Pueblo County Biographies

Pueblo County, Colorado
George Washington Roe

Contributed by Karen Mitchell.

George W. Roe, a Pueblo architect, standing high in his profession, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, October 24, 1850, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Gosnell) Roe. The father died while serving as a soldier in the Union army, and the mother passed away in March, 1918. George W. Roe was but a young lad when his father died, giving his life as a sacrifice to his country during the Civil war. The boy attended the public schools and afterward had the benefit of instruction in Hopedale College at Hopedale, Ohio. He later took up the study of architecture in the office of W. A. Burkett in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and located first for the practice of his profession in that city for six years, removing to Canon City, Colorado, in 1881.

Arriving in Denver he expected to follow his profession there but found twenty-seven architects already established which fact decided him to turn his attention to the lure of the mines and he became identified with mining and prospecting, but after having some experience along that line he concentrated his efforts and attention upon his profession in Canon City, where he remained for eight years.

In 1889 he came to Pueblo and through the intervening period, covering almost three decades, he has designed some of the state's finest buildings, Including the library building of the University of Colorado at Boulder, also the chapel and the dining room and some of the cottages for the State Industrial School for Boys at Golden. He likewise made the plans for three buildings for the Colorado State Hospital at Pueblo and while in Canon City he was superintendent of construction of the state penitentiary. He likewise planned the county building at Canon City and was associated with Albert R. Rosa in the building of the Pueblo county courthouse. He has planned sixty different public school buildings in the state, among them being the Centennial high school of Pueblo, the Riverside school, the Carlisle and the Hinsdale, all of Pueblo, together with eleven others in this city. He was the architect of the Carnegie Library at Lamar and has made the plans for between five and six hundred other buildings at various points in the state. In fact there are few architects in Colorado who have equalled him in the number and in the importance of the buildings which have been erected after designs which he has made.

Mr. Roe was united in marriage to Miss Clara Schaefer and to them have been born two children: George H., a draftsman with the United States Naval Construction Company at Long Beach, California, who married Ethel Rigdon, a member of a very prominent Pueblo family; and Anna, who married Alfred R. Johnson, also a member of a prominent Pueblo family, who is now serving in the Aviation Corps of the United States Army and is stationed at Riverside, California.

Mr. Roe gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He is very prominent in the Masonic order, in which he has attained the honorary thirty-third degree. He is a past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, is a past Grand High Priest and past Grand Commander.

Moreover, he is a member of Colorado Consistory, No. 1, A. A. S. R.; Canon City Council, No. 5, R. & S. M.; and is an active life member M. V. A., Pacific Coast, and inspector general honorary of the Supreme Council, thirty-third degree, S. J. U. S. A. He has figured quite actively in public life, serving as town trustee also as county commissioner and in other positions of public trust. He is guided by a progressive spirit in everything that he undertakes, whether for the benefit of the community at large or in connection with his profession, and advancing step by step, he now occupies a prominent place among the leading residents of southeastern Colorado.
(from "History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. (1918) Vol. II p. 438-439)

Durango Wage Earner – June 3, 1909 – Pueblo, May 28. – Stepping directly in front of the automobile driven by G. W. Roe yesterday afternoon, Ralph Deacon of Calhoun, a wealthy farmer, was knocked down, run over and sustained injuries which caused his death early this morning. Deacon was crossing North Union avenue when the auto came around the corner and before it could be stopped Deacon was under the wheels. He was rushed to a hospital and every effort made to save his life. Deacon was one of the best known citizens in eastern Colorado, and accounted one of the richest men in the valley. He was 55 years old.

Bayfield Blade – October 11, 1912 – Driving an automobile for the first time since he killed Edward Mellie, a Limon farmer, two years ago, George W. Roe of Pueblo ran down and killed John Shiner, aged sixty-five.

Burial was in Roselawn for George W. Roe, age 74, buried on January 9, 1925

Obituary for George Washington Roe, Pueblo Chieftain, January 8, 1925 - “The funeral of the late George Washington Roe will take place Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the United Davis-Vories chapel. Rev. T. C. Collister, assisted by the Masonic quartet from Silver State lodge No. 95, will have charge of the service at the chapel. At Roselawn cemetery, where interment will be made, the Colorado state grand lodge officers, Hon. Frank G. Mirick as grand master, will conduct the Masonic burial service for Silver State lodge No. 95, A. F. & A. M. The Colorado state grand commandery under escort of Commandery No. 3, Knights Templar, will act as an escort to the blue lodges.

Pueblo Chieftain, January 10, 1925 - Masonic Services for George W. Roe.
Services over the remains of the late George W. Roe were held in the United Davis-Vories chapel Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock.
Rev. Thomas C. Collister conducted the services. The Masonic quartet consisting of Thomas A. Christian, David J. Jones, Jenkin W. Bowen and A. G. Briggs, rendered the following selections: “Lead, Kindly Light” and “Abide With Me.”
Following the chapel services, the Grand Lodge of Masons, Hon. Frank G. Mirick as Grand Master, assumed charge of the services and escorted by the Colorado Grand Commandery, Knights Templar and members of Pueblo Lodge No. 17, South Pueblo Lodge No. 31 and Silver State Lodge No. 95, who were under escort of Pueblo Commandery No. 3, Knights Templar, marched as an escort to C Street in honor of their departed past grand master and past commander.
At Roselawn cemetery, where the interment was made, the Masonic burial service was exemplified. The following acted as honorary pallbearers and active pallbearers: William T. Bridwell, Marshall B. Van Fleet, Joseph Davis, L. Wirt Kirkham (?), John S. Windsor, Dr. Hubert (Herbert?) R. Wolf, Edward T. Hufferd, Wm. A. Campbell, J. M. Meals, Robert H. Wartenbee, M. Studikski, Wm. L. Rees, Anthony Riesenecker, Thos C. Davis, L. J. Dutton and Harry P. Vories.
The flower bearers were: Robert _ Steen, John Davies, George Willock, S. F. Reno, Chas. O. Peterson, Gust (?) Anderson, Earl W. Spencer, Chas. (?) B. Crawford, John H. Rill___s, Edward Redmond and Wm. ___ch.
The following grand lodge officers participated: Frank G. Mirick, grand master; John D. Long, deputy grand master; George W. Clark, deputy grand warden; Homer Richardson, Jr., grand warden; James Hopkins, grand treasurer; William _. Cooper, grand secretary; Raymond D. Lowden, grand chaplain; Charles L. Young, Jr., grand lecturer; Horace H. Mitchell, grand marshall; Obert W. Fell, Sr., grand deacon; Hugh S. Walby, Jr., grand deacon; Wm. W. Codding, Sr., grand stewart; Nels Nelson, Jr., grand stewart; and John A. Eklund, grand tyler. The marshall in charge of the blue lodges was Charles A. Pannebaker, and in charge of the Knights Templar being Will D. Grisard.
The funeral was one of the largest attended, especially noticeable being the number of blue lodge Masons and Knights Templar who were present.
Note: Copy quality on the last article was poor, but every effort was made to fill in the gaps with accuracy through research whenever possible.

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