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LOCATION:
Located in downtown Santa Fe, just
two blocks from the city's historic Plaza, making its home on six lush,
landscaped acres.
330 East Palace Avenue,
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501.
866-331-ROCK * Web-Site
   
DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY:
The land on which this resort is located
on has been farmed as far back as 1610 by Spanish settlers. In the early
1800's the land became the property of the Baca family.
In 1882, a well to do, wealthy merchant,
Abraham Staab built his grand, luxurious mansion, known as The Staab House,
which is now part of the La Posada Resort and Spa. It was a 3 story brick
mansion, showcasing the French Second Empire-style, built with the finest
imported European materials to create a lovely place for Abraham and his
wife, Julie, to entertain
Santa Fe high society, as they loved social functions and loved to entertain.
Of course, there was a ballroom on the third floor, a grand staircase
which led up to it and the 2nd floor, where the large Staab family lived.
The 6 surviving Staab children grew up in this house and the spacious
grounds where the estate was located.
The family tragedy happened went the
Staab's seventh child died soon after being born, which deeply affected
Julie Staab, sending her into a deep depression. She kept herself in her
room, and stayed there until she died at the age of 52 in 1896. Abraham
died in 1913.
In the early 1900's, the original
third floor ballroom was destroyed by fire.
In the 1930s, R.H. and Eulalia Nason, became
the owners of The Staab House and surrounding
estate, expanded the business possibilities
by building adobe casitas in the Pueblo Revival-style, in the areas around
The Staab House and Carriage House. They called their new venture, La
Posada, which in Spanish means "inn" or "resting place." La Posada became
a poplular place to be for the arts community. A summer arts school held
there every summer drew many guests, who were leaders in the Santa Fe
arts movement.

After several owners, La Posada and
its estate was bought by Rock Resorts in the late 1990's, and La Posada
underwent extensive renovation and new construction of additional lodging
units, a Avanyu Spa, and the Conference Center, to be all part of the
La Posada Resort and Spa, an upscale, luxury resort. The new guestrooms
and suites can be found "among beautifully landscaped gardens that
feature exotic native plants."
The second floor of the Staab House
is no longer used for guests, but the first floor offers a bar where guests
of La Posada enjoy "cocktails and light Southwestern fare,"
and rents out to private parties 3
different banquet / reception rooms for special events; The Rose Room,
The Library, and The Salon.

MANIFESTATIONS:
It seems that Julie Staab never left
the mansion that she loved.
1) Room 256 - Is located on the 2nd
floor of the Staab Mansion, and was the room that Julie stayed in until
her death and is her favorite place to be.
A) In the early 1990's, Julie likes
the modern bathtub, and was known to draw a bath in the middle of the
night, regardless if other people were sleeping in the room.
B) A workman cleaning the chimney
outside of Room 256 happened to look over at the window and saw a woman,
dressed in a old fashioned dress peering at him through the curtains.
Imagine his surprise when he recognized the woman as being the same
one whose portrait hangs in the drawing room of the Staab House, Julie
Staab!
2) The grand staircase - people have
seen her in a black evening dress moving up the staircase.
3) An employee of the bar - restaurant
located on the first floor of the Staab House, was preparing for the day
early one morning and saw her calmly sitting in a chair, dressed in a
white laced dress, perfectly at home. She disappeared a moment later.
B) The living who visit / or work
in The Staab House have felt her gentle presence on all of the floors
and have experienced unexplainable cold spots.


Still Haunted?
YES!
The gentle, contented spirit
of Julie Staab must be very happy. Her house is in superb condition, lots
of entertaining takes place in the first floor rooms and she currently
has her room basically to herself!



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