Entry No. 131 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
Cantril School House
This 1897 Roman-arched stone schoolhouse — a National Register of Historic Places landmark purchased by the Town of Castle Rock in 2023 — now buzzes with art classes, open studios, and rotating exhibitions run by the Tri Arts Project, all while "Matilda," a gray lady ghost reportedly spotted on the staircase to the bell tower, haunts the hallways with footsteps and toppled books. It's a rare place where genuine history, local legend, and living arts programming share the same creaking floors.
The story
When Castle Rock's original wood-frame school burned down in the late 1890s, town leaders didn't take any chances: they rebuilt in 1896 out of local pink-and-tan rhyolite stone. The Roman-arched structure became Douglas County's first high school, anchoring the quiet Craig and Gould neighborhood. The Town of Castle Rock purchased the two-acre property in 2023, handing programming over to the Tri Arts Project to convert the 14,000-square-foot historic landmark into a community arts hub filled with pottery wheels, easel studios, and rotating gallery exhibitions.
The town didn't clear out the building's previous residents, though—specifically 'Matilda,' the gray lady ghost who has haunted the corridors for decades. Long before the art supplies arrived, municipal staff and school district secretaries reported heavy footsteps pacing empty halls after hours, doors violently rattling on locked frames, and books pushed off library shelves to stand perfectly upright on the floor with titles matching recent staff conversations.
Matilda is most frequently linked to the main staircase climbing toward the four-sided arched bell tower, though old-timers trace her sightings down into the former basement coal furnace room. You won't find cheesy jump scares or commercial haunted-house props here; you find actual 19th-century history where local painters and potters share creaking rhyolite floorboards with a lingering local legend.
What it's like
Drive up Cantril Street into the residential Craig and Gould neighborhood, where the two-story pink-and-tan rhyolite landmark stands out sharply from modern suburban buildouts. Parking is painless in the dedicated on-site lot on the two-acre grounds. Inside, the atmosphere blends active community art center with 1890s relic—the smell of wet clay and paint mixing with original window transoms and floorboards that creak under every step. The catch: this is a functioning municipal arts facility rather than an open-door roadside tourist trap, so you'll want to register for a Tri Arts Project class or check their exhibition schedule before arriving. Our tip: register for an evening class on a weeknight when the building stays open until 9 p.m., letting you work on a project and explore the shadowy stairwells as the halls empty out.
The move: Take an evening pottery or painting class together through the Tri Arts Project, then linger after hours to explore the staircase where Matilda has been spotted — the building is open until 9 p.m. on weeknights, giving you plenty of time to make something together and spook each other on the way out.
📍 Before you go The schoolhouse sits at 312 Cantril St, just east of downtown Castle Rock in the historic Craig and Gould neighborhood — look for the two-story pink-and-tan rhyolite landmark, not a modern building. There's on-site parking on the roughly two-acre grounds, so you won't be circling. Access mostly runs through the arts programming, so register for a class or check the exhibition/open-studio schedule ahead rather than just dropping in; class times shift seasonally, so confirm before you go. It's a town-owned building in a quiet area, so be respectful of neighbors after dark. Pair it with a short hop west into downtown Castle Rock for dinner or a drink afterward.
- 📍 Castle Rock
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 312 Cantril St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Scileppi's at the Old Stone Church — Head three blocks west to dine on Italian food inside Castle Rock's first Catholic church, another 1888 rhyolite landmark with its own haunted reputation.
- Provision — Unwind after an evening art class with craft cocktails served behind a secret bookcase door in a 1920s-style speakeasy on Wilcox Street.
- B&B Cafe — Pair your historic schoolhouse visit with Castle Rock's iconic 1946 downtown diner, where authentic bullet holes still mark the pressed-tin ceiling.
- Wood Shark Trading Company — Drive three miles west to keep the quirky vibe going among taxidermy, crystals, and oddities at this long-running local shop.
Good to know
Can I drop in just to tour the ghost sites?
No, interior access runs through town arts programming and the Tri Arts Project. You should sign up for a class, attend an open studio, or check exhibition gallery hours rather than dropping in unannounced.
Who is Matilda, and what happens when she appears?
Matilda is the building's legendary gray lady ghost. Over the decades, staff and visitors have reported seeing her on the staircase to the bell tower, hearing phantom footsteps after hours, feeling sudden chills, and finding books knocked upright off shelves.
Where do I park when visiting the schoolhouse?
The venue has its own dedicated parking lot on the two-acre grounds at 312 Cantril Street, so you won't need to hunt for street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.
What kind of arts programming takes place here?
The non-profit Tri Arts Project hosts classes across disciplines like pottery, painting, drawing, textiles, and 3D art, along with public gallery exhibitions and open studio sessions.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: crgov.com · coloradocommunitymedia.com · castlepinesconnection.com
last checked: 2026-06-07