret efforts to mine and refine uranium ore from the surrounding mills in the Colorado Plateau, an addition was added in 1940. As the sun shines over the Western Slope, the Aspinall is just your average three-story federal office building, except for being the most energy efficient building in GSA’s Rocky Mountain Region, LEED Platinum certified and the 1st net-zero building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But, while the building stands as a testament to innovative sustainability running completely on self produced photovoltaic and geo-themal energy, there may just be another stronger energy roaming its halls. Is it the gunslingers of the Wild West, or the legacy of those of the Ute and Fremont tribes? Or maybe something else? When you have a 106 year old building, there is bound to be reports of more than just doors opening and closing. Amongst the tenants, there are whispers of the Aspinall's haunted past, from unexplained occurrences to eerie experiences. Join us as we tell you the tales, and you decide if the renovation of the Aspinall might have stirred up more than a little dust. The building manager and self proclaimed skeptic, recalls their first of many encounters. Like out of a movie, it was during their early days as the building manager that they got a call: an intrusion alarm had triggered. It was a hot August evening, and they rushed over to the old gray girl as many affectionately call the Aspinall. Weirdly, the doors were secure with no intrusion in sight but just to be safe they decided to walk the building. Next thing they know, in this long hallway, the motion lights suddenly shut off. They froze, slowly turning on their phone flashlight realizing… “Suddenly it gets cold and I can see my breath. That was spooky.” They were quote on quote “new guy”, so maybe just maybe the spirits were having a little fun. But for them, they had a job to get done. “I told the ghost to leave me alone, I was trying to fix their building!” Soon they would learn, this would be the first of many encounters with the paranormal residents of the Aspinall. “I am not a believer but with everything that has happened it is hard to be a skeptic, there’s just too much that is simply unexplainable.” But it isn’t just the building manager that this presence was making itself known to. From screams, howls and more recently whistling, it seems like the building’s spirits are happy to make themselves known. During the net-zero energy renovation project, efforts were made to restore historic original features of the courthouse, like restoring the original skylight in the post office workroom. Contractors during this project all reported mysterious happenings from a group of workers all seeing a man in a suit walk into the containment area, to two workers seeing an apparition of a man in a cowboy hat with a long coat floating down the hall towards them. “They both fled, leaving their tools and refusing to step foot back in the building.” It seems this spirit has perhaps made itself known to others as well. A custodian was cleaning a bathroom when backing out of one stall, they looked left and saw a figure leaning against the double sinks. Telling them “one second” they went back into the stall to finish. But when the custodian backed out again just a few seconds later, the figure was gone. The custodian looked up and down the hall, but no one was around nor was there any sound of someone coming or going. Once again, that figure was described as a man in a cowboy hat with a long coat and dusty boots. Imagine, you are having lunch with your colleagues when you all hear your name whispered. Or the door knob to your changing room turns when the door is locked and closed. Footsteps and tapping on a daily occurrence, toilets flushing on their own or even lights turning on in unoccupied rooms. Shadowy figures walking across empty jail cells, and unexplainable cold spots. You too would start to sprinkle salt, bring a little sage to work or seek answers from someone more intuitive than yourself. Our public buildings and courthouses get a variety of visitors day in and day out. But it isn’t very often mediums visit. Tenants have reached out to mediums for answers and what they’ve said is eye opening. Apparently there are three souls wandering the basement of the building. Unfortunately for any building manager, this is where the GSA office is. “In February, two court security reported loud screaming in the basement after- hours, and I’ve heard it as well on separate occasions. I am still trying to be a skeptic but the evidence is really piling up.” The Apsinall’s hauntings aren’t the only mysterious part of the building. How does a nearly 6 ft by 8ft oil mural on canvas disappear from its halls? Completed in 1940, Louise Emerson Ronnebeck’s The Harvest is a regionalist-style mural that hangs in the building’s post office today. In 1973, the mural was shipped to Washington D.C. for restoration and it simply disappeared for decades… Somewhere this mural found its way to New York seemingly abandoned…and with its mysterious adventures it found its way restored and back to its original home in Grand Junction. The piece is one of many in GSA’s Fine Arts Collection and its eventual return to the Aspinall speaks to the motto of the program, “we preserve the legacy of federal art.” The eyes of the man and woman depicted harvesting peaches welcome and watch those coming and going from the Aspinall, and maybe they’re watching more than just the living… Thanks for joining us for the latest edition of Haunted Halls. If you liked what you heard and have your own spooky stories to share, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at gsadoesthat@gsa.gov and we might feature your story in our next edition. If you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at gsa.gov/podcast. All the stories in this series come from real people who lived them. As with any ghost story, the tales grow larger and more extravagant with each retelling. We aim to highlight historic properties in the federal portfolio and document some of the lore surrounding the buildings. We hope you enjoyed, and spook you next time.