Opening Buildings and Designing Experiences at Clear Creek History Park
We are flinging open the doors to the cabins and outbuildings at Clear Creek History Park in 2012. Starting in May, we will be open six days a week from 10-4:30 p.m. with on-going activities throughout the day.
As a part of this flurry of energy at the Park, we are expanding access to the buildings. The Barn is cleaner than it has been in years and is ready to accomodate critters (with sheep being the most likely denizens). The Reynolds Cabin will be open on a daily basis and while the experience there has still not been planned out, we do have a few nascent ideas. The drawing below was lovingly composed by my hand and while it doesn’t live up to the standards of my artist sister, it does give some clues as to what people may get to do in the cabin.
As we design the experience at the Park, we are considering the geography of the site and the best stories that we could tell about late 19th century life in Golden Gate Canyon. As such, we’ve cracked into research files about the Pearce family and the Reynolds family and have explored the history of the Guy Hill Schoolhouse. With our plans to ramp up the animal encounters at the Park, we are also finding more out about the common breeds of hoof stock raised in the canyon and how the ranchers in the late 19th century used those animals.
The new plan will consider the key audience demographics for the park (families with children) as well as the key educational and experiential goals for the site. Look for a follow-up blog post with more details about this experience narrative. In the meantime, feel free to contribute your favorite stories about the History Park or any ideas that you may have for its future.
360-degree panoramic view of Golden on display
A 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding hillsides, and intimate, rarely seen close-ups of Golden are among the spectacular features on view at a new photography exhibit which is now open at the Golden History Center, 923 10th St.
Golden Full Circle: Photos by Scott Dressel-Martin will be one of several exhibits open to the public through the end of 2012.
Museum curator Mark Dodge and photographer Scott Dressel-Martin worked together last week to hang the images.
Visit soon to see all 15 photos on display.
The Golden History Center is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4:30 p.m.
Playing with History at the Astor House Museum
The Astor House Museum has been a well-known fixture in the Golden community since it was rescued from demolition in the 1970s. Telling the stories of boarding house life in the 19th and early 20th century, the Astor House Museum (AHM) provides a great glimpse into Golden’s colorful past.
These days when people visit the AHM, they are primarily taking a self-guided tour and perhaps asking a few questions of the friendly staff.
As a part of Golden History Museum’s new master plan (you can read more about it here), we have determined to transform the experience at the AHM so that it is more interactive and geared toward a broader audience.
We are just in the very early stages of this transformation, but we realized that to create a new experience we would need to draw from a plethora of sources to make it as engaging as possible.
Gaming and the theories behind effective game design has been one inspiration that has been sweeping through the museum world in the past couple of years.
Last week, Jessica and I met with our excellent front-line staff (Owen, Katie, Christina and Ashleigh) to start “thinking gamefully” about the AHM. To do so, we started the meeting by playing a game!
I busted out one of my favorites (Ticket to Ride: Europe) and we sat down to play. After the game, we debriefed. Was it easy to catch on to the rules? What parts of the game play worked well? What didn’t you like about the game?
Whenever people play games together they are building their relationships with one another. We all have to agree on the same rules and must trust our opponents that they will follow the rules. That trust will deepen our relationships.
As we talked, we came up with ways that we could integrate game-like components into the experience at the AHM. What if people who were coming to the AHM took on the role of someone who was going to stay there for the night? What tasks or chores would they need to complete? Could they follow clues and prompts to discover different aspects of their characters? Could we have people compete with each other somehow to unlock achievements and move up a “leaderboard”?
Now that I’ve posed a bunch of questions, here’s another one…what do you think? Our next steps with this project are to flesh out a couple of other ways that folks could experience the Astor House Museum
Doug and David play the manic card game "Fluxx" in the office.
and then test these out through intercept interviews and focus groups. If you are interested in helping Golden History Museums explore how the AHM could be transformed over the next few years, please contact David at dallison@goldenhistory.org.
Rehabing Jarvis Hall, an 1878 Golden Landmark
Everyday on my way to and from work I have noticed with curiosity the rehabilitation project that has been going on at Jarvis Hall at the intersection of 19th St. and Cheyenne. Interest piqued, I contacted the owner, Dawn Huckaby, through the Jarvis Hall Facebook page and asked her if she would write a guest entry on our blog about her historic rehab project.
From Dawn Huckaby:
“Many of you may have been wondering what in the world is going on with the property at 19th and Cheyenne. It has certainly seen many transformations in its 133 years. When we bought the property four and a half years ago it was apartments, and had been, we’re told since 1932. My husband and I bought the property with the intention of turning it into a single family home. After land lording and property managing the building as apartments the first four years of our ownership, all tenants moved out at the end of the school year this past May and we began our remodel/restoration adventure. Going against several early opinions that the structure should be torn down and a new one raised on the property, we were intent on keeping as much of the original structure that was still in livable condition intact, and removing what was poorly built with an addition in back.The structure was originally built in 1878 as a replacement school building for the first college established in Golden called Jarvis Hall. It had a great history with the community so we found it important to not destroy that aspect.
