Register here: http://gg.gg/wxx9h
*Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Compatible
*Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Coming Back
Black Hawk, CO 80422. Sister Casino, The Lodge has Hotel Rooms and a Las Vegas-Style Buffet: Casino bus rides from Denver & surrounding area. Driving directions to Central City and Black Hawk, Colorado. S: surprizing good food - See 34 traveler reviews, 5 candid photos, and great deals for Black Hawk, CO, at Tripadvisor. This Order applies to the entirety of Gilpin County including the City of Black Hawk and Central City pursuant to C.R.S. Effective Date and Time Limitations. This Order shall become effective on Tuesday July 14, 2020 and will remain in effect unless otherwise amended, superseded, rescinded, or suspended in writing. Best usa online casino no deposit bonus. Black Hawk Gambling. The Gilpin Casino Tweets. Guests 50 and over get a FREE meal in Lucille Malone’s and double points with 100 points earned today.Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk CompatibleLucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Coming BackB l a c k H a w k
’The City of Mills’
Black Hawk- 1870 - (www.photoswest.org)
Black Hawk, ’The City of Mills,’ is one of Colorado’s oldest cities. It is one of a number of towns that grew up in ’Gregory’s Gulch,’ the narrow ravine where Georgia prospector John H. Gregory first discovered lode gold in the western part of Kansas Territory in 1859.Within months, thousands of would-be miners poured into the gulch, hoping for more big strikes like Gregory’ s.="" a="" few="" found="" bonanzas,="">many found paying claims, but the great majority either moved elsewhere to try their luck or, proclaiming the whole ’ pike’s="" peak="" gold="">Rush’ a="" hoax,="" went="" back="" to="" their="" settled="" lives="" in="" the="">
Mountain City was the first name given to the ragged string of camp- like settlements, but as the boom subsided and the hard work of extracting the gold began, the remaining population began to coalesce into more organized town sites. Up the gulch to the west was Nevada, also known as Nevadaville or Bald Mountain. Below it lay Central City, and further down, where the gulch flowed into the North Branch of Clear Creek, was established Black Hawk Pointe. Most accounts insist the name came from an early ’ stamp’="" mill="" brought="" in="">from Illinois and named for the famous Indian chief.Black Hawk was incorporated by an act of the territorial legislature on March 11, 1864.Within a few years, the Colorado Central railroad line had reached Black Hawk, making it possible for coal to be shipped to the smelters and mills and supplies to be shipped up to the growing mining towns. The town’s skyline also boasted a new school and Presbyterian Church. Fine brick business blocks spread along the gulch from the intersection of Main and Gregory Streets but the economic boom was an environmental disaster.
Through it all, the towns continued to grow and prosper. From the outset, many of the miners and mill workers were immigrants, originally from Sweden, England and Ireland. Cornish miners experienced in hard-rock mining arrived in the 1870’ s,="" battling="" with="" their="">British brethren until all were united by the threat of Tyrolean miners willing to work for lower wages near the turn of the century....Entering yet another century, Black Hawk faces the prospect of trying to sustain and survive yet another boom period. The opportunities and challenges are there for those who will respect its rich heritage while at the same time welcoming its unlimited future with the spirit of adventure that brought forth those ambitious miners and merchants of the 1800’ s.="" and="" if="" the="" past="" is="" but="" prologue,="" black="">Hawk’ s="" full="" story,="" yet="" to="" be="" told,="" will="" be="" a="" fascinating="" one="">
Directions from Denver:
Take 6th Ave. west out of Denver toward Lakewood and Golden. W 6th Ave. becomes US-6 W. Continue on US-6 W until you reach CO-119, which will take you straight into Black Hawk.`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The ghost of Black Hawk Grade School
By: Joan Pomeroy
Published: November 26th, 2009
From the Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News
www.gilpincountynews.com/2009/11/26/the-ghost-of-black-hawk-grade-school/
Looking back to the ‘50’s from a student’s perspective
Growing up in, Black Hawk, Colorado, a small community was an experience that I only began to appreciate after I was married and lived in a larger community.Black Hawk was once a town known for its mills, which processed the gold for the “Richest Square Mile on Earth” located in Gilpin County, territory of Colorado. I can only imagine the twenty four hour a day noise that rumbled through the gulches and bounced off the mountains when all the mills were in operation.The narrow gage train rain daily from Golden, Colorado, up through Clear Creek Canyon to Black Hawk, bringing more miners and taking back the gold. Saloons were open 24 hours a day and the beds in the hotel were rented by the eight hour shift. Sheets were changed once a week. Men made a fortune in a week and lost it in a night. Women were scarce and the rugged life brought early deaths in the high altitude of 8,500 feet.
