Historic Georgetown

In the early 1950s, the first efforts were made to preserve Georgetown's remaining 19th-century buildings as historic resources. The importance of Georgetown's place in history was given national recognition in 1966 by the Department of the Interior. Through the National Park Service, the towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume were recognized as a National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) and protected so they could contribute to the telling of the story of the American West.  Historic Georgetown was formed as a private non-profit organization in 1970 to assist in theefforts to preserve and interpret Georgetown's mining past. While federal, state, and local government and local organizations work to restore landmark sites, most of Georgetown's 200 19th-century structures are privately owned, protected, and preserved by local citizens. Today, Georgetown is a study in history, architecture, and historic preservation in addition to being a living 21st-century community.  The NHLD encompasses both Georgetown and Silver Plume, the narrow-gauge railroad that straddles the high valley between the two towns, along with some of the mountainsides that surround the high-mountain villages. In winter, downtown Georgetown hosts a Christmas Market: December 1, 2, 8 & 9, 2012 10:00am to 6:00pm.