History Colorado

History Colorado connects what WAS with what's NEXT through museums, educational programs, and services related to preservation, archaeology, and history.

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Did you love the movie Monuments Men? (Who didn’t?) Then you will definitely dig this! 

Today the original Monuments Men are receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their work to protect and recover historic sites and cultural artifacts during World War II. This is the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. 

Watch the live stream video of the ceremony here on Tumblr today at 1:00pm Mountain Time (3:00pm EST) or visit http://www.speaker.gov/live. 

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Twenty-two year old Rocky Ford, Colorado native, Robert D. Fulkerson served as a navigator aboard a Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” in the United States 8th Air Force during World War II. His flying career lasted only four days. On his fourth mission, 29 July 1944, Fulkerson’s plane “She Hasta” was shot down over the North Sea near Germany. He and some other members of the crew were captured in German-occupied Holland and made prisoners of war (POW). During captivity he was held in three POW camps known as stalags. His third camp, Stalag Luft VII, was located in Moosburg, Germany, about forty miles from Munich. On Sunday morning, 29 April 1945, American fighter aircraft appeared overhead and armored vehicles in nearby hills. American GIs from General George Patton’s U.S. 3rd Army fought and overwhelmed the German defenders. Tanks crashed through the fences of the camp, liberating the POWs. Fulkerson’s longest mission, nine months as a prisoner of war, was over! Writing to his parents a few days later, he said, “Boy, did those G.I.s look good- Hubba, Hubba!” Robert “Bob” Fulkerson returned to Colorado, became a Doctor of Dentistry, served in the U.S. Air force Reserve and was active in POW reunions. He passed in 2006. The Robert D. Fulkerson Collection (MSS02626) came to History Colorado in 2014 and is currently being arranged, described and cataloged and soon will be available for access through the Stephen H. Hart Library & Research Center. It contains photographs, correspondence, military service records and POW reunion material. Of particular interest is the POW correspondence between Bob and his family, numbering about seventy-five letters and post cards. Bob’s parents describe life on the home front through glimpses of everyday activity and news of friends. For his part, Bob describes camp life, activities available to POWs, news of letters and packages arrived and, in short, attempts to assure his parents he is okay and safe.

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Daisies, Indian paintbrush, columbine, larkspur, lupine, geraniums, fairy slippers, bluebells, honeysuckle, violets, lilies and more! Just reading the names of Colorado’s wildflowers can inspire a sense of wonder and fill your senses with vibrant colors and a bouquet of scents. To see these fleeting treasures in person is an even greater reward. For this brief moment every year, Colorado wildflowers are popping up in valleys and on mountainsides near you. Be sure you don’t miss out on one of Colorado’s loveliest experiences!

If you’re looking for artistic renderings of these beautiful flowers, look no further than History Colorado. Our collection is fortunate to include a series of wildflower paintings by Mary Ann Hodgson Collins, which can be viewed here: h-co.org/collections. Mary moved from New York to Colorado in 1859 and settled in the state permanently in 1865 with her husband, Edward H. Collins. In Colorado, her passion for floral compositions and landscapes flourished, deriving much of her inspiration from the state’s beautiful natural environment. Surprisingly, she didn’t take her first art lesson in landscape painting until the age of 37, but it wasn’t long after that she began teaching art lessons. Talented and dedicated, Mary actively participated in the Denver art community, befriending female artists like herself. The paintings shown here are just a few flowers in a garden’s-worth of work.

Like Mary, today’s Coloradans have many unique opportunities to experience the natural splendor of the state’s local flora. Plant lovers, historians and aspiring botanists alike can enjoy wildflowers in full bloom at the Healy House and Dexter Cabin in Leadville all summer. In 1878, August R. Meyer commissioned the building of a Greek Revival clapboard masterpiece for his bride, Emma. The home has been restored and features a lavish interior full of artifacts from Leadville’s mining past, including items that belonged to Horace and Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor. Under the care of Nellie Healy, the house became a boarding house complete with a croquet court in the lawn. The Healy House lawn and gardens have been restored so guests can wander through lush wildflowers, Victorian urns and exquisite statuary. The grandeur of the gardens, overflowing with lupine, mountain harebell and pentstemon, can be viewed from the gazebo.

