About the Collection
The collection at Old Town Museum includes more than 20,000 objects, photographs, and documents. Most of our collection is from the Burlington, CO early days—the 1880s through the 1940s—and actually belonged to original residents of Burlington and the surrounding area.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Old Town Museum is home to several historic buildings that have been moved onto the property over the history of the museum. The barn, built in 1937, and moved here in 1986, beginning the creation of Old Town. In addition to the barn, 9 other buildings were moved to Old Town, including the Depot, the oldest building here which was originally built in 1889. These buildings were moved in from locations in Burlington and surrounding communities.
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Old Town Barn
It all started with the barn. Built in 1937, the barn was moved from Kanorado, KS, in one piece by a 1940s Dodge truck. It was no easy task either, taking 15 days of preparation work and 2 full days to move it. The barn measures 38 feet wide, 80 feet long, and 44 feet tall. In its day, the barn could hold over 180 tons of hay. Today the barn is used for weddings, corporate dinners and other events in addition to being open daily as part of the tour at Old Town.
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Depot
The oldest building at Old Town, built in 1889 in Bethune, CO, by the Rock Island Railroad and used continuously until the early 1940s. It was donated by the H.H. Ernest family to the museum. Inside, there is an original blueprint of the depot from 1915, several pieces of track, and an original pot belly stove.
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Harmony School House
The school was built in 1911 in near Cope, CO, and was part of the Harmony school district #54, and housed 1st through 8th grades. The desk inside the school is not original to the building and is dated 1889 from a repair ticket inside for $1.95.
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Church
The church was built in 1921 in Armel, CO, using donated funds by the community at the time. One of the first to notice about this church is the sloping floor, which allowed people in the back pews to see the minister. The dark pews inside came from the German settlement community in Bethune, CO.
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Boese House
The Boese house was built in 1915 south of Vona, CO, by Ben Boese. After their son married, the original house was added on to with two kitchens, a large living room, six bedrooms, and a full bathroom with running water. A mansion of its time in eastern Colorado. In the sewing room upstairs, the wallpaper and curtains are original, and over 100 yrs old.
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