Soon the miners began to send for their families and with the families came the, churches, schools, and opera houses. Once I read an article that said “families bring culture to mining camps, turning them into towns.”A school house was built by 1860, right next to the church in Black Hawk. You can still see the church and school sitting on the hill overlooking the town.
The gold veins petered out, and some of the miners left to find another boom town. By the time we moved to Black Hawk in 1952, it was almost a ghost town. Most of the men worked in Denver or for Coors Brewery in Golden. Gone were the glory days.I started the second grade in the four-room two-story school house, which was only using one room. It had a wood/coal stove on one side, and to sit near the stove it was too hot, but to sit on the other side of the room it was too cold. First through eight grades were all in that one room and in my remembrance there was less than 30 students. Our teacher, Miss English, was of an age where most teachers retire. She was single, came from Indiana, and lived in Central City a mile away. We, as a community, were lucky to have Mrs. Garwood, the music and art teacher. She also lived in Central City and taught at all the Gilpin County schools. It was a long drive to some of the schools, as the town of Rollinsville was at least 20 miles away.
Some of the uniqueness of being in this one room school house was that every morning a man from town would bring a jug, made out of pottery with a silver colored spigot to the school house. I learned that this was the school’s drinking water, as our school did not have indoor plumbing. The bathrooms were interesting. In the hall just outside our room, was a wide, windowless flight of stairs that led to the second floor. Across the unlit, same-width upstairs hall, was a set of double doors that opened to the out doors, revealing a long flight of stairs that led to the outhouses. The outhouses were really one building, divided into two sections with two doors; one door was marked girls and the other boys. On a cold, snowy day this flight of stairs seemed to stretch to eternity. Of course they were not swept clear of the snow, which caused them to be approached with caution. I had been in school about two months when the three of us second graders, which was the entire class, decided to make that big climb to the outhouse. As we entered the downstairs hall and looked up the stairs, we saw a young girl. Well almost saw a young girl, as we could see right through her. The other two girls recognized her as a classmate who just that summer, had fallen off the school yard wall and had her young life cut short.They were not afraid, so I was not afraid. They talked to her and told her who I was and asked her if she was okay. She then nodded and faded away. I was so young I did not realize I had just seen a ghost, but ever since that day, I have never been afraid of a ghost. In my young mind, they were just people who had died and not left yet.The community would have pot luck dinners now, and then and dances in what once was the church, but now was used as a gym. Christmas time was my favorite pot luck dinner, because a special menu was created by the women in charge of the occasion. Each family was asked to bring a certain dish, or bread, or dessert. The ham and turkey was furnished by the school board. Looking back, I realize that many children today do not have the opportunity to get to know their community as the people of my one room school house did. We knew that Mrs. Mueller made the best yeast rolls, Mrs. Ruth Blake made the best cake, the ham was cooked by Mrs. Mildred Blake, Miss English brought the soda pop, and my Mom brought green beans with bacon and almonds. The list goes on and on. After dinner, we would have a school play that was directed by Mrs. Garwood, and then Santa would appear with a bag of toys. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how similar he looked to the sheriff. When the last Christmas carol was sung and people started to go home, this signaled the beginning of Christmas, and excitement filled the cold night air.One day when I was in third grade we had an unusual occurrence, which started when eighth graders Henry Fisher and the Berillo boy got into a fight on the school ground. Apparently Henry delivered a low blow to the Berillo boy where boys should not be hit, and as soon as he could stand up, he walked home and told his mother. Mrs. Berrillo was a busy housewife and this was her day to bake bread. By the time she arrived at school without her son, school was back in session. As I remember it happened something like this – suddenly the school room door sprang opened, and there she stood her hair in curlers, the apron covering her dress was dusted with flour, and in her right hand was a rolling pin. The words from her mouth could have only been understood by someone of her nationality, which I believe was Spanish or Mexican. Today I realize that it was a good thing that I could not understand what she was saying, for the words were not fit for my young ears. We all turned to look at her, and then saw that Henry Fisher had jumped out of his seat, and started running around the room. Mrs. Berillo was right behind him still yelling in that strange language, and now and then saying in English “My boy, my boy.” They must have run around the room three times before Henry Fisher exited the door. In the meantime, Miss English, who wore dresses with long full puffy sleeves, was standing by her desk, her arms were rising and falling in tune to her saying “Now Mrs. Berillo, now Mrs., Berillo,” over and over again. Just for a moment in time, I thought that Miss. English was going to take off flying like an angel. When it was all over, the students were laughing so hard that Mrs. English had us walk around the room until we could gain control of our laughter.
