An unthinkable daytime heist at the Miramont Castle Museum in Manitou Springs last week has left employees bewildered.

“This is just wrong. Stealing from a museum,” worker Linda Pineda wrote on Facebook.

The theft of a hefty antique cash register that disappeared out a third-floor door of the historic building happened between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. last Thursday, museum staff announced on social media.

The item’s absence wasn’t discovered until last Friday morning, Pineda said. It is unclear whether the museum has video surveillance cameras.

The 34-room castle was built in 1895 at 9 Capitol Hill Ave., and features furnishings and decor from the Victorian era. Tours are self-guided, and Victorian-style teas and meals, and events are offered.

Owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society, the mission is to “preserve and restore the architectural integrity of Miramont Castle, and to provide educational experiences and resources not only on the castle itself, but on the history of Manitou Springs, its indigenous people and artifacts.”

The large, ornate cash register is estimated to weigh at least 80 pounds, has keys for purchases up to $5, and there’s a piece of wood inserted in place of a merchant’s name. The drawer is marked with the word “National,” according to museum staff.

The Manitou Springs Police Department did not respond on Monday to questions about the case.

While museum staff members are watching to see if the artifact shows up at local pawn shops or scrap yards, Pineda suspects there’s an underlying reason that piece of memorabilia was lifted: Its historical significance to the city.

Prominent Manitou Springs resident William Paulson purchased the cash register, with a nickel background and brass pattern overlay, on Feb. 11, 1896, for use at the Grand View Hotel, which Paulson built in 1891. Since 1962, the site has been the headquarters of Summit Ministries.

The cash register sits on a wooden base and bears the inscription, “National Cash Register Co., Dayton, Ohio, USA.” The serial number inscribed on it is 96111.

Anyone with information is asked to call the museum at 719-685-1011.

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656.