Healy House, in conjunction with the Leadville Railroad, will be offering an additional opportunity for visitors to enjoy the wildflowers. On Saturday, August 1, guests can enjoy a morning train ride through the area’s thick woods and colorful meadows followed by a catered lunch at the Healy House, along with a guided tour of this elegant History Colorado house museum. For details and registration, go to http://www.leadville-train.com/special-tours or call 1-866-386-3936.

   Though the blooms themselves are short-lived, they provide a powerful link to the past, as evidenced by their dependable yearly return. They remind us that our ancestors may have once enjoyed these very same floral scenes. Celebrating the blooms and blossoms gives us the chance to take a break from the day-to-day grind and appreciate the timeless, sophisticated beauty of something as ordinary as a daisy.

-- Harold “Bud” Elliot - Director of the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin

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One good thing about all this rain? It really highlights the beauty of the granite pavement at the 16th Street Mall! 

You probably just know it as the place you go to see flicks and shop, but the 16th Street Mall was actually designed in 1982 by world-renown architect I.M Pei...you know, the same guy who designed the Louvre Pyramid and NCAR.  

The main features of I.M. Pei’s Modernist design include polychromatic granite pavers, wide sidewalks and a central tree lined corridor, which these days is spotted with public pianos to enhance the 16th Street experience even more. 

It seems like just another place to shop, but when you consider that the 16th Street Mall is actually a unique, pedestrian-only thoroughfare for commerce, entertainment, art, and music -- complete with free public transportation! -- suddenly it seems a lot greater than ordinary. 

Read more about the 16th Street Mall.

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Preservation Fact or Fiction?

Do you know historic preservation? Test your knowledge!

Fact or fiction? “Every $1 million spent on historic preservation in Colorado generates 32 jobs.”

Steamboat Springs Downtown Historic District. Photo by Alexis Eiland.

If you guessed fact, you are right! Historic preservation is obviously the right route to protecting historic buildings, but it’s also an extremely effective way to create jobs and boost local economies. 

Between 1981 and 2010, historic preservation projects in Colorado created more than 34,000 jobs and approximately $843 million in household earnings, with a total economic impact of $2.5 billion. 

In particular, federal and state tax credits for historic preservation projects encourage private investment in historic properties, and Colorado has a new and improved state preservation tax credit starting July 2015.

Photo courtesy Thomas W. Thorpe, AIA, Townscapes, LLC

Check out how the building at 1212 Pearl Street in Boulder changed as a result of using historic preservation tax credits to make the rehabilitation project financially viable. 

What was once a building in disrepair is now a thriving business, encouraging commercial growth in the downtown area all while beautifying the streetscape and preserving a lovely historic building.

Read more about the economic benefits of historic preservation in Colorado, and visit Presonomics to learn about the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to promoting the economic advantages of preserving historic places. 

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Preservation Fact or Fiction?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

Fact or fiction? “Historic preservation is the protection and conservation of historic buildings, archaeological sites, manuscripts, clothing and other personal objects, and works of art.”

Historical photo of the Buena Vista Depot, built c. 1891. Photo from Denver, South Park & Pacific Historical Society.

If you guessed fiction, you’re right! Historic preservation is the protection and conservation or historic buildings and archaeological sites, but preservation doesn’t include things like manuscripts, clothing and other personal objects, or works of art. 

Archivists, curators, conservators, collections managers, restorers, and other types of conservationists work to protect manuscripts, art work, and objects, but preservationists (for the most part) work to protect historic places, whether they are 1,000-year-old cliff dwellings, 1880s mining communities, or 1960s Mid-century Modern neighborhoods. 

Check out what historic preservation did for the Buena Vista Depot in Chaffee County. Pretty impressive, huh?

Buena Vista Depot before preservation

Buena Vista Depot after preservation

The National Park Service just released a new series of webpages all about historic preservation. Do yourself a favor and take a look!

