Annual Report, Visions of the past and of the future

Properties

In the Hamill House, the historic bathroom, which was destroyed in the 1974 fire, finally saw the return of its bathtub and sink with its walnut casing and splashboard. The plans and specifications for this project were prepared by Long-Hoeft Architects of Georgetown and the work was done by Tim McDonough of Silver Plume Home Services. Funding was provided by the Colorado State Historic Fund.

Fund raising continues to match the funds of the Historic Fund and the King Foundation of Denver for the restoration of the Hamill Office Building.

At the Kneisel House, new water, sewer, and gas lines have been installed and work is currently underway in rebuilding the stairway from the street to the property, which had to be removed for the installation of these services.

Our thanks to Banky Blackmer of Georgetown for his work and for the cooperation of the Town of Georgetown and Public Service Company of Colorado.

This past summer, Nan Rickey, Kathy Hoeft and Coralue Anderson, armed with old photographs and lists of questions, visited with Helen "Holly" Ferguson, at her residence in Denver. Holly is a cousin of Coralue, Wendy and Smoky Anderson of Georgetown. She grew up in Georgetown and regaled the ladies with interesting stories of life in Georgetown and the Kneisel House as well as identifying people and objects in the old pictures. By the way, Holly celebrated her 100th birthday this past March and very much enjoys keeping up with our preservation efforts.

One of HGI's largest projects is the operation of the Gateway Visitor Center. Over 70,000 visitors passed through the facility last year. Kudos to Bob Gibbs for organizing volunteer workers - Bob Primus, Dennis Seibel Otto Werlin and me who supplemented the staff of Ann and Bernell Izard and Jan Shirlaw. As you may already know, plans are underway to build a new facility on this site in the next year in order to more effectively and efficiently manage the needs of our visitors.

However, before a new building can be designed, an interpretive study must be done in order to determine exactly how the new building will be used and what kinds of exhibits are necessary in order to represent the concerns of some 15 agencies who are to be represented. With funding provided by the Colorado State Historic Fund and the Scenic By-ways Commission (through the Clear Creek County Tourism Board), this study is underway, headed up by Consultant Nan Rickey, and will be completed by October of this year. At that time, the architects, in consultation with our board, will design the new structure. The work is scheduled to be under way in the spring of 2000. Funding raised thus far for study, design and construction totals $461,000 from the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Scenic Byways Fund and the State Historic Fund. Fund raising is currently under way for and additional $400,000.

Work on Hamill Park is also progressing. To be located behind the Hamill House, on land donated by Bob and Karen Gibbs, this little park will offer calm repose, for resident and visitor, in a hopefully harmonious arrangement of gardens and building. In addition, the park will protect the rear viewscape of the Hamill property and serve as a peaceful location for small special events. The park has been endowed by Mrs. Alice B. Moore, who passed away this past April. Mrs. Moore, mother of Mrs. Bill (Kathie) Wilson of Georgetown, stipulated that $75,000 from her estate will be set aside in an endowment, the proceeds of which are to be used, exclusively, for the maintenance of the park provided that the park is substantially complete by January of 2004. An additional $75,000 has been pledged by two anonymous donors to be used for the construction of the park. Estimated to cost some $250,000, funding for the balance is currently being sought.

Member Frank Young cleaning the kitchen at the Mahany building.

The sale of engraved bricks and the sale of various elements of the park (flagpoles, benches, etc.) will begin this summer. A special thanks to Dawn Janov of Georgetown, who has purchased several bricks (even though the brochure is not yet done) providing additional seed money to get the project underway.

Collections

We continue to receive gifts of wonderful artifacts, furniture and photographs from our many members and friends. Terry and Sue Shakespeare of Glendale, California (formerly of Clear Creek County) donated many items for both our permanent collection and our benefit auction. Several trips were required to move the items from their house near the Alvarado Cemetery to the Hamill Carriage House. Our thanks again to Tim McDonough for his assistance in moving these items.

