Richard Penn Smith

Richard Penn Smith is descendant of the Smith family of Philadelphia. His great grandfather was a reverend, which made him the first provost Philadelphia College at the University of Pennsylvania. The great grandfather had talents such as writing and being a vigorous thinker.

Dr. Smith's eldest son, William Moore Smith, was a writer of poems and even had his writings reprinted in England. Richard Penn Smith was talented in drama writing and magazine articles.  The paper he was well-known for was the “Aurora”, which was a well-known Philadelphia newspaper. He has written for it for about five years.  His well-known and eldest plays were “Disowned or Woman’s Trail”. These plays were performed in the Chestnut Theater, which is located in Philadelphia. That’s not all the plays were even performed in London.  Besides plays, William had written tragedies.  

William son who was Colonel Richard Penn Smith was born in Philadelphia May 9th, 1837. He had received education in West Chester College and left in 1857. He was one of the earliest settlers in Kansas.  He was also one of the ten people to march to march across the prairie to Frazier’s river in the search of gold.  In the year 1859, he crossed to Denver city.

Colonel Richard had purchased seventeen acres of land. This land was on Clove Road in West Brighton. Around the year 1877, a beautiful home was built on Clove Road between St. Peters Commentary and Martling Avenue.  Colonel Richard Penn built this home.  In 1902, it had become a well-known actors house.