The Hanzlik Family | Longmont Family Photographers | Old Mill Park

Years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Lindsay and Anthony for their Boulder anniversary session. I was thrilled to hear from them again when I offered my spring mini sessions last year. There are many Longmont family photographers, so having them choose Plum Pretty Photography, was really an honor 🙂 We met up at Old Mill Park in Longmont. Spring can be quite unpredictable around here. So, we certainly lucked out with a nice, mild spring day! It was wonderful to catch up with these two. And can we TALK about these adorable twin boys?! You may not remember, but I am a twin myself. We are fraternal, and complete opposites…but best friends nonetheless! I love all things twins though, and these two were no exception.

Theo and Noah were just about to celebrate their first birthday. There was no shortage of smiles, laughter, and of course, spit up during their session 😉 They weren’t quite walking at this point. But with two of them, that probably made it a whole lot easier on us! It was sure fun to see their individual personalities shine through, when interacting with one another…and with their loving parents! It sure seems they will be the best of friends too.

Old Mill Park is a cute little spot in historical downtown Longmont. For several years, this spot was not being maintained by the city, and was looking really rough…to put it mildly. It was overgrown with weeds, and was just not picture-worthy. So, I stopped taking clients there. I was so glad when they received a grant a few years ago, to give it a much-needed facelift.

This is definitely one of my favorite from their Longmont family photography session!

 

Though I had visited Old Mill Park many times, I had not realized the history behind it, until yesterday. Coincidentally, my kiddo and I went to the Longmont Museum yesterday afternoon. On one of the signs in the “tree house” area at the museum, they talked about Old Mill Park, and how it once housed a flour mill in the infancy of our city. Here is some more history about this quaint little park:

“The flour mill, burned down in 1934, and the area was sold and replatted into city lots. However, part of the mill and railroad site remained open and were donated by the Secor family to the St. Vrain Historical Society.

The Hauck Milk House is a stone structure built around 1860 by Robert A. Hauck on the Hauck farm, seven or eight miles east of Longmont in Weld County, on land given to him by Chief Niwot. The milk house was moved stone by stone and reconstructed in this park. Hauck helped to build the first cabin in Boulder City and the first rural school in the Colorado Territory.

The Affolter Cabin was originally built in 1860 south of Haystack Mountain on Left-Hand Creek, and is possibly the oldest existent cabin in Boulder County. It was donated to the Historical Society by the Dodd family and relocated to the park.

The pond is the only remaining portion of the Longmont Flour Mill that burned to the ground in 1934.

The Billings Cabin, built in 1890, was part of a hunting and fishing resort west of Lyons. Billy Bolyes dismantled and numbered the logs of the cabin when the City of Longmont created Buttonrock Dam in the area. In 1980, the logs were reassembled in Old Mill Park.

The Secor Centennial Garden is an area in the Park that was donated in memory of the pioneer Secor family who gardened extensively in the area.

All of these structures were important to the development of this area and have been preserved by the St. Vrain Historical Society in the interests of education and the preservation of our heritage.” -LongmontColorado.gov

What a pretty flower! It looks good enough to eat!! Oh wait…never mind…blah 🙂

Thanks again, Hanzlik family! If you are searching through the vast list of Longmont family photographers, I hope you will reach out and give Plum Pretty Photography a try too! You can reach me at plumprettyphoto@gmail.com now 🙂 Alyssa and Travis’ couple’s session from the gorgeous Colorado National Monument, is coming to the blog next. I hope to see you back here soon!