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Mothers of All Kinds

A mother isn’t just someone who raises children -- she’s also someone who will raise a little hell to fight for what she believes in. Take, for example, Mother Jones. 

Born Mary Harris in Ireland before moving to Canada with her family, she was the daughter of railway worker Robert Harris, an agitator who fought for worker’s rights. 

Originally a teacher, Mother Jones eventually moved to Memphis, but after tragically losing her family to illness, and later her business to fire, she turned to her father’s path and dedicated her life to improving working conditions. When coal miners went on strike in Trinidad (and were eventually massacred at the Ludlow Tent Colony) Mother Jones felt called to southern Colorado.

By the time she arrived in Colorado in January 1914, Mother Jones was already a well-known agitator and strike supporter. Because of her reputation, she was greeted by military force upon her arrival in Trinidad. 

Mother Jones was not permitted to talk to the miners, union leaders, or anyone else and was advised never to return to that part of Colorado. When a train headed for Denver arrived at the station, she was put in the custody of a lieutenant and four soldiers. But being ousted from Colorado didn’t stop her from trying to improve the lives of the Colorado miners.

During a talk at the House Mines Committee, she denounced the actions of the Governor of Colorado for bringing in the military to deal with the strikers, she spoke out against John D. Rockefeller, Jr. for connections to the mines in question, and she testified before the Industrial Commission to garner aid for the Colorado miners after the Ludlow Massacre.

Despite being told never to return to Trinidad, Mother Jones did return to Colorado where she was arrested and kept for a time in Walsenburg Jail. During her long life, Mother Jones fought for the rights of all workers and for the vote. 

She was a woman who wasn’t afraid to fight for what she believed in. By preserving the memory of Mother Jones, along with the locations where she stayed, it allows people to remember the struggles of the past to inform the present. In a time of injustice at the hands of employers she and other workers were unafraid to stand up for what was right. While we today stand up against injustice, it is important to remember labor and justice movements of the past.

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Preservation Fact or Fiction?

Do you know historic preservation? Test your knowledge!

Fact or fiction? “Buildings that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places are protected by the U.S. government and their owners are subject to specific federal laws.”

Arapahoe Acres Historic District in Denver was the first post-World War II residential neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you guessed fiction, you are right! It’s a common misconception that places listed in the National Register of Historic Places are protected from demolition or that their owners are subject to federal regulation.

Managed by the National Park Service (which operates under the Department of the Interior), the National Register does not offer properties any protection, which is why it’s so important that ordinary American citizens (like you!) value historic preservation. If you own a property that’s listed in the National Register, you can be a wonderful preservationist by respecting the building’s history and choosing the best techniques to preserve the building so that it will last for future generations.

Built in 1905, the Charles Emerick House in Trinidad was listed in the National Register in 2014. 

National Register-listed properties aren’t protected by the federal government, but that also means that if you own a National Register-listed property, you are not obligated to follow any specific federal guidelines. If you own a house that’s listed on the National Register, yes, you can still change the paint colors or build an addition! 

But we always encourage you to follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards or ask us, the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office, or other trustworthy professional preservationists for advice to ensure that the changes you make to your historic property accommodate your needs but don’t infringe on the integrity of its gorgeous historic architecture or historical significance. 

Don’t forget! Always check with your locality -- your town, city, county, or other local government -- to make sure your plans for your historic property are following local laws. Local laws vary from place to place, and you may be required to follow certain guidelines or standards within your locality.

Learn more about the National Register on our website. 

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5 Historic Buildings in Colorado You Didn’t Know Were Green

We recycle, bike to work, eat local, and try to use less water and electricity. But did you know we can make environmentally sustainable choices with our historic buildings, too? Here are five historic buildings in Colorado that you might be surprised to learn are environmentally responsible.

1. Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Junction 

Built in 1918, the building now houses offices for ten federal agencies. In 2010 the building underwent a $15 million rehabilitation to become a net-zero-energy-usage building, and today it’s the first building listed on the National Register of Historic Places to earn LEED Platinum certification. See historic and modern photos of the building.

