Boulder County Commissioners · Meetings
Public Hearing on Hummel Farmstead Historic Landmark Designation
September 24, 2026
Boulder County Commissioners unanimously approved historic landmark designation for the Hummel Farmstead.
The Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on landmark designation for the Hummel Farmstead, a 3.96 acre site within a 78 acre county-owned parcel at 3902 North 63rd Street, also known historically as the Boulder County Poor Farm and the site of Fort Chambers. County staff planner Jessica McKinnon presented the application, which the Historic Preservation Advisory Board had unanimously recommended for approval on 2026-08-06. City of Boulder staff Julie and Christian, representing the property owner, spoke about the research behind the application and its significance. No members of the public signed up to testify. Commissioners discussed the site's connection to the Sand Creek Massacre and how future interpretive signage would be reviewed, then unanimously approved the designation.
Summarized by a language model from the meeting transcript.
- 1 vote
- 2 agenda items
Votes
Agenda
Call to Order
9:00 a.m. Morning Session
- Public hearing and unanimous approval of Docket HP-26-004, landmark designation for the Hummel Farmstead, a historic farm site owned by the City of Boulder with ties to George Chambers, Fort Chambers, the Boulder County Poor Farm, and the Hummel family, who owned it from 1920 to 2018.
Conversations by topic
Fort Chambers and Sand Creek
Commissioner Loachamin asked whether the landmark boundary includes resources associated with the Sand Creek Massacre and Fort Chambers. Staff planner Jessica McKinnon clarified that no physical resources within the 3.96 acre landmark area are associated with Fort Chambers or the massacre, though the fort was located elsewhere on the broader 78 acre parcel owned by the city.
Commissioner Levy asked whether future interpretive signage about the property's role in the Sand Creek Massacre, which the city is developing, would need review as a certificate of appropriateness. McKinnon said any such installation within the landmark area would need Historic Preservation Advisory Board approval, noting the board commonly approves interpretive signs at other landmark sites.
In closing remarks before the vote, Commissioner Levy said the county has no official say in what stories the city chooses to tell about the site's history or how it tells them, and expressed hope that the city will listen closely to the community on that question, calling it separate from the landmark decision before the board.