Colorado State Register of Historic Places

Douglas County has five historic structures on the Colorado Register of Historic Places and thirty-three venues within the county that carry County Landmark designations. Along with the Nationally Registered Places, HDC encourages you also to visit these State and County historic venues. A Centennial Ranch and Farm recognition also exists for ranches or farms that have been in owned and operated by families for 100 years or more. Below is a listing of each Douglas County venue appearing on the State Register of Historic Places. The registration information, the registration number and a brief description of the venue come from the History Colorado website.

The Douglas County Landmarks (“local”) can be found on the Douglas County Historic Preservation website.

Information and listings of Colorado Centennial Ranches and Farms(“local”) can be found on the Centennial Ranches and Farms.

Castlewood Dam
Location: 2989 South Colorado Highway 83, Franktown, Colorado 80116
State Register 9/13/1995, 5DA.567
Castlewood Dam was built to provide irrigation for the agricultural development of Douglas County. Constructed upon a poor foundation, it became controversial shortly after its construction in 1890. In August of 1933, the dam collapsed sending a wall of water 1/2 mile wide and 15 feet high through Denver. This disaster resulted in the development of a comprehensive flood control program for Cherry Creek that led to the construction of the Cherry Creek Dam and reservoir.

Rock Ridge Ranch Barn
Location: 7054 South Colorado Highway 83, Franktown, Colorado 80116
State Register 11/9/1994, 5DA.1010
The circa 1880 barn is a rare surviving example of pegged, post and beam construction. A common construction method in the 18th and early 19th centuries involving skilled craftsmen, the mass production of wire nails after 1900 brought an end to pegged construction.

Lone Tree School
Location: Off Tall Horse Trail, 7 miles south the Highways 105/67 junction south of Sedalia, Colorado 80135
State Register 3/8/1995, 5DA.344
The 1922 school exemplifies rural educational methods as dominated by a pattern of small one-room schoolhouses.

Lamb Spring
Location: Littleton Outskirts Area
State Register 11/9/1994, National Register 3/13/1997, 5DA.8
This archaeological site contains evidence of hunting and game processing that may pre-date 9,500 BC, a period before the earliest well accepted archaeological evidence of human activity in the Americas.

Tallman-Newlin House
Location: Callaway Road, Parker, Colorado 80138
State Register 12/10/1997, 5DA.1090
Originally built in 1866 as a log cabin by John and Elizabeth Tallman, the house received a new look by the turn of century while under the ownership of William Gilpin Newlin and his wife, Elizabeth. The house exemplifies log construction “updated” by the application of wood siding. Relocated to save it from demolition, it will be used as an educational tool to illustrate early local building practices and materials.