I was in fifth grade when one day all of the students were late for class. It was early spring – a sunny, warm morning with no wind. The North Fork of Clear Creek was still frozen over, creating a nice size skating pond. As if that wasn’t enough distraction, the wild donkeys certainly were. The donkeys were turned loose by the miners when the mines closed so they wandered the mountains and usually came into town with the spring days.I am certain that every parent told their children to stay away from the donkeys. Did this advice matter when it was an accomplishment for which others would admire you if you could catch one of the donkeys and ride it for more than five minutes? Not in the least. On this particular day as my sister and I walked around the last curve and the town came into view, so did the frozen pond. Some of our fellow students were skating on the pond. Then the donkeys approached the creek by way of the steep mountain on the opposite side of the creek. The game was on; yes we heard the school bell. We did not stop chasing the donkeys until one of the boys caught the donkey and was riding it across the frozen pond. The ice broke, and into the waist deep water fell the boy. The donkey, remaining on the frozen pond, kicked up his back feet and took off. The school bell tolled again for the fourth time. All the students knew Miss English was not going to be happy with us. Nevertheless many of us stayed to help the boy out of the water, and his best friend walked him home to change clothing. The rest of us faced Miss English. To our dismay, after a short lecture about how important it is to be prompt, she decided that she could not punish all of the students, so she made each of us promised never to let this happen again. True to our word, we never did.By the time I entered sixth grade, I was well versed in how the older students could help the younger students, and what we learned from helping them. It is a lesson that I valued the rest of my life. I knew that not everyone learned the same way. What I struggled with in second grade was exactly what other students in second grade struggled with. I also learned the children who were taught the alphabet in first grade could sound out words a lot better than those of us who were taught word recognition by memorization.
Two years before, the seventh and eight grade students had been moved to Central City, to attend Gilpin County Junior High. That left less than 20 students in the school. It was this same year in the spring time the secret of the school was exposed; Miss English would send the students out for lunch recess, and then fall asleep at her desk. She had done this since the beginning of the school year. Linda Blake, Christine Muller and myself, the whole sixth grade class except for Harry Moore, would watch the time and ring the bell signaling the end of recess. When the students settled down at their desk, we would start them on their school work. One day Mrs. Mildred Blake, head of the school board, came to the school unexpectedly and Miss English was still sleeping. For some reason, at the next month’s school board meeting, it was unanimously decided to not renew Miss English’s contract.
In many ways it was the end of an era, gone were the pot luck dinners, community dances and school plays. The new teacher, a young man, began his career in the fall of 1957, and I moved on to Junior High.In closing, I would like you to know that after standing empty for many years and then being used as a storage building for the county schools, the old school house was renovated. It is now the police department and the church is the annex. When I am in Black Hawk, I often go to the police department, and speak with a police officer. I tell the officer that I attended school there and ask them how they are getting on with the ghost. The officers always seem surprised that I know there is a ghost and give me a variety of answers. I then suggest to the officers to introduce themselves and ask how she (the ghost) is doing. On a return trip to Black Hawk, one officer told me the suggestion worked and her papers were no longer thrown around the room, nor did she have problems finding her keys or purse at the end of a shift. My guess is the ghost of that young lady is still waiting for the bell to ring and class to begin.5 Comments on “The ghost of Black Hawk Grade School”Subscribe to this post’s RSS feed
Jere Collins Baxter
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Really enjoyed the article on the Black Hawk grade school. The donkeys that were around the school were our donkeys and think that was in the early 50’s. Dad owned the Peak To Peak Bar where the Bullwacker is now standing. His name was Tom Collins. I went to school first grade thru the 4th in that school and Bobby Clay and myself were the only two in our class and all the class were in the one room. . Mrs. Garwood was our teacher. I think that I was about 4 or 5 years ahead of Joan Don’t remember any ghosts, but have wonderful memories of that old school. Thanks for the memories.
