The Ball House – 705 Fourth Street
By Julie Denton
(Julie is a member of the Town of Castle Rock’s Historic Preservation Board)
Like many of the historic gems that reside in Castle Rock, the Ball house is one that has a unique history and importance to our town. Presumed to have been built in 1892, the lower level of this one and a half story home is constructed of a material well known to the town of Castle Rock: rhyolite. The second story consists of wooden shingles in a pattern that resembles fish scales. Built in a style known as vernacular masonry, the house has been nearly unchanged from its original construction.
Originally from Massachusetts, Frank D. Ball moved to Colorado in 1876 to accompany his father, who was a Civil War Soldier; doctors prescribed fresh air as a treatment for a lung condition he had developed after the war. Though his father’s health improved in Colorado, upon returning to the east he was taken ill and died, leaving Frank, his mother and sister. Not wanting to be a financial burden to his family, Frank decided to remain in Colorado. He became a teacher, initially at the Garber Creek School District and boarded with a family in the Plum Creek area. He met his wife a short time later and they married in 1883.
When Frank D. Ball became the Superintendent of Douglas County Schools in 1895, his wife, Caroline Curtis Ball, moved their family from Sedalia to Castle Rock. By election, Frank held the position of Superintendent until 1905. It is said that Ball was the finest superintendent the state of Colorado had ever seen. During his tenure, he helped draft the Model Consolidation High School law which gave Douglas County, and more specifically Castle Rock, the first “traditional” high school; this school remains today, known as Douglas County High School. Ball served other roles for the town and county including town recorder, county assessor, and Mayor of Castle Rock.
Upon Mr. Ball’s sudden and unexpected death in 1907, due to what we believe was heart failure, Mrs. Caroline Curtis Ball decided to remain in the house they had bought in Castle Rock. Mrs. Ball immigrated with her family from Wales and settled in the Plum Creek area around the age of ten. She and Mr. Ball raised 5 children: Olivia, Flora, Daniel, Ruth and Frank. She remained living in the F.D. Ball house until her death in 1955.
The impact F.D. Ball had on not only Douglas County, but on Castle Rock is phenomenal; his politics and personality helped to form what he once described as, “the prettiest little town in the state [– Castle Rock.]” Let us continue to live up to that standard.
Sources included: Douglas County History Research Center's file on F.D. Ball, Historic Craig and Gould Walking Tour Brochures, Walk With Our Pioneers by Alice M.Thompson, Our Heritage: People of Douglas County by Jean S. Wilson.
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