2. Silverton School

After a broken broiler left students and teachers bundled in cold-weather gear during the winter of 2009, the school took the opportunity to transform the 1911 building’s heating system (partially through using grants from the State Historical Fund) to make it the first historic building in Colorado to earn LEED Gold certification. See photos and read more about the project.

3. Engine House No. 5 in Denver

Built in 1922, Engine House No. 5 was historically (surprise!) a fire engine house. Today it’s the home of Slaterpaull Architects, who used historic preservation tax credits to rehabilitate the property into Colorado’s first LEED Platinum-certified historic building. See what it looks like today. 

4. Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver 

Sure, you knew the Capitol was closed for a few years for preservation, but did you know the Colorado State Capitol building is the first capitol building in the United States to receive LEED certification? Installation of low-flow toilets, increased use of low-energy light bulbs and lighting fixtures, and installation of geothermal heating all help to make this building environmentally sustainable. See photos and visit the Capitol.

5. Emerson School in Denver 

The exquisite 1884 building in Denver’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood was rehabilitated in 2011 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who received several sustainability initiative grants from the State Historical Fund to install geothermal heating and low-flow plumbing, among other projects. Today the building has LEED Gold certification. Learn more about the project.

Many of these projects were rehabilitated using grants from the History Colorado State Historical Fund. Learn how the State Historical Fund can help you green-ify your historic building. 

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Happy National Library Week! At the turn of the century, outlying neighborhoods in Denver accessed books through traveling boxes of books and small rented rooms, but as the city expanded, residents expressed the need for bricks-and-mortar libraries, which were more convenient and reliable.

To aid in this effort, Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie (who from the 1880s through the 1930s funded the construction of more than 2,500 libraries throughout the country) donated $80,000 to Denver for the construction of four libraries. 

One of these was the Woodbury Branch Library, designed by well-known architect Jules Jacques Benois Benedict, known often as simply J.J. Benedict. Built in 1913 for $22,000 with Italian Renaissance Revival style features, the building was named for city library founder, Roger Woodbury.

So how does a 20th-century building in Denver mimic architecture of the Italian Renaissance? The secret is in the details.

Note the symmetrical façade that’s ornamented by tall arched windows with cream-colored, embellished terra cotta window trim. Can you see other elements that might evoke an Italian Renaissance feel? What about the pediment above the main entrance that’s flanked by pilasters (flat columns)? 

While it may seem like just a brick building at Federal Boulevard and W. 33rd Avenue, the symmetrical design and exterior embellishments of the building speak to a different time and place. 

This picture was taken in the early 1910s. The library was renovated in 1993 but still retains many of its original elements. 

On the flip side, the interior feels much more like a traditional American library, with its woodwork and exposed trusses on the ceiling, which was birch treated with acid to produce a soft silver-gray finish. Looks like a great place to get some work done! 

For its architect, its architecture, and its contributions to its community, the Woodbury Branch Library is one of our favorites. 

What’s your favorite library in Denver? 

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CHARLOTTE PERRY & PORTIA MANSFIELD: A COLORADO LEGACY

Colorado has a long history of innovative women who have changed both the state and the country. Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield (picture below) were two such women. In 1913 they founded the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp in the Steamboat Springs’ Strawberry Park. They began with just five acres of land, growing to eighty-eight acres by 1949. Perry and Mansfield eventually gave the camp to Stephens College in 1967.  

In 1993 the Friends of Perry-Mansfield, Inc. bought the camp and then sold fifteen acres, thus reducing it to seventy-three acres. Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp is the oldest continuous dance school in the country and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994. This designation includes all seventy-three acres and a complex of seventy buildings and structures.

Oak Creek Mine Carpenters constructed the main buildings at the camp. In addition to offering the typical things of a performing arts camp like dance and art, the camp offered tennis, swimming, overnight camping, and much more. The camp’s central location in the foothills of the Park Range and Zirkel Wilderness Area of Routt National Forest was an ideal spot for outdoor activities. 

