The Beehive

I was driving to Gilpin Falls when I noticed those old ruin like structures along the side of the road and of course made a turn to discover what they were. There was a sign by the Elk Creek Preservation Society stating the name of this historical place as "Beehive". Then I noticed the "No Trespassing" sign; apparently they do not want people inside the buildings; however, the door was open on one of the buildings so I took that as an invite ;) and sneaked in to see what was going on inside. The stone structures were amazing, I quickly took few photos and went on my way to Gilpin Falls where I had a huge disappointment since it was almost dried up

When I got home I goggled some information about this place and this is what I found:
"The Beehive was constructed by stonemasons in the early 18th century possibly 1720-1730. The Beehive was an early industrial complex, it got it's name because of the busy commercial activity. The western most ruin was a coopers shop, there were 3 workers houses, and Michael Wallace's store."

The annual Apple Butter Festival takes place at this location on the third Saturday in October for 30 years. This means I should have been there last weekend! :)