News
Elbert 4/3/13
Elbert County
April 11, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 11
Seminar will offer disaster training One-day gathering highlights safety kits, animal evacuations By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
Eileen Enterline, right, helps 85-year-old Be Dent across the parking lot at the Hilltop School, the last building standing from an old town that was built along a now-abandoned railline that followed Hilltop Road. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
Club carries on legacy of Hilltop Group maintains school building, history of town By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com A new art festival will showcase not only the work of potters and painters, it will bring attention to the last standing building in a long-abandoned town. Hilltop, an unincorporated town established in 1888 around a railroad depot between Parker and Elizabeth, has been forgotten by all but a few loyal ladies who comprise the Hilltop Social Club. The 15-member group is in charge of maintaining the only remaining structure, the Hilltop School, which is still owned by the Douglas County School District. The school is used mostly as a gathering spot for the social club’s business meetings, but on April 27 it will host the first Hilltop Art Fair, which is being organized by the women’s fellowship at Hilltop United Church of Christ across the street. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., artists of all kinds will display and demonstrate their crafts, and the proceeds from sales will benefit both the Hilltop School and the church. For more information about the art fair, call 303-841-2808. The idea behind placing booths at the historic school is to familiarize the public with its heritage and advertise it as a place for special events like weddings. Situated on three pristine acres at Flintwood and Democrat roads, near the Douglas-Elbert county line, the school is in remarkably good condition. It was built in 1898 after the original one-room schoolhouse burned down. POSTAL ADDRESS
Eileen Enterline and Be Dent, right, share a smile at the Hilltop School, which was built in 1898 and now is used as a gathering spot for a long-running social club, of which Dent is a member. The school is hosting an art fair April 27.
The Hilltop Social Club has not missed a monthly meeting since its inception in 1921, and the women began leasing the building when K-8 classes were moved to Parker in 1954. Some longtime members of the club, like Susy Cushman, who joined in 1965, and Be Dent, who joined in 1979 and has lived in the area for 74 years, recall friendships with a few teachers, whose pictures now hang on the wall. “We’re trying to keep the memories alive,” said Dent, 85. The Hilltop School has been turned into a museum of sorts. Its walls are lined with memories: a photo of a class standing out front in 1930; lists of teachers and students. The school is a clearinghouse for all things
Hilltop. Books contain photos of the town’s old haunts, like the train depot, general store, post office and the Hilltop Trucking Company. “It was pretty bustling,” said Louise West, one of the social club’s newest members. “It had a big population, but most of them have died.” The foundations of the other buildings, now on private property east of the school, have crumbled. Hilltop was crippled when the railroad closed in 1935 and the trucking company was, by most accounts, the last one to leave. The group continues to search for artifacts from the town’s heyday. “We just keep digging,” Cushman says. “Some of that stuff is still kicking around.” Upkeep is not always easy at the school, and the social club has small fundraisers to pay for maintenance. The roof, furnace and gutters were replaced recently, with some financial assistance from the school Printed on recycled newsprint. Please district, but there are plenty of repairs that recycle this copy. need to be made. The Hilltop Art Fair, complete with food and live music, is being viewed as a potential annual fundraiser to help with the costs, and the church across the street sees it as an opportunity to have a community event for families. Hilltop continues on Page 7
There is one thing Elbert County’s emergency managers have learned: There is no such thing as being too prepared. And in Elbert County, preparedness does not stop at your front door. It extends to the four-legged members of the family who can’t fend for themselves. The county’s emergency management department offers resources for residents and their animals in the event of a disaster. The county will host a one-day seminar April 20 on disaster managedisaster management ment, including information seminar about personal What: Personal preparedness emergency preand disaster preparedness for paredness and a the equine industry series for horse When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 20 owners who Where: Elbert County Faircould face an grounds, 95 Ute Ave., Kiowa evacuation For more information: 303situation. The 621-6131 county is workOnline resources: ing with the • Ready Colorado — Douglas-Elbert readycolorado.com County Horse • Firewise — firewise.org Council, Doug• Colorado Voluntary Organizalas and Elbert tions Active in Disaster— Community Ancovoad.communityos.org imal Response • Douglas-Elbert County Horse Teams, the ElCouncil — dechc.org bert County Volunteer Corps and other emergency agencies. “Emergency preparedness is a personal responsibility,” said Cory Stark, head of the Elbert County emergency management division. “We all have a responsibility to ensure some level of personal preparedness in our lives.” Stark provides disaster management among 14 emergency response agencies in Elbert County. He was at the helm of disaster management during the 2012 tornado that touched down in Elbert County as well as that year’s Elbert fire. The emergency preparedness seminar will provide tips for residents to be prepared for up to 72 hours without services, transportation or communication, whether because of wildfire, mass storms or power outages. Seminar continues on Page 7
The Elbert County office of emergency management will host an emergency preparedness seminary April 20 at the Elbert County fairgrounds. The department provided a sample of items recommended for a personal preparedness kit. Courtesy photo