Lafayette History Museum

06/11/2026

Don't miss our next walking tour on June 20! Waneka Lake and nearby Open Spaces have an amazing story to tell – one of pioneers and power plants, wildlife and waterways, farming, families, and much more. Take a walk with volunteers from the Lafayette History Museum and Lafayette Open Space to learn the rich history of Waneka Lake and nearby Open Spaces.
The tour is free, but reservations are required: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/lafayette-history-museum/summer-walking-tour-hidden-stories-of-waneka-lake

05/29/2026

Join us on Thursday to discover the role of Welsh workers in the local mining community. Some of the earliest immigrants to the area after Lafayette was founded were Welsh miners, including the Lewis family that lived in the home which now houses the Lafayette History Museum.

Paul Lightsey shares how their stories reflect the evolution of coal mining, the labor movement, and attitudes towards immigrants in the early years of Lafayette.

Lafayette Learns: Welsh in the Colorado Coal Fields will take place at 6:30pm on June 4 in the downstairs meeting room of the Lafayette Public Library. More info: https://lafayettepubliclibrary.libcal.com/calendar/main/LLJune2026

05/26/2026

It's starting to feel like summer 🌞 Share a favorite memory of summer in Lafayette in the comments! We wish this A&W Root Beer Stand was still around to enjoy 🥤

This photo is from the Lafayette High School class of 1966 time capsule. The time capsule, which was opened in 2000, is now housed at the Lafayette History Museum and is a wonderful snapshot of life in Lafayette in sixty years ago.

05/16/2026

The museum will close at 9:30am on Saturday, May 16.
For the past three years, the museum has been working with long-time Lafayette resident Patsy Holt to preserve the history of her family’s farm, the Schofield Farm. Patsy was a joy to work with and passionate about her family’s history. She sadly passed away recently, and so the museum is closed to allow staff and volunteers to attend her funeral on Saturday morning. Thank you for understanding.
Photo: Black and white photograph of Patsy's father, Joe Distel, holding her as a young baby. The photo is one of hundreds from Patsy's collection.

05/09/2026

🌟 Your donation will be DOULBED thanks to a matching grant! 🌟

If you have visited the Lafayette History Museum at any point during our 50 years of preserving and sharing Lafayette's history, you know how important the historic Lewis House is to telling the story of Lafayette. It is over 130 years old now, and we are excited to receive a grant from the State Historical Fund to help care for the house so that it can last another 130 years.

The project requires a $22,000 cost match from us, and to help us achieve our goal, we are grateful for a matching grant of $5,000 from an anonymous donor. Every dollar you donate this summer will be doubled, making the impact of your donation go even further toward preserving the Lewis House!

Double your donation: https://www.coloradogives.org/give/Lafayette-History-Museum?matching_grant_id=48913

04/22/2026

Don't miss our first-ever History Happy Hour TOMORROW, April 23! Brewed at Altitude will explore how Colorado went from being a state that championed prohibition to one that is known for its breweries. The program is at and tickets include a free drink! Get your tickets here: tinyurl.com/LHM-history-happy-hour.

Object in photo is a beer stein featuring a design of coal miners, honoring the mining history of the area.

04/09/2026

Congratulations to Lafayette's new poet laureate, Michele Battiste!
Michele continues a tradition of celebrating the community through the power of poetry. Lafayette's first poet laureate was Allie Flint, pictured here. Born in 1877 in New York, Flint moved to Lafayette at the age of 31. She was appointed to the position in 1947 and continued until her death in 1964. Few events in the town went unacknowledged by her poetry, as she recorded important and everyday moments of life in a small coal mining town.
Read more about Michele Battiste here: https://www.lafayetteco.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/9948

04/07/2026

Happy National Beer Day! 🍻 It's the perfect time to get your tickets to our upcoming event, Brewed at Altitude: The History of Colorado Brewing. To celebrate the special holiday, get discounted tickets with the code NATIONALBEERDAY, today only! Tickets available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/lafayette-history-museum/history-happy-hour.
Join us on April 23 at for the first of our History Happy Hour programs.

03/25/2026

Don't miss this important exhibit at the Collective Community Arts Center!

The history exhibit titled “Racism & Discrimination at the Lafayette Swimming Pool 1934” will be at Lafayette’s Collective Community Arts Center venue through May 10.

12/19/2025

Today (December 19) is the last day we're open for the year (and is dependent on power supply). But you can still come look for our elf Tommy Knox when we're closed!