The ‘deconstruction’ was a mixed bag of emotions. As the contractor’s began removing layer after layer of remodels to get it down to the original structure it sadly became apparent that the front tower (which was determined was an addition to the original structure) was doing a major amount of damage to the front of the building. It was not attached properly to the house and was starting to lean toward 19th Street pulling the front façade with it. The first major remodel hurdle had hit us and it was decided that the tower would have to come off and be rebuilt and properly attached to the house. Along with that came the remainder of the front of the structure due to major brick cracking and decomposition. It was definitely a decision that did not come easy and once again we were questioned by several people involved as to why we aren’t tearing the whole thing down.
The one thing that kept us going with our original plan, and certainly the bright side of the deconstruction, had to be the interesting finds and discoveries everyone was making through this phase. Several old bottles turned up as the dirt movers went to work. One of our general contractors had heard that the Mason’s used to put a penny under door and window thresholds. After a back door threshold was removed he happened to dust away the dirt and found a 1902 penny underneath. As expected many old newspapers were found in walls as insulation, however, surprisingly we found whole newspapers from 1906, including the Saint Louis Globe-Democrat, the Rocky Mountain News, and the Denver Post. Along with these newspapers we found several old recipe cards we believe were put in the wall with the 1906 papers. Having the house reveal some of its history during what felt like destruction was what helped us believe we were doing the right thing by not tearing it down. It certainly would have been a lot less expensive to build new!
So with the deconstruction phase over we have begun the process of the remodel and getting the standing building structurally sound, safe, and soon to be livable again. We have had many people in the community curious and interested in what is going on with the property. We have tried to keep a Facebook page updated on Jarvis Hall for those who are interested. It’s been an interesting adventure so far, and look forward to the day we can call it Home.”
Top 10 Artifact Donations for 2011
It’s been another wonderful year at the museum. We have received over forty new artifact donations and made many new friends. In the spirit of year-end lists, here’s my top 10:
10.) A set of original drawing and maps from Magic Mountain Amusement Park in Golden
9.) A collection of 1960s Colorado School of Mines memorabilia from John Ferrell, including his freshman cap, pledge card and a rare copy of The Picker
Henry Oldag, one of Golden's last blacksmiths, made these surprisingly modern candlesticks in 1934.
8.) A pair of hand-forged metal candlesticks by Henry Oldag
7.) Numerous apple-head dolls made by Vina Ramstetter, including her Snow White and the Seven Dwarves series
6.) Phone switch board from the Holland House in Golden
5.) A dresser sold by J.C. Davidson Furniture in Golden
4). Musical Score for the Golden Overture Celebrating Golden’s 150th Anniversary, composed by David Ackerman
3.) Sterling silver crumb brush and catcher engraved with the name R. Broad Jr. (one-time Golden mayor and prominent businessman)
2.) A set of butchering tools used by Chuck Herron at Chuck’s Market in Golden (I think the cleaver still has some dried blood on it)
1.) Dr. James Kelly’s personal dosage and symptom book (Dr. Kelly was Golden’s primary medical doctor from about 1870-1900)
Happy Holidays!
With gratitude,
Mark Dodge, Curator
A Very Merry Time!
Hello Holidays! Once again Candlelight Walk brought too many visitors to count to all three of our sites. Many thanks to all the volunteers and performers who braved the cold to help out. We can’t make this event happen without the help of our dedicated volunteers who did everything from greeting visitors to passing out cider to roasting up those chestnuts everyone loves.
My Swiss-cheese brain meant it took multiple trips to the grocery store to purchase all the supplies. As it turns out it’s a good thing I went back for more. We had so many people through all three sites we ran out of everything before the evening was even over.
The Maple Street Trio performed at the Golden History Center and brought a very festive feel to the environment. This year we started a new tradition of cooking wassail over the fire at the Clear Creek History Park. Dave and Mark almost burned their hands off on more than one occasion, but I’m sure they’ll agree people loved the experience and it was well worth the risk of losing a few fingers.
Next year promises to bring even more fun and flavor to Candlelight Walk. Thanks again to everyone who helped and to everyone who visited us!
And if you missed out on Candlelight Walk be sure to stop by the Astor House Museum for Holidays at the Astor House. The front desk staff will be happy to greet you with a cookie and a few fun activities to teach you more about the holidays in Golden in the late 19th century.
–Jessica Lira, Student & Public Programs Coordinator
New Lighting in West Gallery at GHC
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- West Gallery with old flourescent lights.
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- West Gallery with new lighting.