Diane Rittenhouse
December 19th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Would love to know Joan’s maiden name. I have a guess but don’t know for sure. I also don’t remember a little girl who fell of the wall and died – would be nice if someone could let us know who that was. I do remember much of what Joan wrote. I was one year behind her in school and always waited until I went home for lunch to go to the bathroom. Bathrooms were added when I was in second grade but the coal stove was there through my sixth grade year, after that I went to Gilpin High School. The teacher after Miss English was Mr. William Styles(sp?)
4. Lindy
January 17th, 2010 at 1:39 am GREAT story!
5. Karen
January 24th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Was ’Mrs. Garwood’ Mrs. Mary Ann Garwood, who later taught music for many years in the Denver Public Schools?
If so, further information on her?
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Lace House Museum
161 Main Street
The historic Lace House Has been relocated to Mountain City Historic Park to make way for gambling. The area where the historic Lace House is now and has been for over 130 years on historic Main Street will be used for a parking lot for a casino owned by Eagle Gaming.
The Lace House is a very good example of the decorative trim that is sometimes called gingerbread trim.
**Note: The Lace House is owned by the City of Black Hawk and MAY be closed to the public at this time.
...Currently closed for remodeling, but group tours can be arranged by calling the City Clerk at (303) 582-5221.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The decorative Lace House, built in 1863, has since been restored by the city and offers a glimpse into mountain mining history and at 19th-century Carpenter Gothic architecture.Lucien K. Smith built this house for his wife, and if it was modest in size, he more than made up for that with the gingerbread exterior, which earned the building its nickname and also a reputation as one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the Rockies.
In 1974 the house was donated to Black Hawk as a museum. It was renovated just in time for Colorado’s centennial and for the next twenty years remained a draw for tourists heading for the hills.Cheryl Donaldson met the famed Lace House ghost while working as an intern for the city of Black Hawk last summer. Late one afternoon, she was working alone in the 133-year-old house, researching and dating the furniture inside as part of a project to restore the home as a museum.’ i’m="" truly="" a="" nonbeliever,="" and="" even="
https://diarynote.indered.space
*Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Compatible
*Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Coming Back
Black Hawk, CO 80422. Sister Casino, The Lodge has Hotel Rooms and a Las Vegas-Style Buffet: Casino bus rides from Denver & surrounding area. Driving directions to Central City and Black Hawk, Colorado. S: surprizing good food - See 34 traveler reviews, 5 candid photos, and great deals for Black Hawk, CO, at Tripadvisor. This Order applies to the entirety of Gilpin County including the City of Black Hawk and Central City pursuant to C.R.S. Effective Date and Time Limitations. This Order shall become effective on Tuesday July 14, 2020 and will remain in effect unless otherwise amended, superseded, rescinded, or suspended in writing. Best usa online casino no deposit bonus. Black Hawk Gambling. The Gilpin Casino Tweets. Guests 50 and over get a FREE meal in Lucille Malone’s and double points with 100 points earned today.Lucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk CompatibleLucille Malone’s @ The Gilpin Casino (must Be 21+) Black Hawk Coming BackB l a c k H a w k
’The City of Mills’
Black Hawk- 1870 - (www.photoswest.org)
Black Hawk, ’The City of Mills,’ is one of Colorado’s oldest cities. It is one of a number of towns that grew up in ’Gregory’s Gulch,’ the narrow ravine where Georgia prospector John H. Gregory first discovered lode gold in the western part of Kansas Territory in 1859.Within months, thousands of would-be miners poured into the gulch, hoping for more big strikes like Gregory’ s.="" a="" few="" found="" bonanzas,="">many found paying claims, but the great majority either moved elsewhere to try their luck or, proclaiming the whole ’ pike’s="" peak="" gold="">Rush’ a="" hoax,="" went="" back="" to="" their="" settled="" lives="" in="" the="">
Mountain City was the first name given to the ragged string of camp- like settlements, but as the boom subsided and the hard work of extracting the gold began, the remaining population began to coalesce into more organized town sites. Up the gulch to the west was Nevada, also known as Nevadaville or Bald Mountain. Below it lay Central City, and further down, where the gulch flowed into the North Branch of Clear Creek, was established Black Hawk Pointe. Most accounts insist the name came from an early ’ stamp’="" mill="" brought="" in="">from Illinois and named for the famous Indian chief.Black Hawk was incorporated by an act of the territorial legislature on March 11, 1864.Within a few years, the Colorado Central railroad line had reached Black Hawk, making it possible for coal to be shipped to the smelters and mills and supplies to be shipped up to the growing mining towns. The town’s skyline also boasted a new school and Presbyterian Church. Fine brick business blocks spread along the gulch from the intersection of Main and Gregory Streets but the economic boom was an environmental disaster.
