The Historic Thompson House Museum is OPEN

Tours from 1pm to 4pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday 

June through September

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 group tour contact us at  

Again this Autumn:

Carbondale History Class 

Colorado Mountain College

Lappala Campus, Carbondale

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Thursday 10/10 6-9pm

Saturday 10/12 9am-12pm

 

     Whether you're new to Carbondale or have been here your whole life, this class will satisfy your desire to learn more about the rich history of the area.

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     Beginning with the First People; the Ute (Nuche) who used the valley as their summer hunting ground for hundreds of years, through the eras of pioneer settlement and mining, to the agricultural/industrial era of the 1930s, this class focuses on how use of the land by its inhabitants changed over time.

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This class has two parts:

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Thu. 10/10 from 6-9pm - Slideshow of Crystal Valley and Carbondale history, overview of CHS Museum Docent program, preview info for Saturday walking tour.

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Sat. 10/12 from 9am to 12 noon - Walking Tour of downtown Carbondale, visit to Cabin and Jail History Park (Weant & Hwy 133), and tour of the Thompson House Museum (301 Lewies Lane).

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CHS Museum Docent Training Program

 

This is the first course in the Carbondale Historical Society docent training program. Students who wish to become volunteer docents for the historical society will be enrolled free in the rest of the classes (offsite from CMC). Those who give 12 hours of volunteer time to CHS in 2020 will be reimbursed for part of their original class fee.

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For questions:

 

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New! Carbondale

Heritage Garden Club

     This newly formed club will be responsible for the care and maintenance of the Carbondale Historical Society gardens at the Thompson House History Park and the Jail and Cabin History Park.

    

     Members will learn and practice gardening with heirloom and historic varieties from planting to harvest, plus food preservation and seed-saving.

 

     Additionally, we will be doing historical research, identifying plants in local photographs, and locating heritage varieties still growing in our area.

 

Email: to join