Download Cabin on Nottingham Lake

Historical Background and Field Analysis
CABIN ON NOTTINGHAM LAKE
Harry A. Nottingham Park
Avon, Colorado
Completed by
Tatanka Historical Associates, Inc.
612 S. College Ave., Suite 21
Fort Collins, CO 80524
[email protected]
970.221.1095
24 December 2009
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Bringing the Past to Life
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Cabin on Nottingham Lake
Harry A. Nottingham Park
Avon, Colorado
Location, Setting & Ownership
The Cabin on Nottingham Lake is located off the southeast shore of the lake in
Harry A. Nottingham Park. This corresponds to the west end of W. Benchmark
Blvd., where the street terminates at a parking lot on the west side of the
municipal building. The cabin is located off the northwest corner of the parking
lot. The property is bordered on the north by a walking path and the park, on the
south by a Public Works Department building, on the east by a paved parking lot,
and on the west by a walking path and the lake. Also to the northwest across the
walking path is a modern building that rests on the lakeshore. While the main
purpose of the building appears to be a water pump house, it also provides a
viewing deck on the west end that projects over the water.
Centered in a small flat landscaped yard, the Cabin faces toward the north. It is
surrounded by grassed areas and flower beds. The front yard also holds two
spruce trees and a concrete drinking fountain. Paved sidewalks run from the
north, south and west entrances to the adjacent walking paths and parking lot.
The Town of Avon owns the building and surrounding grounds.
Description of the Cabin
The Cabin on Nottingham Lake is a log building that is one story in height. It has
a square footprint measuring approximately 26’ x 26’ and rests upon what
appears to be a concrete block foundation that rises around 2” above grade. The
building’s exterior walls are constructed of a combination of relatively slender
hewn and unhewn logs with dovetailed corner notching and concrete chinking.
The roof is pyramidal and finished with wood shingles and boxed eaves. A small
roof dormer is found on the south slope. This is finished on the exterior with
modern wood paneling and has a modern six-over-six double hung sash window
and a gabled roof. The roof and eaves have been reconstructed in recent years.
A metal stovepipe projects from the roof’s west slope.
The north (front) elevation holds the main entry, which contains a wood
commercial-style door with a single light and a transom above. In front of the
entry is a small single-step concrete stoop, from which a concrete sidewalk
extends northward to the adjacent walking path. Fenestration on the building
consists of two one-over-one double hung sash windows that flank the entry.
Modern lights mounted to the wall also flank the doorway.
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The east (side) elevation contains no entry, and is dominated by a projecting
open porch. This modern feature is constructed with a concrete floor at grade,
no rail, and a tongue-in-groove ceiling with lighting. Log posts support the
porch’s hipped roof. Fenestration on the main body of the building consists of
two pairs of modern one-over-one double hung sash windows.
The south (rear) elevation holds a secondary entrance to the building. This
contains a modern residential-style door with a single light and a transom above.
An asphalt sidewalk and a concrete handicap ramp with a metal pipe rail runs
from the parking lot to this entrance. Fenestration on the building consists of two
one-over-one double hung sash windows that flank the entry.
North & West Elevations of the Cabin
The west (side) elevation holds another secondary entrance to the building. This
contains a modern wood door with a large light. Next to the door are two large
door-sized fixed windows with single lights. The door and windows share a
common transom. In front of the door and windows is a single-step concrete
stoop. Fenestration on the building consists of a pair of modern one-over-one
double hung sash windows.
Alterations to the Cabin
While the historic Cabin on Nottingham Lake appears to be in good condition, it
has been altered with a number of significant non-historic changes. Most
notably, the building was moved to this location around the early 1980s. The roof
was rebuilt, the dormer added, and the eastern open porch was constructed at
that time. The building now rests upon a modern concrete block foundation. Its
log walls have been restored and are in excellent condition. The doors and most
of the windows have been replaced.
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Historical Background
The history of the Cabin on Nottingham Lake was assembled through a
combination of archival research and interviews. At the end of this document is a
bibliography of the sources that were consulted.
The Cabin was constructed sometime between 1900 and 1910 by Albert and
Frances Hahnewald, who established a ranch in the Avon area along the north
bank of the Eagle River. It was originally located across the railroad tracks to the
southwest of Nottingham Lake, where their barn remains standing and is used as
a storage building by the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.
Albert Hahnewald was born in Germany in 1867 and immigrated to the United
States in 1881. His wife Frances was from Fredricksburg, Texas, where the
couple appears to have met and married. They had three children and by the
mid-1890s were living in Leadville, where Albert worked as a saloonkeeper. He
had several brothers in the area who were engaged in mining and ranching. The
family also owned the Colorado Bakery, which in addition to baked goods sold
groceries, produce and confections.
Albert and Frances left Leadville sometime between 1900 and 1910 and resettled
down the Eagle River in the Avon area, where they acquired 160 acres in the
vicinity of today’s Nottingham Lake. It appears that Albert’s father may have
purchased the land and left it to his sons following his death. The property was
located just west of the Clyde Nottingham ranch in the vicinity of today’s
Nottingham Lake. There the Hahnewalds constructed a log home and a barn
that formed the nucleus of a farmstead where they spent the following years
raising livestock and growing feed crops such as grains and hay.
The ranch operated under the corporate name Hahnewald Land & Livestock Co.,
and ran cattle from Red Canyon on the west to Gore Creek on the east. The
Hahnewalds soon acquired additional acreage closer to Edwards, and it appears
that by 1917 they had moved onto that property. In 1920 alone, the ranch
operation produced more than 700 tons of hay. The following year, Albert
participated in the formation of the Avon Stockgrowers’ Association. With twentysix initial members, the organization elected Hahnewald secretary-treasurer
(Harry Nottingham was elected president and Paul Frederick Kroelling was
elected vice-president). Albert died sometime around 1924.
Paul Frederick Kroelling acquired the Avon property from the Hahnewalds in
1915 and moved his family into the log cabin there. He was born in Germany in
1864 and immigrated to the United States in 1889, where he settled in Leadville.
In 1892, Paul married Anna Winters, who was also a native of Germany. They
had two children, one of whom (Frederick) lived to adulthood. By the mid-1890s,
the Kroellings were still residing in Leadville, where Paul owned a butcher shop
and was a member of the volunteer fire department. They remained in Leadville
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until 1915, when they moved down the Eagle River to Avon. After they acquired
the ranch in Avon, the Kroellings remodeled the log cabin and expanded the
small building with a wood frame addition.
In October 1917, the Kroellings were busy harvesting ninety acres of the property
that they had planted with crops. These included twelve acres of potatoes that
produced two hundred sacks to an acre, thirty acres of oats, and the remainder in
hay to feed their livestock. The cattle were pastured on the property as well as
along the Piney Divide. As stated above, in 1921 Paul Kroelling was elected
vice-president of the newly formed Avon Stockgrowers’ Association. During the
1920s, the Kroellings added head lettuce to the crops grown on their ranch. Paul
died in 1938 in the log cabin on his Avon ranch and was buried in Leadville.
Following Paul’s death, Anna moved back to Leadville, where she died in 1950.
Their son, Fred, became a long-time resident of Carbondale.
Around 1949, the cabin was purchased by Allan Nottingham, who is a son of
Harry A. Nottingham. He moved into the home with his wife and children, and
the family remained there until around 1972. During that time, Allan continued to
operate the ranch. He eventually donated the land for Avon’s water treatment
plant. Allan served on Avon’s first town council and as mayor for twelve years.
During the early 1980s, the Hahnewald Cabin was moved from its original
location near the river to its current site by Nottingham Lake. This move probably
took place as space was needed for the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District’s
drinking water treatment plant, which was constructed in 1985. The barn was left
in place and converted into a storage facility. During the move, the cabin’s wood
frame addition constructed by the Kroellings was removed and it was remodeled
to its current appearance, as described above.
South & East Elevations of the Cabin
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Conclusions
Based upon the findings of this project, the following conclusions are made
regarding the cabin:

The Cabin on Nottingham Lake is an early 20th century remnant of the
Avon community and its agricultural heritage. It originated from the
farmstead established between 1900 and 1910 by Albert and Frances
Hahnewald on the north side of the Eagle River to the southwest of
Nottingham Lake. From 1915 to 1938, the cabin was the home of Paul
and Anna Kroelling. Both of these pioneer families lived in Leadville
from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and then migrated down the
Eagle River into the Avon area to establish themselves as ranchers
and farmers. In doing so, they followed a pattern of settlement that
was common to the years immediately following the mining era. Due
to its history, the building should be renamed the Hahnewald-Kroelling
Cabin, rather than just the “Cabin on Nottingham Lake.” This would
allow the community to recognize two of Avon’s pioneer families of the
early 1900s.

Although in very good condition, the historic building has experienced
a variety of alterations. First, and perhaps most important, it was
moved from its original location in the early 1980s and placed upon a
new foundation. The log walls were nicely restored and the building
received a new roof, yet it was also changed with what appear to be
non-original boxed eaves, gutters, and a dormer. Since then, the
cabin’s original doors and windows have been replaced. Some of
these changes are significant non-historic alterations and combine to
diminish the buildings’ architectural integrity. Due to this loss of
integrity, combined with the fact that the cabin was moved from its
original location, it is no longer eligible for National or State Register
designation. However, the building is likely to be a good candidate for
local listing.

The Town of Avon currently owns and maintains the building. It does
not appear to require any stabilization intervention from the Town to
prevent damage or loss.
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Bringing the Past to Life
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Bibliography
Carbonate Chronicle (Leadville)
“The officers elected are as follows...” 22 April 1901, p. 2.
“Society.” 4 September 1911, p. 6.
Eagle Valley Enterprise
“Brand Directory.” 18 August 1916, p. 4.
“Brand Directory.” 1 March 1918, p. 4.
“Albert Hahnewald was down from the ranch…” 28 January 1921, p. 5.
“Stockgrowers of Avon District Form Association.” 25 March 1921, p. 4.
“Obbie Hahnewald Commits Suicide.” 20 August 1926, p. 1.
“Frances Hahnewald Buried in Denver.” 16 March 1950, p. 1.
“Eagle County Farmers Are Still Busy.” 19 October 1917, p. 1.
“Paul Kroelling one of the…” 24 February 1922, p. 5.
“P. F. Kroelling Dies.” 13 July 1938.
“Paul Kroelling.” 22 July 1938, p. 1.
“Anna Kroelling.” 27 July 1950, p. 1.
Hart, Bobby. Bob-O’s Turn in Avon, Colorado. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse,
2005.
Leadville Daily Chronicle
“The Colorado Bakery.” (advertisement) 26 May 1894, p. 3.
“The Exciting Adventure of Two Young Men Who Went to the Woods.” 23
December 1897, p. 4.
“Master Plan for Harry A. Nottingham Park.”
Development Department, 2008.
Town of Avon, Community
Nottingham, Allan. Interview with Ron Sladek. Conducted on 18 December
2009.
United States Census Records. Lake County, Colorado, 1900 & 1910.
United States Census Records. Eagle County, Colorado, 1910 & 1920.
Tatanka Historical Associates Inc.
Bringing the Past to Life