Charlotte Van Brunt of Denver donated exquisite 19th century linens, Bavarian china and many other items passed on to her from her Georgetown relatives. Gerald and Rene Tewell of Denver donated several items of historical interest, including an original 19th century room key from the Barton House Hotel of Georgetown; Karen and Bob Gibbs donated handsome china from her mother, Mrs. Harriet Frick of Cleveland, Ohio; Richard Worthen of Denver presented us with 27 glass slides of the Hamill House taken before the 1974 fire and other views; Don Mitchell of Idaho Springs donated many, many items for the permanent collection and for the auction. This collection was so large that it took three trips to Mr. Mitchell's house to gather all the items…and it would have been many more had it not been for the help of students from the Trailhead Wilderness School of Georgetown, Lee Behrens, Pat Massengill and John Overpeck ,who provided additional muscle-power and the Tommyknocker Brewery of Idaho Springs which provided a large delivery truck and driver (the honorable Keith Murray of Georgetown). Thanks also to Kim Overpeck, our auction coordinator for her many hours and to Nan Rickey who worked tirelessly in cataloging and processing our many donations.

Nan also helped form a costume committee for the preservation of our large collection of historic clothing and accessories. They hope to have some of their work on display in the near future. The committee recently met with CSU Professor Linda Carlson, an expert in antique clothing, for an evaluation of their program. Chaired by Parthena Moore, other members of the committee are Marge Acker, Ann Champion, Elaine Dunn, Lois McNeil and Julie Wood.

Devil's Gate History Club

Always enjoyable and informative, the Devils Gate History Club lecture series hosted a number of speakers on a range of topics. Bill Wilson and his committee once again provided us with an outstanding series. It began in September with Chris Bradley and George Downing leading as evening of folk songs of the mines and railroads of the West; followed in October with "A Day in the Life of a Miner - 1885" by Leo Stambaugh; November's meeting featured Coralue Anderson and Buff Rutherford presenting the history of skiing in our area. In January, CU Professor Emeritus William Weber discussed Botany of the Rocky Mountains. Kathy Hoeft of Long-Hoeft Architects spoke in February about 19th century wallpapers of the Landmark District. Also in February, Roy Rizzardi of Silver Plume, told of mines, equipment and cabins from the 1950's to the 1980's. In March, our Curator Nan Rickey shared her fascination with Georgetown fences, curious, common and quaint. In April, an insider's tour of the Hotel De Paris, lead by Curt Claus, recently retired chief interpreter of the Hotel, Kathy Hoeft, Hotel advising architect, and me. Donations by attendees of the history club were used to purchase a new tape recorder to help preserve the lecture series. Many thanks to the Georgetown Community Center and the Georgetown Mason's Lodge for their continued cooperation.

County Archivist Chris Bradley leads a tour of Silverdale on the Guanella Pass Road. Pictured from left are Mort Stern, Dorothy and John McMeeken, Maryann and Richard Woods, Bill and Kathie Wilson, and Bradley.

Special Events

The 1999 House Tour, held last July and attended by over 1,000 patrons, was a successful fundraiser for HGI. We gratefully acknowledge the hard work of Special Events Chair Dana Abrahamson, the volunteers and especially the homeowners: Joyce and Kerry Pedlow, Bill and Kathie Wilson, Jane and Harry Robertson, Bob and Connie Primus, John and Sandy Jackson, Rebecca Whittaker, Sharon Smith, Barbara Jackson and Dick Dorn. Thanks also to: the Georgetown Energy Museum; Hotel De Paris, Grace Episcopal Church, our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, First Presbyterian Church and the Old Georgetown Station. We appreciate the generosity of Heggum-Lunquist Paint Company of Denver and the Red Ram Restaurant of Georgetown in helping underwrite the event; Salley Smith and others for helping cover the costs of the concession stand; KEZW radio, Denver, for all the free publicity; Shoppe Internationale for the floral arrangements, St. Anthony's Hospital, Denver, for the booties; Rutherford's Carriage Service for the horses and carriage, Loveland Ski Areas for the shuttle bus, Rob Craig for creating the pen and ink drawings, Carol Vesterby, catering, Georgetown Community Center, Georgetown Police Department and Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department and finally to Pauline Marshall and students from the Elementary school for staffing the lemonade stands.