Perry and Mansfield were not only patrons of the arts, but also protectors of the environment so they tried to build the camp in a way that didn’t harm the natural surroundings. Little evidence exists of formal campus planning that might have dictated how the buildings were placed on the site, which gives the feeling that it came together in a rather organic manner.

In the late 1990s, the owners of the 102-year-old camp began making plans for preservation of many of the camp’s historic buildings. Since most of the buildings were built in a similar style—that is, built to blend in with the natural environment—they have faced many similar preservation issues. 

Since 1994, the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp has received more than $920,000 in preservation grants from the History Colorado State Historical Fund for interior and exterior restoration and rehabilitation, stabilization, and planning. The site is a lasting testament to the dreams and convictions of western women, both past and present.

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Photography and archaeology meet in PAAC classes this spring

History Colorado and the Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS) welcome you to attend a five-part course in archaeological field and laboratory photography this spring. This course is part of the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC). 

The course will be taught by History Colorado Senior Staff Archaeologist Thomas Carr, who is also a trained professional photographer. The course will cover the history of photography in archaeology, as well as the equipment and methods of archaeological photography used both in the practice of fieldwork and in controlled lab situations. Sign up today!

Course: Field & Laboratory Photography Dates: April 2, 9, 23, 30, and May 7 Time: Thursdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm Location: History Colorado, 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO, in the first floor Ballantine Classroom (the “green” classroom) Fee: $12

To sign up, contact Anne Winslow at 303-866-4670 or [email protected] or Thomas Carr at 303-866-3498 or [email protected] 

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A Vietnam War protester marches with a sign. This photo is on display in “The 1968 Exhibit,” now at the History Colorado Center. Stop by for a groovy and educational look at one of the US’s most influential years. 

Here’s one you may not have heard before. Usually when we hear “war protesters,” we think of the Vietnam War and people like this guy or maybe we even think of the Civil War and Gangs of New York. But how about World War I? 

Benjamin Salmon was a local Denver man of Irish decent when WWI began in Europe. With the onset of US involvement in the war, American men were being called up by the draft, instituted by President Wilson. 

Following his instincts as a “good Catholic boy,” Benjamin believed that his faith prevented him from being able to participate in the war. When he and forty-three other young men from his area were called to report to the local draft office, Salmon didn’t show up. Within a day, he was brought before the draft board and found guilty of desertion.

A group of Army recruits in 1898 bound for the Spanish-American War at SHF-funded Fort Logan. 

For ten months Benjamin was held at Fort Logan under the watch of its commander, Colonel Daniel G. Howells. During Benjamin’s time at Fort Logan, he sent a letter of protest against the draft to President Wilson. After months of refusing to change his mind and join the army, Salmon was scheduled to be sent to Camp Furston, Kansas, to be tried by court-martial for willful desertion from the United States Army. Salmon was reportedly the only man in Colorado who refused to fight in WWI.

Check out our Pinterest page for photos of Irish heritage in Colorado. 

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Happy Pi(e) Day!

Okay, okay, so maybe March 14 is Pi Day, not Pie Day, but like the flaky buttery crust and ooey gooey filling of an all-American apple pie, sharing our favorite pie photos is simply irresistible. We love this one of a mother in Denver presenting her daughter with a fresh baked confection, taken probably sometime between 1910 or 1915. (Are you salivating yet?) 

We also found pics of the Puritan Pie Company in Denver, built in the summer of 1911 as the Senter Pie Company, renamed the Puritan Pie Company soon after. In 1918 the building that sits at the corner of 26th and Champa Streets expanded to present size.

Later in the 20th century, the Puritan Pie Company attained a certain degree of notoriety for its association with Beat author Neal Cassady, who spent much of his childhood in a (now demolished) apartment house at the corner of 26th and Champa Streets. Neal’s older brother Jack ran a whiskey still out of the back of a house just north of the Pie Company building, relying on "the heavy sweet odor" of the pies to mask the smell of alcohol.