Through it all, the towns continued to grow and prosper. From the outset, many of the miners and mill workers were immigrants, originally from Sweden, England and Ireland. Cornish miners experienced in hard-rock mining arrived in the 1870’ s,="" battling="" with="" their="">British brethren until all were united by the threat of Tyrolean miners willing to work for lower wages near the turn of the century....Entering yet another century, Black Hawk faces the prospect of trying to sustain and survive yet another boom period. The opportunities and challenges are there for those who will respect its rich heritage while at the same time welcoming its unlimited future with the spirit of adventure that brought forth those ambitious miners and merchants of the 1800’ s.="" and="" if="" the="" past="" is="" but="" prologue,="" black="">Hawk’ s="" full="" story,="" yet="" to="" be="" told,="" will="" be="" a="" fascinating="" one="">
Directions from Denver:
Take 6th Ave. west out of Denver toward Lakewood and Golden. W 6th Ave. becomes US-6 W. Continue on US-6 W until you reach CO-119, which will take you straight into Black Hawk.`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The ghost of Black Hawk Grade School
By: Joan Pomeroy
Published: November 26th, 2009
From the Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News
www.gilpincountynews.com/2009/11/26/the-ghost-of-black-hawk-grade-school/
Looking back to the ‘50’s from a student’s perspective
Growing up in, Black Hawk, Colorado, a small community was an experience that I only began to appreciate after I was married and lived in a larger community.Black Hawk was once a town known for its mills, which processed the gold for the “Richest Square Mile on Earth” located in Gilpin County, territory of Colorado. I can only imagine the twenty four hour a day noise that rumbled through the gulches and bounced off the mountains when all the mills were in operation.The narrow gage train rain daily from Golden, Colorado, up through Clear Creek Canyon to Black Hawk, bringing more miners and taking back the gold. Saloons were open 24 hours a day and the beds in the hotel were rented by the eight hour shift. Sheets were changed once a week. Men made a fortune in a week and lost it in a night. Women were scarce and the rugged life brought early deaths in the high altitude of 8,500 feet.
Soon the miners began to send for their families and with the families came the, churches, schools, and opera houses. Once I read an article that said “families bring culture to mining camps, turning them into towns.”A school house was built by 1860, right next to the church in Black Hawk. You can still see the church and school sitting on the hill overlooking the town.
The gold veins petered out, and some of the miners left to find another boom town. By the time we moved to Black Hawk in 1952, it was almost a ghost town. Most of the men worked in Denver or for Coors Brewery in Golden. Gone were the glory days.I started the second grade in the four-room two-story school house, which was only using one room. It had a wood/coal stove on one side, and to sit near the stove it was too hot, but to sit on the other side of the room it was too cold. First through eight grades were all in that one room and in my remembrance there was less than 30 students. Our teacher, Miss English, was of an age where most teachers retire. She was single, came from Indiana, and lived in Central City a mile away. We, as a community, were lucky to have Mrs. Garwood, the music and art teacher. She also lived in Central City and taught at all the Gilpin County schools. It was a long drive to some of the schools, as the town of Rollinsville was at least 20 miles away.
