By Laura Browarny, Culture Supervisor
In 2019, the Town of Windsor took ownership of a two-acre lot on County Road 15, just north of the Greeley #2 Ditch. The lot was originally intended to become a neighborhood park, but at the very center of the property stood a small building with boarded up windows. This rundown, nondescript structure is the Halfway House; and it is the oldest structure in Windsor.
The Halfway House gets its puzzling name from its very first use as a stagecoach stop along the Overland Trail Cutoff Route, a commonly used thoroughfare for people traveling west across America. The Halfway House marked the midpoint between Greeley and Laporte where folks could stop for a warm meal, a night’s rest, or even a rowdy evening of entertainment on the sometimes multi-day journey.
The restoration of the Halfway House will be the final step in the transformation of the overgrown lot into the Historic Halfway Homestead, Windsor’s first designated historic site. Since 2020, Windsor community members have watched as dead trees and brush were cleared out and replaced with landscaped gardens and as old, dilapidated buildings received much-needed facelifts. The Halfway Homestead now features a restored 1907 farmhouse, a grain bin that has been repurposed as the backdrop for a performance stage, an outdoor cooking area, community and demonstration gardens, and many other amenities. The project has been made possible through developer fees and generous grant support from History Colorado and the Poudre Heritage Alliance.
The grounds of the Halfway Homestead are now open and free to explore. The Town of Windsor Museums is also hosting children’s summer camps and other events for all ages at the site in 2025 with a grand opening scheduled for 2026. Visitors to the site can watch as progress is made on the Halfway House restoration, which is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. The Halfway Homestead also features a nature-based playground, an interactive water feature, and the Stagecoach Time Machine sculpture that was inspired by the Halfway House and brought to the site by the Windsor Arts Commission.
In addition to the Historic Halfway Homestead, the Town of Windsor Museums has also completed rehabilitation of the Eaton House, located at the Windsor History Museum near Boardwalk Park. This 1904 brick house was built by Benjamin Eaton, former Governor of the Colorado Territory, as housing for irrigation ditch workers. The Eaton House is open to the public this summer.
The Town of Windsor Museums maintain other historic properties in the Town including the Art & Heritage Center in Windsor’s original Town Hall and the Windsor History Museum, which comprises the Train Depot along with many other historic buildings. Historic Preservation serves many purposes in a community from establishing a unique identity and connecting residents to their roots to driving economy and contributing to more sustainable construction efforts. You can learn more about the Town of Windsor Museums at www.recreationliveshere.com/culture.