CODY — When Autumn Farrell started working as a criminal clerk for the Park County Circuit Court, she was excited to see what, if anything, was haunting the historic 114-year-old Park County Courthouse.
“I'm really big on ghosts, spirits, and stuff like that,” she said. “When I first got this job at this ancient building, I was pretty excited, thinking it was going to be super haunted.”
Four years later, she hasn’t gotten any indication the courthouse is haunted.
No apparitions, inexplicable noises, or angry spirits.
Nothing — except for “the toast ghost.”
The 'Toast Ghost'
Farrell or one of her colleagues is usually the first person in the historic courthouse every morning.
Occasionally, when they reach their office on the second floor, they’re greeted by the smell of burning toast.
“Whoever opens the courthouse will smell toast,” she said. “It’s not really like burning toast, but like someone just pulled toast out of the toaster.”
The courthouse has a toaster, but it’s unplugged and rarely used.
Even then, the courthouse is closed overnight. Nobody inside could be making toast when people show up to work in the morning.
Farrell said encounters with the “toast ghost” are infrequent. In her four years at the courthouse, she’s experienced it “at least 15 times.”
“It’s a once-in-a-while sort of thing, but only on the second floor,” she said. “You can’t smell it anywhere else."
Farrell’s colleagues have experienced the same, so she knows she’s not alone. She also knows she’s not suffering symptoms of an imminent stroke.
“I thought the same thing, but after smelling it several times and not dying, I think I’m good,” she said.
Phantosmia
Phantosmia is the scientific term for olfactory hallucinations, or smelling odors that don’t exist.
The typical source of phantosmia is an obstruction or blockage in the nose, anything from cold- or flu-related congestion to certain types of brain tumors or neurodegenerative diseases.
Medical experts don’t believe there’s a correlation between specific smells and specific conditions. For example, smelling burning rubber when no rubber is burning nearby isn’t a sign of cancer or anything else.
A common belief is that smelling burnt toast is a sign of stroke, but there’s no scientific consensus supporting it. However, a 2020 paper found that phantosmia is more common among older adults with vascular conditions, including a history of stroke.
In fact, stroke was associated with a 76% greater likelihood of phantom odor perception, and adults with high blood pressure reported phantom odors more frequently than those without.
If one person smelled burnt toast in the Park County Courthouse, phantosmia could explain it. However, Farrell said many people have noticed the same smell at the same time and place.
It’s Electric?
Construction of the original Park County Courthouse finished in 1912. An addition was added in 1985, and a multimillion-dollar HVAC upgrade was completed in 2025.
That’s relevant because phantom burning smells can come from a variety of sources, such as settled dust that burns on the components of heating and cooling systems when they get going, especially if they haven't been used for a while.
The smell could also come from damaged wiring or the overheating of electrical components like wire insulation.
These smells can be signs of serious problems – if they’re consistent.
The toast ghost isn’t, according to Farrell.
“The last time I smelled it was about three weeks ago,” she said. “I’ve smelled it before and after the HVAC was redone.”
Scratch another explanation for the toast ghost.
Mixing It Up
Farrell would love to have a paranormal experience on the job. So far, any spirits lingering around the Park County Courthouse have eluded her.
“We keep our old files in the old jail, under the fire hall for the Cody Volunteer Fire Department (on the same block),” she said. “I have also felt, seen, and heard nothing in there. I was telling the girls the only thing that's scary about this building is its structure and the fact that it feels like it's going to crumble all the time.”
Farrell finds it disappointing that such an old, "life-changing" building seems devoid of any paranormal activity. She's resigned herself to the fact that the closest she can get at the courthouse is the occasional whiff of the toast ghost.
That doesn’t mean it can’t get unexpectedly interesting.
“One time I came in, and it smelled like lasagna,” she said. “We were joking that the toast ghost must have switched up his breakfast.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
