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Do you know about this present day historical location?
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
Come into the museum for the answers to these questions.
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Last Month's Photo
The Upton Treat Smith House. Upton Treat Smith came to Castle Rock after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. He had this small but beautiful rhyolite house built in 1902. Smith served seven years as the Douglas County Treasurer and was also at one time Vice-President of the First National Bank in Castle Rock.
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This book, entitled "Service Record Book of Men and Women of Castle Rock, Colorado and Community," was sponsored by V.F.W. Post 4664 with an assist by the Castle Rock and Community Business Men. It includes a picture and brief service record of those men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. It is believed to have been published shortly after the war ended. It was recently donated to the Museum by Catherine P. Adkisson of Littleton, Co.
This book will be on exhibit at the Museum for the month of November in honor of our many area veterans.
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History Corner
G. Cole Briscoe, born in Illinois in 1849 came to Colorado as a young man and settled in Douglas County. After trying his hand at mining near Gunnison, he returned to Douglas County and Castle Rock, staking a claim along Sellars Gulch where he began raising stock.
Briscoe had a keen interest in public affairs and was elected Sheriff of Douglas County in 1887 and served two terms. In 1899 he was elected State Representative for Douglas County and served two terms as well.
It was while serving in the State Legislature that he introduced a bill, co-written with the help of Castle Rock resident Frank Ball, that provided for the creation and funding of High School Districts in any 4th or 5th class counties (determined by salaries of county officers) in the state of Colorado. His bill became law in May of 1900 and very soon saw the creation of the first Douglas County High School located in the recently completed (1897) Cantril School House.
Mr. Briscoe passed away in 1937 and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery beside his wife Ina who survived him by 19 years. Sadly, the tombstone to their right is that of their son, Walter Cole Briscoe, who passed away in 1905 at the age of 14.
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- Historical Society News
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Castle Rock Historical Society Board
President - Dorothy Kelly
Vice President - Cindy Malone
Secretary - Lynette McNairy
Treasurer - Jim Allamian
Education - Guy Mordeaux
Events and Fundraising - Sandy Schenecker
Historian - Fred Edison
Welcome to Claudine Phibbs who has joined the Museum staff as Adminstrative Assistant.
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Volunteers
Thanks to Willow & David Kauffman for providing refreshments at the October Member Meeting and Donna Scheer for refreshments in September.
Thanks to Bev Williams for donating Homemade Choke Cherry and other assorted preserves for fund raising at the Museum. There are a VERY limited number still available.
A special thank you to Maria and Jeff Lunn who donated several days of their time to setup and operate our new Garden Railroad which had a successful debut on Saturday, September 26, in conjunction with the Depot's 140th Anniversary.
Thank you also to Sharesa Fetrow who braved the cold and rain to help with a walking tour of downtown Castle Rock provided by the Museum for the Renaissance Expedition School 2nd graders.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum
Member Meeting Refreshments – Sign up to bring and/or coordinate members to bring refreshments to membership meetings. Cookies and drinks are all that is required, but your inspirations would be great too. The Society holds monthly program meetings for the benefit of its members.
Tour Planner and Organizer – The society and museum plan visits to local sites related to exhibits at the museum or tours to sites of interest to the historically minded. Past trips have included an historic tour of Denver, tours to local rhyolite quarry sites, tours to interesting sites around Douglas County, a tour of Glen Eyre (home of Gen William Palmer) and others. A Tour planner would arrange for several tours a year and serve as host for the tour.
Historic Marker Manager – The Historical Society has initiated the Historic Marker Program in Castle Rock. A local site with an interesting history has a metal plaque with a QR code (readable by a smart phone) with information and pictures about the history of the property. Twenty markers have been placed thus far. More locations certainly qualify. The manager would keep current markers up to date and work to add sites to the program.
Docent – The museum can use docents to cover for vacation time for museum staff. Docents conduct tours of the museum. A great way to increase your knowledge about Castle Rock and meet interesting people at the same time. Volunteer for as little as two hour commits.
Gift Shop photographs - The museum gets a lot of requests for postcards and copies of its old photographs. The museum could use a volunteer to arrange for some of its photographs to be made into postcards and prints for the gift shop.
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We have several Douglas County Historic Calendars from years gone by that are available at no cost. They include the years 2010, 2012, and 2013. If you missed those years, stop by and get a copy while they last.
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Kudos and thanks to Brigette Owens who has been a mainstay at the Museum and was instrumental in developing this newsletter and greatly increasing its circulation. She has moved on to bigger and better things. Many thanks Brigette!
Commemorative Brick Courtyard
The courtyard at the Castle Rock Museum is continuing to expand, stop by and purchase your own commemorative brick for yourself, a loved one, a business, or even your most cherished animal companion.
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Looking for unique gift? Come down to the Castle Rock Museum's gift shop for all your historic Castle Rock and Douglas County gifts. We are stocked in 2016 calendars, Robert L. Lowenberg's book "CASTLE ROCK: A Grass Roots History," a handful of children's railroad themed toys, and a limited number of local Castle Rock postcards.
November/December Specials
Mary Cornish 1994, Limited Edition, "Historical Castle Rock." These are 11x14 matted prints, originally $45, now available in time for Christmas for $15.95.
Hal Rice Limited Edition, "Castle Rock, Denver & Rio Grande RR, c. 1902." Only three of these limited edition prints from the original watercolors by Colorado artist Hal Rice. Two 11x14 matted prints for $15.95 (orig. $45), and one framed print of the same size for $29.95 (orig $65).
Either of these two artist's prints would make
a wonderful addition to your family room or den,
or a gift to loved one out of state.
We are also offering special prices on our entire selection of Vintage matted prints of Castle Rock. Selections include, 1920s Wilcox St., 1930-40s Starlighting, and many more. Normally priced at $24, these are now available for $9.95.
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Also: we have received numerous 8x10 matted, color photographs of Roxborough Park, and wildlife, available for $5.95.
We still have lots of B&W and color photos, 8.5x11 for $4.75.
2016 Calendars
The new 2016 Historic Calendars are here!! Published by Historic Douglas County, Inc., the Calendar is now available here. Suggested donation - $5.
We also have available, for free, leftover calendars from 2010, 2012, & 2013.
Also now available in our gift shop: homemade "jams and/or jellies" in various sizes and flavors.
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New to the gift shop at the Castle Rock Museum
"Chronicles of Douglas County Colorado"
Join the Castle Rock Writers for a journey through the history of this land and the diverse legacy left behind by those who made it their home.
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Along with these popular titles...
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You can now support CRHS by shopping on Amazon!!
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum, every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the CRHS. To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device, search and select Castle Rock Historical Society and begin shopping and supporting CRHS.
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Recycle - Save those aluminum cans!! A HUGE thank you to those who have been donating cans!!
The museum collects and recycles aluminum cans to raise money for matching grants. Bring those cans to the museum and use the green container next to the bathroom. Aluminum cans only please. Anything else will be removed by the recycling company. Help the environment and raise a little money for the museum.
Many thanks to those who have already contributed!
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Lionel Oberlin, the first Director of the Castle Rock Museum, has moved to Seattle to be near his daughter, Wendy. You can send all letters through his daughter Wendy at,
4015 Wallingford Ave N.
Seattle, Wa. 98103-8218
I am sure he would love to get a card from his many old friends.
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Mission: The Castle Rock Historical Society operates the Castle Rock museum, celebrates, educates, and brings together people interested in the preservation of the heritage of the Castle Rock, Colorado area.
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Support the Castle Rock Historical Society. Join as a member, make a donation, or sell an item on eBay.
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Opportunities to Contribute
You know we need you!! Thank you to those who help with hands, time and money. Whatever your skill is, it can help the community in your historical little town of Castle Rock.
To find out how you can help email president@castlerockhistoricalsociety.org .
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