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The Stonehocker Farmhouse illustrates a bygone way of life. Before the City of Northglenn existed, the property was acquired John Thede in 1887 via the Homestead Act of 1862. Homesteaders like Thede were allowed to claim 160 acres of public land in exchange for completing five years of continuous residence, building a dwelling and growing crops. Thede grew corn, oats, alfalfa, and barley.
The Thede Farmhouse conveys a long association with agriculture in the Northglenn area. The farmhouse and its 11 surrounding acres are some of the last undeveloped fields within the city limits. The 1903 house is the only remaining domestic structure in the city of Northglenn constructed prior to 1950 and is a well built example of late Queen Anne style architecture. The Stonehocker family was the last to own the house before it was acquired by the City of Northglenn, and the house is now commonly known as the Stonehocker Farmhouse. Click here for more information about historic Adams County: The house is filled with artifacts from various time periods that it has lived through, including a beautiful square grand piano, antique furniture, collectible items donated from members of families that had lived in the farmhouse in the past as well as many community members. The farmhouse was built with amazing precision in its architecture, a piece of one of the original walls can be seen as it was originally built, with the lathe, plaster and horse hair exposed. The house has been renovated and brought back to its original form. For example, the original wallpaper was replaced with wallpaper that closely imitated the original. Walls have been repaired or rebuilt. The original floors and woodwork were repaired and brought back to life. The back porch or mud room had to be taken down and replaced as originally built . The wraparound porch had been vandalized and was replaced. The garage as well had to be rebuilt and was recreated exactly as originally built. |
An old photo of the Stonehocker Farmhouse.
The house as it stood before restorations.
Thede Farmhouse
National Register 1/30/1998, 5AM.1118 |
History of the House
The house was first built by a carpenter named Clarence Theedy (hence one of it's nicknames; the Thede House) in the 1800's. The home has 11 rooms in it, the brick exterior and interior structural walls are 3 brickwidth. It was built with no running water or electricity, as electricity was not used to power houses until the later 1800's. Instead, it was heated by coal.
A man named Combs took over the ownership of the farm from Clarance Theedy. It was owned for a while by the Combs Carlson when he moved to America to search for job opportunities. He began working as a smelter in Salt Lake City, where he met his future wife. The two of them raised six sons and one daughter, although three other children were lost in infancy. One of their sons, Roy, recounted his life on the farm, recalling the hot days, apple trees, milking the cows, and working with the livestock all day long.The Carlson family lost the house due to the depression. In 1916, Christian & Caroline Westesen moved to Eastlake to reside in the now famous Stonehocker House (listed in the National Historic Register as the oldest homestead in Northglenn, Co.) They resided there from 1916-1924. Nine months of this time was spent in Oregon while the property was least. Then H. W. Young took over the house. He owned the house for a very short time, selling it to the Stonehocker family in 1936.
The Stonehocker family came to own the farm and 265 acres surrounding the house. They owned cattle, sheep, and hogs. In 1965, Walter Stonehocker took control of the farm, where he lived with his family until 1977, when the City of Northglenn took over the land.
The City of Northglenn originally intended to create a park and reservoir out of the acres of land, but the plan was postponed, and so the City rented out the house and the land as open land.
A man named Combs took over the ownership of the farm from Clarance Theedy. It was owned for a while by the Combs Carlson when he moved to America to search for job opportunities. He began working as a smelter in Salt Lake City, where he met his future wife. The two of them raised six sons and one daughter, although three other children were lost in infancy. One of their sons, Roy, recounted his life on the farm, recalling the hot days, apple trees, milking the cows, and working with the livestock all day long.The Carlson family lost the house due to the depression. In 1916, Christian & Caroline Westesen moved to Eastlake to reside in the now famous Stonehocker House (listed in the National Historic Register as the oldest homestead in Northglenn, Co.) They resided there from 1916-1924. Nine months of this time was spent in Oregon while the property was least. Then H. W. Young took over the house. He owned the house for a very short time, selling it to the Stonehocker family in 1936.
