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Donelson House Restoration Process
The Donelson Homestead House was the home of Thomas and
Laura Aiken Donelson, the great-great grandparents of Hattie McCoy who is a
South Platte Valley Historical Society member. At the request of
Hattie, the house was donated to the Society in 1996 by James and Barbara
White of Brighton, Colorado, thus avoiding demolition to make way for
a new housing project.
Thomas Donelson homestead house near
Brighton, Colorado. Pictured are Thomas
Donelson leaning on the fence; his third wife
Mary Ann is standing in the gate; Bea on
John's old horse Nig; Mary E. Donelson at
the hitching rail; Tommy Donelson sitting on
the hitching rail; and the old farm team Dick
and Salem. (This picture was taken about
1893 and will be used as the restoration
guide.)
Thomas Donelson came to Colorado in 1859 from Wisconsin
during
the "Rush to the Rockies." Thomas wanted to try his luck at gold
mining in the Clear Creek area. Around this same time, Thomas staked
a claim (July 14, 1859) for a homestead along the South Platte River near
what is now Brighton, Colorado. Thomas returned to Wisconsin and
brought
his family consisting of his wife Laura and five children (Maary Maria,
Eleanor,
Thomas, John, and James) to Colorado in 1860. The Donelson family
lived
in a log cabin along the river until the summer of 1864 when the South
Platte
River flooded. Thomas moved his family to Denver until he could
construct
a new home on higher ground. The new home (the Donelson house) was
built
in the late 1860s. The house is now located in the Fort Lupton
Historic Park
and is undergoing restoration. |
