Born a slave in 1822, Barney Ford lived an entrepreneurial life and became one of Colorado's wealthiest and most influential men. He invested in mines and real estate, building shops, restaurants, and major hotels in Nicaragua, San Francisco, Cheyenne, and Denver. He was an important figure in civil rights, involved in the Underground Railroad and insisting on Black suffrage before Congress grant statehood to Colorado. He is honored with a stained glass portrait in the State Capitol today. He died at this last home just off Colfax Avenue on High Street.