Night at the Museum
Celebrating Eagle County’s Past, Present, and Future!
Rain clouds did not deter the crowd at our recent “Night at the Museum” event. Over 120 people turned out to enjoy the food, browse the exhibit, and answer some history trivia questions. An historic good time was had by all. (Photos courtesy of Wendy Griffith)
Night at the Museum
Celebrating Eagle County’s Past, Present, and Future!
5-p.m. – 8 p.m.
The Eagle County Historical Museum has a new roof, new paint, and new exhibits. We’re ready to celebrate!
Join us for an evening of celebrating local history, including food and drink. Meet some long-time residents, make some new friends, and revel in Eagle County’s colorful history. Give our “History Trivia Wheel” a spin – answer a question, win a prize.
Live music
Free admission, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar.
(Donations are always welcome.)
Find your invite at https://tinyurl.com/Museum-celebration
RSVP’s encouraged (but not required) to help us anticipate food and drink quantities.
Direct questions and RSVPs to [email protected].
Colorado Gives Day 2020, Tuesday, December 8
In 1980, when a local rancher offered a dilapidated, 1898 barn to the fledgling Eagle County Historical Society for use as a museum, it seemed like an impossible idea. But the very determined Historical Society directors, including Frank Doll, Laurene Knupp, Jim Nimon, Rae Benton, Roy Robinson, Ross Bolt, and others worked for a decade to make it happen. In 1990, the museum opened and has been serving the public ever since.
1984 Museum barn move
In 2020, the current ECHS Board realized that some significant improvements to the building were needed in order to keep the building functioning.
Museum barn before re-roofing
With hard work from the Board, and terrific support from the loyal donors, local businesses, and local government, the ECHS re-roofed the aging building with a metal roof, made some small structural repairs, and repainted the barn. It feels like a new building. If the corona virus situation allows, the museum will be open in the spring for the 2021 season.
Museum Docents
Meanwhile, the ECHS continues to fulfill its mission of sharing local history with educational programs, website blogs about early day pioneers, history hikes, cemetery tours, book publication, and a treasure trove of historic photographs and digitized manuscripts offered online via our partnership with the Eagle Valley Library District. We love local history, and we love sharing it with you.
The ECHS is run primarily by volunteers, and is financed through book sales, memberships and donations. The Historical Society is a small-scale non-profit with large-scale dedication to preserving local history. Your support on Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday, Dec. 8, is appreciated.
Donations can be scheduled at any time at https://www.coloradogives.org/.
Horn Ranch Hike
Friday, May 29, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m
at the Horn Ranch
The Eagle Valley Land Trust and Eagle County Historical Society will lead a hike to the historic stone quarry at the Horn Ranch on Friday, May 29, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Learn about the Horn Ranch conservation project, and Historical Society President Kathy Heicher will share the history of the early ranch and the colorful characters that lived there.
Sign up through the Eagle Valley Land Trust website (evlt.org). Advance registration required. More information at Horn Ranch Hike .
These popular tours have limited space, and fill up quickly. Early reservations are recommended. Please email [email protected] for more information and to reserve your spot.
After months of planning, fundraising, and tremendous support from the local community, the roof replacement on our museum/barn is underway. The crew from A.G. Roofing in Eagle took extra steps to protect the artifacts stored in the barn loft. Originally built in 1899 by Eagle rancher R.P. Wood, the barn was repurposed into a museum in the late 1980s. The new roof was necessary in order to protect the irreplaceable artifacts housed in the museum.
Protecting artifacts
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the museum will remain closed during the months of May and June. The ECHS Board will re-evaluate the situation in mid-summer to determine of the facility can be safely opened to the public this year.