The Hamill House hosted a membership picnic last September that was organized by Tom Bennhoff and Salley Smith. Over sixty members were in attendance and enjoyed food donated by Dave Bauer of the Red Ram and the music of the Clear Creek No Name Band.

A new membership brochure was produced this past fall. Written by Board member Carol Moore, the new format contains information and photos of all our properties. It also contains the new categories of HGI life members: Johnson Log Cabin - $1,500; Tucker-Rutherford Cottage - $2,500; Kneisel House - $5,000; Bowman/White House - $10,000 and the Hamill House - $25,000. In addition, the membership committee, Salley Smith, Tom Bennhoff, Carol Moore and Parthena Moore are meeting regularly to work on increasing our membership.

This past year's Christmas Market (our 40th annual, to be exact) was a great success under the direction of Special Events Chairman Dana Abrahamson, and the Market Committee: Salley Smith, Janice Moore, Patti Fraley, Dee Geisness, Carole Abbot, Dennis Seibel and Ann Morgan. We had great weather, wonderful entertainment and good publicity (thanks to Rick Crandall of KEZW Radio, the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, TV channels 7 & 4, and the Clear Creek Courant). Over eight thousand visitors attended the market. Our thanks to Clear Creek National Bank and Peak National Bank of Evergreen for helping to underwrite the event; Nancy Johnson and students of the Georgetown Elementary School for the St. Lucia Processional; volunteer emcees: Bob Smith, John Calhoun, Tom Bennhoff and Northglenn High School student, Jeremy Davis. To Buff and Mary Lou Rutherford, thank you for the haywagon rides. Buff and Mary Lou have decided to retire. They will be missed.

For the first time during Christmas Market, the Bowman/White House was open to the public for tours. Curator Nan Rickey prepared the house for the holidays in the fashion of the turn of the century, including a tree decorated with handmade ornaments. Guests were served tea and cookies and treated to a tour of the downstairs which features a wonderful collection of original paintings of Colorado scenes by Colorado artists, on permanent loan to us from HGI members Hart and Marge Axley.

This past March, the Bowman-White House served as the setting for an interview segment to be included in a documentary on Pioneer Mountaineers, which will air next spring on The Learning Channel. It so happens that the producers of the program, the BBC in London, were searching the net for the perfect location to shoot the segment, and came upon HGI's web site. There, they spotted the photos of the Bowman-White House. The site, created and maintained by Ruth Rosenfeld, has received a lot of attention with over 8,000 "hits" logged. For those of you who prefer the Internet to the old fashioned printed page, Ruth has added our newsletter "Silver Queen Preservation News," to the site. Check it out (You obviously have!).

The Christmas receptions at the Hamill House were again well attended. In addition to our traditional holiday evenings, HGI hosted two shorter, less expensive receptions, featuring the wassail bowl prepared by Christina Schleicher and her crew. At all the receptions, there was caroling of course, and the reading of an excerpt from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" by volunteer readers Dennis Seibel, Gary Long, and Mary Lou Rutherford.

Our 1879 Steinway sounded great, thanks to pianists Jocelyn Pyle and Pauline Marshall. The piano sounds and looks better than ever since its restoration in the beginning of this year - thanks to the generosity of Bob and Connie Primus. Ken Nelson acted as our Butler and most graciously presented each of the guests. This past Christmas, we reintroduced our Hamill House Christmas dinner. Guests arrived at the Hamill House for drinks and hors d'oeuvres, then enjoyed dinner at the Red Ram, after which they caroled back to the house to complete the evening's festivities. Christmas would not be Christmas without the music and voices of the Silver Plume Singers and the Clear Creek No Name Band - a very special thanks to them and to Mort Stern, Ed Tharp, Frank Young, and Bill Wenk, who portrayed St. Nicholas.

The Hamill House was the setting once again for annual Hamill Family holiday reunion. HGI also presented the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department with a special evening at the Hamill House, honoring firefighters across the country who gave their lives to protect their communities. A special candle lighting ceremony took place as a lone bagpiper piped in the distance. We would also like to recognize Pauline Marshall, Darby O'Rourke and students from Georgetown Elementary School for decorating the nursery tree.