Some of the uniqueness of being in this one room school house was that every morning a man from town would bring a jug, made out of pottery with a silver colored spigot to the school house. I learned that this was the school’s drinking water, as our school did not have indoor plumbing. The bathrooms were interesting. In the hall just outside our room, was a wide, windowless flight of stairs that led to the second floor. Across the unlit, same-width upstairs hall, was a set of double doors that opened to the out doors, revealing a long flight of stairs that led to the outhouses. The outhouses were really one building, divided into two sections with two doors; one door was marked girls and the other boys. On a cold, snowy day this flight of stairs seemed to stretch to eternity. Of course they were not swept clear of the snow, which caused them to be approached with caution. I had been in school about two months when the three of us second graders, which was the entire class, decided to make that big climb to the outhouse. As we entered the downstairs hall and looked up the stairs, we saw a young girl. Well almost saw a young girl, as we could see right through her. The other two girls recognized her as a classmate who just that summer, had fallen off the school yard wall and had her young life cut short.They were not afraid, so I was not afraid. They talked to her and told her who I was and asked her if she was okay. She then nodded and faded away. I was so young I did not realize I had just seen a ghost, but ever since that day, I have never been afraid of a ghost. In my young mind, they were just people who had died and not left yet.The community would have pot luck dinners now, and then and dances in what once was the church, but now was used as a gym. Christmas time was my favorite pot luck dinner, because a special menu was created by the women in charge of the occasion. Each family was asked to bring a certain dish, or bread, or dessert. The ham and turkey was furnished by the school board. Looking back, I realize that many children today do not have the opportunity to get to know their community as the people of my one room school house did. We knew that Mrs. Mueller made the best yeast rolls, Mrs. Ruth Blake made the best cake, the ham was cooked by Mrs. Mildred Blake, Miss English brought the soda pop, and my Mom brought green beans with bacon and almonds. The list goes on and on. After dinner, we would have a school play that was directed by Mrs. Garwood, and then Santa would appear with a bag of toys. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how similar he looked to the sheriff. When the last Christmas carol was sung and people started to go home, this signaled the beginning of Christmas, and excitement filled the cold night air.One day when I was in third grade we had an unusual occurrence, which started when eighth graders Henry Fisher and the Berillo boy got into a fight on the school ground. Apparently Henry delivered a low blow to the Berillo boy where boys should not be hit, and as soon as he could stand up, he walked home and told his mother. Mrs. Berrillo was a busy housewife and this was her day to bake bread. By the time she arrived at school without her son, school was back in session. As I remember it happened something like this – suddenly the school room door sprang opened, and there she stood her hair in curlers, the apron covering her dress was dusted with flour, and in her right hand was a rolling pin. The words from her mouth could have only been understood by someone of her nationality, which I believe was Spanish or Mexican. Today I realize that it was a good thing that I could not understand what she was saying, for the words were not fit for my young ears. We all turned to look at her, and then saw that Henry Fisher had jumped out of his seat, and started running around the room. Mrs. Berillo was right behind him still yelling in that strange language, and now and then saying in English “My boy, my boy.” They must have run around the room three times before Henry Fisher exited the door. In the meantime, Miss English, who wore dresses with long full puffy sleeves, was standing by her desk, her arms were rising and falling in tune to her saying “Now Mrs. Berillo, now Mrs., Berillo,” over and over again. Just for a moment in time, I thought that Miss. English was going to take off flying like an angel. When it was all over, the students were laughing so hard that Mrs. English had us walk around the room until we could gain control of our laughter.
I was in fifth grade when one day all of the students were late for class. It was early spring – a sunny, warm morning with no wind. The North Fork of Clear Creek was still frozen over, creating a nice size skating pond. As if that wasn’t enough distraction, the wild donkeys certainly were. The donkeys were turned loose by the miners when the mines closed so they wandered the mountains and usually came into town with the spring days.I am certain that every parent told their children to stay away from the donkeys. Did this advice matter when it was an accomplishment for which others would admire you if you could catch one of the donkeys and ride it for more than five minutes? Not in the least. On this particular day as my sister and I walked around the last curve and the town came into view, so did the frozen pond. Some of our fellow students were skating on the pond. Then the donkeys approached the creek by way of the steep mountain on the opposite side of the creek. The game was on; yes we heard the school bell. We did not stop chasing the donkeys until one of the boys caught the donkey and was riding it across the frozen pond. The ice broke, and into the waist deep water fell the boy. The donkey, remaining on the frozen pond, kicked up his back feet and took off. The school bell tolled again for the fourth time. All the students knew Miss English was not going to be happy with us. Nevertheless many of us stayed to help the boy out of the water, and his best friend walked him home to change clothing. The rest of us faced Miss English. To our dismay, after a short lecture about how important it is to be prompt, she decided that she could not punish all of the students, so she made each of us promised never to let this happen again. True to our word, we never did.By the time I entered sixth grade, I was well versed in how the older students could help the younger students, and what we learned from helping them. It is a lesson that I valued the rest of my life. I knew that not everyone learned the same way. What I struggled with in second grade was exactly what other students in second grade struggled with. I also learned the children who were taught the alphabet in first grade could sound out words a lot better than those of us who were taught word recognition by memorization.
