At the Kit Carson House & Museum in Taos, New Mexico we explore the ancestral home of a myriad Native peoples, as New Mexico is part of the last geographical region formally incorporated into the continental United States.
Ther Museum preserves the National Historic Landmark, the Kit Carson Home while developing a museum with exhibits dedicated to the critical exploration of the complicated history and consequences of the cultural encounters of the American Southwest and particularly the history and ongoing story of Native Communities for whom this region was and continues to be home.
At the museum we explain how Carson fought in the Mexican-American War with General Kearny's forces at the Battle of San Pasqual. He led the First New Mexico Volunteers against Confederate forces at the Civil War Battle of Valverde, New Mexico. Carson was brevetted Brigadier General by orders from President Abraham Lincoln. He was the only General in U.S. Army history who could neither read nor write.
The Carson House & Museum will increase the current museum’s historical artifact collection to better match the museum’s updated mission. Our vision statement, guiding principles, collections management policy and ability to adequately care for, house and display artifacts will dictate the types of artifacts the museum will collect. The goal is to acquire historical artifacts for the initial displays with a collections plan in place to continue to grow the collection accordingly.
The Museum is celebrating its 200-year birthday in 2025. The site has recently been awarded a Save America's Treasures Grant from the National Park Service in the amount of $750K. The grant requires a 1:1 dollar match -please go to website and click on Donate to support the effort!
Currently the buildings and grounds restoration and construction will focus on the preservation and rehabilitation of the Carson Home and surrounding structures. The goal will be to restore the National Historic Landmark and construct a museum to accommodate historical exhibits, interpretative graphics, interactive multimedia features, and historical artifacts. https://www.kitcarsonhouse.org/restoration-efforts
We look forward to welcoming you to the Kit Carson House Museum in Taos, NM and exploring the deep history and exploration of our Native People and the impact Kit Carson had! https://www.kitcarsonhouse.org/
