This house at 1607 6th Street is significant for its association with James Dumm, original owner and active fruit farmer and ditch rider, and Edward Webb, prominent citizen and mayor of Boulder from 1911-1913.
In 1885, James M. purchased this property from the estate of Ezra Barker. In 1888, James married Sue Caton, and in 1895, they built their house residing in it until 1901. James cared for a fruit farm at 3rd and Marine, had a fruit and vegetable tract on the north slope of Flagstaff Mountain, and was the superintendent for the Boulder and White Rock, Anderson, and Beasley irrigation ditches for over 30 years. In 1901, he and his family moved to California, but returned to Boulder two years later to build a home at 604 Marine, where they resided for over 30 years. They had three children: Clint, James J.Jr., who died in infancy and Wylie E. They sold the house in 1901 to Leonidos N. Deweese.
In 1902, Edward Webb bought the house and resided in it with his family for 40 years until 1942. Webb was active in civic, social, and religious affairs in Boulder, serving as the principal of Jefferson School from 1904-1907 and the Board of Alderman for four years. Webb was Mayor of Boulder from 1911 to 1913 and was appointed to the position of County Superintendent of Schools on the resignation of Superintendent J. H. Shriber and was successively re-elected serving in this position for five and a half years. Webb also was involved in real estate, operating his business at 1310 Pearl Street. [More information about these owners is in the file.]
This house is located in the Highland lawn addition, commonly referred to as the Highland Lawn neighborhood, bounded by Boulder Creek along the north, the Anderson Ditch along the south east, Broadway Avenue on the east, and University Avenue on the south. In 1884, Hannah Barker, wife of the deceased Ezra Barker, platted the area of Highland Lawn. Purchasers of lots in Highland Lawn had water rights to Anderson Ditch and the deed, conveyed to each purchaser, contained a condition "requiring the purchaser to set out trees in front of his lot and build a fence around it, trees not to be cottonwood and the fence not to be wire".
The recognized style of the house is Queen Anne/Vernacular Masonry-Hipped Roof. This brick dwelling is composed of a hipped roof box intersected by a rectangular projecting bay on the front elevation. General characteristics include a vertical orientation, asymmetrical massing, corner towers and bays, prominent decorative porches, projecting gables, and contrasting materials, particularly brick and wood.