A: Avery House
Built in 1879, this sandstone mansion was home to Franklin and Sara Avery and their three children. Mr. Avery came to Fort Collins as a surveyor, and he's credited with laying out many of our lovely wide streets--he wanted enough room for the wagons to turn around. He went on to successful careers in ranching, real estate, agriculture, and banking. In 1910, he retired and moved to California for health reasons.
His younger brother, William, who also came to Fort Collins to seek his fortune, wasn't so lucky. He died in 1890 of what appeared to be a stomach ailment. But when his widow secretly married his business partner twelve days later, foul play was suspected. It was determined that William died from arsenic poisoning, but because the prosecution couldn't prove that it wasn't by his own hand, his former wife and her new husband were acquitted.
The Avery House has been restored and is open to the public for free tours and holiday events. It's one of my favorite historical places around town.
Comments
Found you through the A-Z Challenge,
Victoria from Always a Booklover
Jan at Website
Beyond Acadia
Faith Talk
Swamp Lily Review
Happy A to Z!
(I'm doing EIGHT blogs. Whew.)
Here's one:
A is for Absent - Rhymed Acrostics from A to Z
Great first post! I'm a bit of a history buff so I really enjoyed this one. Love the idea of getting your son involved on the photography too- Cool idea!!
Best of Luck to you guys!
Cheers!!
Erick @ A Brief Sinfonia: Loving Your Wife From A-Z
Beautiful house, poor William!
Interesting post.
That's a great looking house. I'm betting your hometown is pretty cool and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it :)