To mark the millennium, HGI hosted a quiet evening of food, song and conversation to welcome in the new century. The Hamill House was splendidly decorated by Ken Nelson and friends. A wonderful dinner was created and catered by Dexter Fountain and served by Ginny Fountain, Salley and Bob Smith. Christine Bradley and Claudia Cupp provided musical entertainment. The evening concluded with a short but eloquent champagne toast delivered by Ron Neely before the group wended its way to Strousse Park to view the midnight fireworks display.

Who killed Jeffrey, the famed teddy bear collector? 60 Guests sleuthed for the answer during Mystery Night at the Hamill House this past April. The fundraiser, which benefited HGI and the John Tomay Library, was the idea of members Susan Bagwell-Wisdom and Meg Stern, who saw the event through from its inception to its exciting conclusion. The acting was superb and a great time was had by all.

Partners in Preservation

As we dream, let's give acknowledgement to our preservation partners. People for Silver Plume are currently organizing a campaign to raise funds to purchase the historic Catholic Church to both retain local ownership and preserve the structure for public use.

The Georgetown Energy Museum is rehabilitating the old hydro plant to give visitors access to the generating room. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Colorado is about to complete a major restoration of the Hotel De Paris. Their 46 years of stewardship of this building and their sensitive preservation efforts merit the thanks of all that care about this Landmark District.

The Grace Episcopal Church Foundation of Georgetown has made significant progress in the preservation of the historic Snetzer Building. This project continues to serve as inspiration to all of us who are a part of the preservation movement in the Landmark.

The Silver Heritage Area of Upper Clear Creek, has just completed the Policy Framework and Implementation Guide for the Mountain Basin Project. This planning document will serve as the basis for future decision making in these most sensitive areas.

The Georgetown Community Center, Ltd. continues to operate the downtown visitor center and maintain the old Courthouse building. This past year the Caroline Parker Memorial crafted by Joe Sysel was added to the Community Center garden.

The Town of Georgetown, has just completed the new town plan and the new guidelines for the Design Review Commission. Police Judge Janet Claus and the Board of Selectmen, the Planning and Design Review Commissions and Project Director Cindy Neely have spent the last 18 months hard at work preparing these important plans.

Around the Hamill House and our offices: We are thankful for the continued work of Membership Coordinator and volunteer extraordinaire, Parthena Moore, who also chairs the Costume Committee, volunteers as a tour guide, coordinates the docents at the Bowman/White House…sits on the membership and auction committees…not to mention helps out wherever she is needed at anytime, anyplace.

And to our Staff: Executive Director Jeanne Waligroski; Curator Nan Rickey, Gift Shops Manager Anne Izard; Tour Guide Jocelyn Pyle; Visitor Center Hosts Bernell Izard & Jan Shirlaw; and of course our President and CEO Ron Neely. Eternal thanks.

The Year Ahead

Fiscal Year 2000- 2001, will continue to be filled with new ideas, projects and accomplishments. In addition to the work already underway, we look forward to the many events and programs scheduled….including our Benefit Auction and Gala, August 19th on the Hamill House Lawn. Our former Office Manager, Deb Zarlengo, a veteran of auctions past, is chairing the event. Working along with Special Events Committee Chair Dana Abrahamson, coordinator Kim Overpeck, silent auction Chair Coralue Anderson, Frank Young, stage crew, Carol Doane, finances, and me as decorations chair; Deb has managed to organize all aspects of the event.

Rob Goodell from Loveland Ski Area is catering the event. Thanks to Ted Jones and Diane Dieter of Boulder for underwriting this most important fund raising effort. Their employer, Amgen Corporation of Boulder and Thousand Oaks, California, matched their donations. Please contact our offices if you would like to donate an item or volunteer for this event. In the meantime, pray for good weather and a great turn-out. Buy your tickets!

Although Historic Georgetown, Inc. has accomplished a great deal over the past 30 years, we still have much to do in the upcoming year and the decades to follow. With the continued support of our members and friends, we will succeed in making Georgetown one of the finest preserved historic landmark districts in the Rocky Mountain West and perhaps the nation and the world.

We can only dream.

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