Starting January 2: New Hours, More Access
Three main points from our new strategic framework, GHM 2016, are to: 1) offer greater access for our visitors to our facilities, 2) offer more engaging experiences with history, and 3) be wise stewards of our resources. One of the ways in which we’ve worked towards accomplishing those strategies is by reviewing our hours of operations.
Under our present situation, the Golden History Center and the Astor House Museum are open a combined total of 3,506 hours annually. The museums operate during the summer (the three months between Memorial Day and Labor Day) Tuesday-Sunday. During the low season (the nine months between Labor Day and Memorial Day) the museums are closed Sunday.
Over the past year, we have been closely observing our attendance at all three sites to better understand use. And here is a glimpse at what we found:
- Of our approximately 20,000 annual visitors, about 50% visit during the summer months of June, July and August.
- 25% of our guests visit in the “shoulder seasons” which include May, September, and October.
- The remaining 25% of visitors attend in the six months between November-April, with a notable spike in December around Candlelight Walk.
Also, for the past several years, only the grounds of the Clear Creek History Park have been open to visitors. With the notable exceptions of events and summer camps, the buildings were largely closed to the public. Previous years’ best-guess estimates of the annual visitation of the History Park were placed at around 6,100 annually. However, with the help of City of Golden Planning Department, we placed infrared counters at each of the four entrances to the park. We discovered that during the period between May 24 and June 20 the History Park welcomed over 2,200 for just those four weeks!
So, as a response to this data, we are implementing new operating hours effective January 2:
Summer Season: May 1 – Oct. 31 (AHM, GHC &CCHP)
Tues. – Sat. 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sun. Noon – 4:30 p.m.
Winter Season: Nov. 1 – April 30 (AHM & GHC)
Wed. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sun. Noon – 4:30 p.m.
Changing our operational hours will allow us to save some time during our slower season and put those resources towards staffing the History Park with living history interpreters all summer long. Additionally, we are lengthening our summer season to six months from three. Lastly, while we are reducing our hours slightly at the Astor House and History Center during the winter season, we are still keeping the same number of days, but changing from Tuesday to Sunday as our open day to better serve families who tend to visit on weekends.
We are very excited about our new hours and the ability to serve our visitors better. With the additional staff at the History Park during the summer, we will increase our total operations 20% to 4,225 annual hours. I could go on and on about how we are going to improve the experience at CCHP during the summer, but we’ll leave that to another blog post.
Nathan Richie
Denver has a brand new museum
Sometimes those of us in the museum world get to take advantage of little perks, like sneak peeks to new exhibitions, or behind-the-scenes views of top-secret collections never seen by the public. Today was one of those lucky days.
This morning I toured an entirely new museum a day before it opens to the world: the Clyfford Still Museum. It is Denver’s newest place to see art, and it’s conveniently located next door to the Denver Art Museum at 13th and Bannock.
A stunning two-story building with abundant natural light that complements beautiful wooden floors, the Clyfford Still Museum features 10,000 square feet of exhibit space. On display are just over 100 of Still’s works from a 60-year career, selected from a total collection of 2,400 items. Of particular note are three sculptures, several room-sized paintings, and a large number of smallish drawings.
In addition to the obvious attraction of art, at the street level of the building, an interactive touch-screen display guides visitors through a timeline of Still’s working years. The multiple monitors use side-by-side comparisons of historical events and art-world happenings to provide perspective for the timing of Still’s work. It’s a very slick and well-made production. For those not interested in technology, take a close look at some of the artist’s personal effects like his baseball glove or smock.
So whether you want to count yourself among the first to ever walk through a brand new museum, or you just want an enjoyable journey through Abstract Expressionism, go visit the Clyfford Still Museum. It opens on Friday, November 18, 2011.
If you’ve never heard of the artist or you need a refresher, here’s a portion of a documentary about Still’s life and work.
What’s in a Name?
The Imperial has a nice ring to it-sounds like a classy and elegant sort of place to spend a night. It turns out that our beloved Astor House once operated as the Imperial, somtime around 1913, at least. While studying a few old photos of the Blizzard of 1913, I stumbled upon a shot of 12th St. with the Astor House building in the background. The eastern end of the building is clearly marked with a sign that says The Imperial. If you study the photo you may be able to see it for yourself.
The Imperial in the background at 822 12th St. The building to the right of the guy with the snowshovel is Golden's old City Hall and fire station. Photo courtesy of Dan Mayo.
This is a great discovery because, now, armed with another name for our establishment at 822 12th street, we have the ability to research other primary source materials for specific citations or references to the Imperial. After a preliminary search through some early issues of the Colorado Transcript, we found several advertisements. One from 1917 says:
Nicely furnished room for rent at The Imperial, corner Twelfth and Arapahoe.
So, to answer the question, what’s in a name? A lot. For now, we’ll add The Imperial to our growing list of others (Lake House, Castle Rock House, Boston House, and Marshall House) for the stone building at 822 12th St.
Mark Dodge, Curator
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