Though the Pie Company building is empty today, it was in business through the 1960s. In fact, you can still find Puritan Pie Company pie plates at antique stores around town, and we found one in our collection!

There's not a lot of information about this particular pie tin, but we do know it’s likely from the 1920s or 30s and has holes punched in the bottom to help the crust cook correctly. These tins were likely giveaways (meaning the tin came with the pie you purchased) and served as advertising for the company.

How are you celebrating Pi(e) Day?

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Ultimate Modern Woman: The Martha Weiser House

It isn’t every day that an actress, an architect, and a modern Contemporary residence unite to preserve some of Colorado’s natural areas. But Boulder actress and environmental activist Martha “Ricky” Weiser’s house did just that. 

The 1963 building was designed by locally renowned architect L. Gale Abels and constructed on 240 acres of land which, in 1979 with Weiser’s support, became part of White Rocks State Natural Area. As an avid reader of Architectural Digest, Weiser knew exactly what she wanted in a house: a building that fit in with its surroundings and did not disrupt the White Rocks.

The gorgeous Contemporary building directly responds to the surrounding landscape by including a low-pitched butterfly roof, visible roof beams, relatively open floor plan, combination of wood and stone, large window expanses, overhanging eaves, and a central courtyard.

In fact, the house was so connected to nature that a variety of animals called the courtyard home over the years, including toads that feasted on ants and tame falcons that Weiser owned in connection to her interest in falconry. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, this intriguing home is a fine example of how Contemporary design can be integrated with its surroundings.

Check out more stories of Colorado women and historic preservation on the History Colorado Preservation Blog. 

Black and white photos by Brian Thompson, Ethan James Foundation Color photo by Heather Peterson, History Colorado

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We're thrilled to announce this year's awardees for the 2015 Stephen H. Hart Awards for Historic Preservation, which honors people, organizations or projects who have done outstanding work in archaeology and historic preservation in Colorado. 

Check out the video above for a look at some of the work done by this year's winner of the 2015 Governor's Award for Historic Preservation.

The 2015 honorees are:

13th Annual Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation:

Boulder County for Proactive Consideration of Historic Buildings During Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery

6th Annual History Colorado President’s Award:

Ernest House, Jr. for His Great Service to Tribes and Historic Preservation in Colorado 

6th Annual State Archaeologist’s Award:

Marilyn Martorano for Her Studies of Culturally Modified Trees in Colorado

29th Annual Stephen H. Hart Awards:

Cultural Resources Staff of the Colorado Department of Transportation for the Collaborative Mitigation Program

City of Aspen and Aspen Historic Preservation Commission for the Mid-Century Properties Individualized Incentives Program

Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory for Preservation of the Gothic Townsite and Structures 

The Hart Awards are open to the public and free to attend, but due to limited space, registration is highly recommended. Interested in attending? You can RSVP online. 

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2015 officially marks one year until the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966! This groundbreaking legislation effectively established the field of historic preservation and set the standards and practices that we follow today, most notably by mandating the development of state historic preservation offices, or offices in each state that monitor how that state handles, preserves and protects its historic places and archaeological sites. In Colorado, we call ours the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and it's part of History Colorado.

Take a second to imagine what the United States might look like today without the National Historic Preservation Act. Imagine how different your community might look if the United States hadn't established a national ethic and priority to preserve our significant historic bridges, train cars, roads, buildings, archaeological materials and sites, and much more.

Would your downtown still have those cool Victorian storefronts that make you feel like you're in a mining town in the 1880s? Would Molly Brown still be the legacy she is today if her house in Denver hadn't been saved by impassioned preservationists in the 1970s? Things might be more different than you can even imagine. 

Sure, we've got a long way to go; significant and beautiful buildings are lost all over the country every day. But laws like the National Historic Preservation Act changed the way we think about our historic places, both rural and urban, and that's something we can all be proud of.

Get involved in the future of America's historic places! Take this survey about the Preservation50 celebration, and check out ways you can get involved in your community.

What are these images? Preservation50.org worked with preservationists and artists from around the country to design six posters that speak to the myriad American places being preserved today.