The Stonehocker family came to own the farm and 265 acres surrounding the house. They owned cattle, sheep, and hogs. In 1965, Walter Stonehocker took control of the farm, where he lived with his family until 1977, when the City of Northglenn took over the land.
The City of Northglenn originally intended to create a park and reservoir out of the acres of land, but the plan was postponed, and so the City rented out the house and the land as open land.
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Architecture
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The Farmhouse was built in the English Queen Anne style, which is the most common type of Victorian style architecture. The Queen Anne style is most recognizable by how elaborate (and sometimes eccentric) that it is. Houses built in this style typically had many different embellishments all around the house, making the whole building look more elaborate. It is recognized by it's steeply pitched roof, asymmetrical balance, wraparound porch, and frequent brick exterior as well. This style of architecture became popular in the late 1800's, and the style was given credit to Richard Norman Shaw and William Eden Nesfield.
In this photograph, you can see part of the original wallpaper, as well as the plaster wall finish. The wooden rough lath was nailed to the wall studs and topped by a "brown" plaster base and white finish plaster, over all of which the wallpaper was hung. The brown plaster was mixed with horsehair for strength, which can be seen in more detail at the Farmhouse. |
History of the Era
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During the 19th century, the same era that the Stonehocker Farmhouse was built, the world was growing. It was during this time that usable electricity, steel, and petroleum were invented, causing the second industrial revolution in 1865. During the second industrial revolution, particularly modes of transportation like railways and steamships, and modes of communication were growing. This was also the age of machine tools- what we build to create things for us. This sped up the production of consumer goods, and was cheaper since the machines were replacing human jobs, and the machines didn't get a salary.
In America, there was a different kind of growth happening. The United States was still fresh from their revolution in 1783. It was establishing itself as a power by the wars and battles fought both in its territories, with its new neighbors, battling along the Canadian and Mexican borders to establish boundaries, and with Britain as the United States fought against Britain's aggressive attitude towards the new country. It also expanded in the Louisiana purchase, the Gadsden Purchase, and the Alaska Purchase. In 1803, much of Eastern Colorado was purchased through the Louisiana Purchase. In 1806, the famous Pikes Peak was discovered by Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike and a small party of U.S. soldiers, whom it was named after. In 1807, James Purcell first made known that there were gold flakes that could be foundin the Colorado mountain rivers. In 1820 Major Stephen H. Long discovered Long's Peak, while the historian of the group he was with, Dr. Edwin James, made the first recorded ascent of Pike's Peak, receiving him the honor of having James Peak named after him. In 1832, Bent's Fort, one of the most important western trading posts, was built. Then in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the United States the most of remainder of Colorado land that had not been attained in the Louisiana Purchase. Two years later, the present day boundaries of Colorado were established when Texas's claim on the last pieces of Colorado land were finally bought. In 1858, the Gold Rush began with Green Russell's discovery of gold in some Colorado rivers. In 1861 the Congress established Colorado territory with the boundaries that exist now. In 1864 was the devastating Sandcreek Massacre, where many peaceful Native Americans were murdered, stirring fresh violence with the other inhabitants of Colorado. In 1869 the final military engagement between the Native Americans and the United States people was engaged. In 1876 Colorado was admitted into the United States union as the 38th state (exactly 100 years after the United States became it's own country). In 1878 the first telephones were established in Denver. In 1894, the Capitol building was completed, and Colorado became the second state to have women suffrage (preceeded only by Wyoming). 
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15 April 1901: Adams County was created from Arapahoe County.
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Adams_County,_Colorado_Genealogy
A 1917 USDA poster urges citizens to raise backyard chickens.
An advertisement encouraging people to move West and settle the town of Keota, Colorado. Photo courtesy of History Colorado Center - See more at: https://www.arts.gov/blue-star/2012/introducing-history-colorado-center#sthash.9VgIAcA3.dpuf
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