Presidents Day: Past and present in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Monday's federal holiday has an interesting history; it was originally a day to honor the nation's first president, George Washington, until it merged with Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1971 and later became known as Presidents Day.
The city once had an attraction to display the presidential spirit all year long: In the Hall Of Presidents Wax Museum, near the Intersection of 21st and Cimarron streets in west Colorado Springs.
The building is now occupied by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a service organization.
Records show that the museum opened in 1969 and closed in 1996, with the wax figures sent to other wax museums around the country.
One of the museum's most memorable exhibits was of Lincoln on his deathbed after his assassination; his chest rose and fall as he took his last breaths.
Other displays included the funeral of John F. Kennedy after his assassination; Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House with his wife, Eleanor and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; and George Washington's historic crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.
The former museum's coverage by KRDO NewsChannel 13 set off a wave of nostalgia on social media, with many viewers sharing pictures and experiences.
The most common responses were "a fun place to go as a kid" and being "kind of creepy."
KRDO reporter Scott Harrison recalls visiting the museum as a boy on a family vacation from his hometown of Kansas City.
"I still have the family photos somewhere back home," he said. "We were supposed to go to Pikes Peak also, but the car overheated halfway up and we didn't make it. I'm thankful that I later took my dad on his first trip to the summit a few years before he died."
The granddaughter of the late Russell Roscover shared some photos taken at the museum that are in excellent quality.
"He was a Vietnam veteran from Pueblo and a mail carrier here in the Springs for 30+ years," she said. "He was very frugal with film, so the fact that he took photos at the wax museum means he must have really enjoyed it. I wish I could have asked him the year he attended but he passed away last year."
Other people in town shared how they spent the holiday Monday.
"We still had class," said Adrianna Gotro, a Colorado College student. "I think it's probably good that we don't celebrate individual birthdays, but the presidential position in and of itself. So it's probably a good thing that we match the two. My favorite is Taft for no other reason than he died in a bathtub."
Debby Bailey, who was visiting from Virginia, said that Barack Obama is her favorite president.
"I know a lot of people will disagree with me," she said. "But I think time will show that he was a good president."