Two years before, the seventh and eight grade students had been moved to Central City, to attend Gilpin County Junior High. That left less than 20 students in the school. It was this same year in the spring time the secret of the school was exposed; Miss English would send the students out for lunch recess, and then fall asleep at her desk. She had done this since the beginning of the school year. Linda Blake, Christine Muller and myself, the whole sixth grade class except for Harry Moore, would watch the time and ring the bell signaling the end of recess. When the students settled down at their desk, we would start them on their school work. One day Mrs. Mildred Blake, head of the school board, came to the school unexpectedly and Miss English was still sleeping. For some reason, at the next month’s school board meeting, it was unanimously decided to not renew Miss English’s contract.
In many ways it was the end of an era, gone were the pot luck dinners, community dances and school plays. The new teacher, a young man, began his career in the fall of 1957, and I moved on to Junior High.In closing, I would like you to know that after standing empty for many years and then being used as a storage building for the county schools, the old school house was renovated. It is now the police department and the church is the annex. When I am in Black Hawk, I often go to the police department, and speak with a police officer. I tell the officer that I attended school there and ask them how they are getting on with the ghost. The officers always seem surprised that I know there is a ghost and give me a variety of answers. I then suggest to the officers to introduce themselves and ask how she (the ghost) is doing. On a return trip to Black Hawk, one officer told me the suggestion worked and her papers were no longer thrown around the room, nor did she have problems finding her keys or purse at the end of a shift. My guess is the ghost of that young lady is still waiting for the bell to ring and class to begin.5 Comments on “The ghost of Black Hawk Grade School”Subscribe to this post’s RSS feed
Jere Collins Baxter
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Really enjoyed the article on the Black Hawk grade school. The donkeys that were around the school were our donkeys and think that was in the early 50’s. Dad owned the Peak To Peak Bar where the Bullwacker is now standing. His name was Tom Collins. I went to school first grade thru the 4th in that school and Bobby Clay and myself were the only two in our class and all the class were in the one room. . Mrs. Garwood was our teacher. I think that I was about 4 or 5 years ahead of Joan Don’t remember any ghosts, but have wonderful memories of that old school. Thanks for the memories.
Diane Rittenhouse
December 19th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Would love to know Joan’s maiden name. I have a guess but don’t know for sure. I also don’t remember a little girl who fell of the wall and died – would be nice if someone could let us know who that was. I do remember much of what Joan wrote. I was one year behind her in school and always waited until I went home for lunch to go to the bathroom. Bathrooms were added when I was in second grade but the coal stove was there through my sixth grade year, after that I went to Gilpin High School. The teacher after Miss English was Mr. William Styles(sp?)
4. Lindy
January 17th, 2010 at 1:39 am GREAT story!
5. Karen
January 24th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Was ’Mrs. Garwood’ Mrs. Mary Ann Garwood, who later taught music for many years in the Denver Public Schools?
If so, further information on her?
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Lace House Museum
161 Main Street
The historic Lace House Has been relocated to Mountain City Historic Park to make way for gambling. The area where the historic Lace House is now and has been for over 130 years on historic Main Street will be used for a parking lot for a casino owned by Eagle Gaming.
The Lace House is a very good example of the decorative trim that is sometimes called gingerbread trim.
**Note: The Lace House is owned by the City of Black Hawk and MAY be closed to the public at this time.
...Currently closed for remodeling, but group tours can be arranged by calling the City Clerk at (303) 582-5221.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The decorative Lace House, built in 1863, has since been restored by the city and offers a glimpse into mountain mining history and at 19th-century Carpenter Gothic architecture.Lucien K. Smith built this house for his wife, and if it was modest in size, he more than made up for that with the gingerbread exterior, which earned the building its nickname and also a reputation as one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the Rockies.
In 1974 the house was donated to Black Hawk as a museum. It was renovated just in time for Colorado’s centennial and for the next twenty years remained a draw for tourists heading for the hills.Cheryl Donaldson met the famed Lace House ghost while working as an intern for the city of Black Hawk last summer. Late one afternoon, she was working alone in the 133-year-old house, researching and dating the furniture inside as part of a project to restore the home as a museum.’ i’m="" truly="" a="" nonbeliever,="" and="" even="
https://diarynote.indered.space
コメント