Museum Built by Berthoud Historical Society

Saved by local residents in 1976, blacksmith A.G. Bimson’s Stone Shop was opened by the Berthoud Historical Society as the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum in 1978. The building was erected in 1893 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Bimson Barn was relocated to the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum in 2001. Originally constructed in 1902 it served as a temporary dwelling for the Bimson family while their new home was being built. