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Boulder County Poor Farm

Coordinates: 40°02′44″N 105°12′23″W / 40.04556°N 105.20639°W / 40.04556; -105.20639
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Boulder County Poor Farm
Boulder County Poor Farm is located in Colorado
Boulder County Poor Farm
Boulder County Poor Farm is located in the United States
Boulder County Poor Farm
Location3902 63rd St.[2]
Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Coordinates40°02′44″N 105°12′23″W / 40.04556°N 105.20639°W / 40.04556; -105.20639
Architectural styleQueen Anne
NRHP reference No.01000969 [1]
CSRHP No.5BL.378
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 13, 2011
Designated CSRHPSeptember 13, 2011

Boulder County Poor Farm is the site of a poor farm in the Valmont area of Boulder County, Colorado, where long-term care for the county's indigent was provided from 1902 to 1918.[3] The site operated as a farm from 1897, and many of the original farm buildings are still present, including a main house built in Queen Anne style.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Starting in 1875, Boulder County leased a series of properties to serve as the county poorhouse. In 1902, the 120-acre (49 ha) farm on today's 63rd Street was purchased to house the Boulder County Poor Farm and Hospital;[4] many modifications were made to the farm house, including the construction of a two-story dormitory annex.[2] By 1918, a larger building was needed, and the institution was moved to another location.[5] The farm was sold and returned to private operation. In 2018, a century after the county left the property, the city of Boulder purchased the combined Poor Farm / Fort Chambers (a/k/a Fort Valmont)[6] property for Open Space Mountain Parks (OSMP) use.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Anne Quinby Dyni. "History of the Boulder County Poor Farm and Hospital" (PDF). City of Boulder. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Boulder County Listings". History Colorado. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Story Behind the Name: Boulder County Poor Farm". Left Hand Valley Courier. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Silvia Pettem (April 14, 2011). "County hospital and poor farm helped needy". The Daily Camera. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  6. ^ Heckel, Aimee (September 17, 2020). "A Boulder Oasis: Greenbriar Inn". Travel Boulder. Retrieved February 13, 2024. Greenbriar Inn… This land at the base of the canyon originally served as an outpost of Fort Valmont
  7. ^ "Fort Chambers / Poor Farm Management Plan | City of Boulder". bouldercolorado.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2024.