TOWNSEND (AP) — If you need food for thought, Townsend’s Canyon Ferry Mansion whets the mental appetite.

The house is chock-full of stories, both the historical and the ghostly kind. The front yard was the scene of a well-known murder, but now leads up to an antiques store.

Out in the back yard, a restored chapel stands ready for weddings. Or, if you want to rent a room or a cabin, or desire a massage for those achy shoulders, you’ll find them there, too.

Makes you kind of wonder: How did it all get there and what ties it all together?

The answer is owners Sandy and Steve ‘‘Rosey’’ Rose.

The Roses bought the home in 1999 to operate as a bed and breakfast.

They got right to work, replacing nearly 90 windows and uncovering and restoring 6,000 square feet of original maple flooring.

The house is stuffed with antiques, old photos and collectibles of all sorts in a style that the couples’ friend Susie Cavanaugh, a Belgrade developer, describes as Victorian.

‘‘It’s fantastic’’ and keeps the eyes entertained,’’ she says. ‘‘She’s taken every inch and decorated it.’’

Sandy’s handmade silk floral arrangements are spread throughout, adding to the home’s unique feel.

The 12,750-square-foot mansion — complete with a small ballroom — was built by railroad man and cattle baron A.B. Cook in 1914, near the Confederate Gulch Campground on Canyon Ferry Lake.

Cook’s son later moved the house to its present location near the lake, just off U.S. 287. The son was murdered in the front yard, during a burglary.

Over the years, the Roses have pieced together the home’s history, including the identities of several ghosts, with the help of visitors, Cook descendants and other sources.

‘‘Hardly a week goes by that someone doesn’t stop by and say, ‘I’m connected to the story,’’’ Sandy says. ‘‘After you hear (a piece of information) three times from three different people, you figure it’s probably true.’’

The Roses are happy to share the mansion’s history of hauntings.

‘‘Over four years we’ve identified seven ghosts and one poltergeist,’’ she says.

Not to worry. They’re all harmless beyond the occasional sighting or windows they leave open, she assures. The ghosts even add a little zest to the periodic murder-mystery parties that take place at the mansion.

‘‘It’s like playing three-dimensional Clue over a gourmet dinner,’’ Sandy said of the evenings.

When they bought the mansion and decided to run it as a bed and breakfast, the Roses thought they might play host to the occasional wedding.

‘‘We did not necessarily think weddings would be a big deal,’’ Sandy says. ‘‘Well, they started showing up from Day One.’’

The Roses’ summer weekends were soon booked with weddings and the couple added a covered pavilion in the front yard to accommodate receptions. But they couldn’t resist purchasing an old Catholic chapel when the building came up for sale in Toston a few years ago. So they put that out back, spruced it up and started renting it out for weddings, too.

It was Rosey’s 14th renovation of an older, neglected building. ‘‘And when you’re doing it part time,’’ Sandy says, ‘‘that’s a lot in a lifetime.’’

The bulk of Rosey’s hours go toward his business, Rose Construction, but he’s happy to work on the mansion or other projects during time off.

‘‘I kind of love it, to be honest with you,’’ he said.

The Roses, though, are ready to close this chapter and move on to their next renovation project. The unusual property is for sale.

‘‘You always have a bit of empty-nest syndrome when you let one go,’’ Rosey says. ‘‘But you’ve got an eye for the next project.’’

Sandy, though, admits she’ll have a bit harder time saying goodbye.

‘‘I kind of hope somebody buys it and lets me work for them,’’ she says, smiling.