Barney Ford House Museum | Breckenridge, CO

970-547-3112 | visit our website

The Barney Ford House Museum honors Barney L. Ford, an escaped slave who prospered and became a prominent entrepreneur and black civil rights pioneer in Colorado. The house is located in the center of downtown Breckenridge, at the corner of Washington and Main Street.

Born into slavery in 1822, Ford worked on a plantation in South Carolina before escaping at age 26. Using the Underground Railroad, Ford made his way first to Chicago before coming west to Colorado in 1860. He hoped to join the gold rush, but his claim was denied because of race and then "jumped" by an unscrupulous lawyer. Undeterred, Ford started a barbershop in Denver and later opened the People's Restaurant as well as the Inter-Ocean Hotel, located at 16th and Blake streets in downtown. He was known as one of Denver's finest caterers and restauranteurs.

Ford was active in Colorado politics and Denver civic affairs. He successfully advocated to block a proposal for Colorado statehood that would have denied black men the right to vote and helped start an adult education program for African-Americans in Denver.

Barney Ford became the first black businessman in Breckenridge when he opened Ford's Restaurant and Chop House in 1880. He then hired prominent craftsman Elias Nashold to build a home for himself, his wife Julia and their three children in Breckenridge. Completed in 1882, the five-room Victorian cottage was considered one of the town's showpiece homes in its day. Ford died in 1902 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Denver.

The Barney Ford House was restored and reopened to the public through a partnership between the Town of Breckenridge and the Saddle Rock Society. The Breckenridge Heritage Alliance now operates the museum. The best contact phone number to reach us is 800-980-1859 or online at www.breckheritage.com

Vacant and surrounded by a chain link fence for many years, the home and grounds have been restored to their period condition. Work on the grounds and the exterior of the home began in the Fall of 2003. The interior renovation and restoration continued over the winter and the museum opened to the public July 4, 2004.

Recognized nationally as a civil rights pioneer and successful business owner, Barney L. Ford was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and listed as one of the Greatest Coloradoans in 1992. A stained glass portrait of Barney adorns the legislative chambers of the Colorado State Capital.

FUN FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL
A former slave, Barney Ford was the first black businessman in Breckenridge in 1880 when he opened Ford's Restaurant and Chop House. Built in 1882 by prominent craftsman Elias Nashold, the home was considered a local showplace. Ford played an important role in Colorado's admission to the Union as a free state.

OTHER PLACES TO VISIT
1) Edwin Carter Museum
2) Iowa Hill Trail
3) Lomax Place Mine
4) Washington Mine Interpretive Site
5) Walking Tour of Breckenridge
6) Rotary Snowplow Park