Voices from our past

Ready for a good listen?

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Learn about Carbondale's history through the eyes of its historic women from five different eras. This special audio series is being featured on KDNK for Carbondale's 111th Potato Day celebration. The theme of this year's agricultural based festival is "Spuds and Suffragists - Women Voting Proudly for 100 Years." These stories show how women's roles in society have changed in the last century and offer some surprising insights as to what life was like in Carbondale from before its founding to the present day.

The Historic Thompson House Museum

What is the Thompson House?

     The Thompson House is a 130 year old Victorian mansion that was lived in continuously by the Thompson family until the 1960s. When they moved out, they left all of the furniture, housewares, décor and personal belongings of the house’s original inhabitant; their Great Aunt Hattie Thompson-Holland.

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     The house remained in the possession of the Thompson Family until the property it sat on was sold. The Town of Carbondale was gifted the house and several acres by the property developer, and the items inside the house were gifted to the Carbondale Historical Society by the Thompson Family.

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    The Thompson House is now a museum and is on the national register of historic houses. It is unique among house museums in that, rather than the furnishings and décor coming from various donors or purchases, this house contains the belongings of its original occupants.

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     Among the fascinating contents of this elaborate mansion are a working Victrola record player and a collection of records dating back 100 years, chairs and sofa with carved doghead legs and arms, and the steamer trunk and various souvenirs from Aunt Hattie’s world travels, including a miniature Taj Majal.

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   The Carbondale Historical Society operates the Thompson House Museum and will be publishing the summer tour schedule soon.

The Thompson House Museum is located at 301 Lewies Lane, Carbondale, CO. 

For more info, or to schedule a tour contact us at  

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SO SORRY! THE THOMPSON HOUSE MUSEUM IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Pictures from our Ghost Party at the Thompson House Museum

Hattie Thompson Holland and her husband Oscar hosted a party for their deceased friends on October 5th.

Visitors got a chance to meet Carbondale's pioneers and hear their stories as they toured the historic 19th century Victorian home of two of the early homesteaders.

Heritage Gardens

Heirloom Vegetables and Herbs

 Open to Visitors June Through September

Interpretive signs give varieties and historical information for Self-Guided visits.

 The Heritage Gardens were created as an opportunity to discover how the early pioneers sustained themselves by growing, preserving, and collecting seeds from their own vegetables and herbs.

 Featured are heirloom varieties from the late 1800s and early 1900s, some of which are descended from those actually grown by Carbondale settlers.

 Seeds from these gardens are available for purchase and proceeds help preserve the history  of growing our own food in an organic and sustainable manner.

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The Pioneer Heritage Garden

  Located at the Jail and Cabin History Park at 499 Weant Blvd. in Carbondale, this box and barrel garden contains the "Ten Crops that Fed the West." An interpretive sign gives the variety and why it was important to the early pioneers.

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Hattie's Kitchen Garden

  Located at the the Thompson House Museum, 301 Lewies Lane in Carbondale, this 200 square foot garden represents a typical plot of land used to sustain an early settler family.

  This demonstration garden is located in the same spot that Hattie Thompson planted her kitchen garden 100 years ago. It features heirloom vegetable varieties from that period, as well as herbs commonly used for teas and medications.

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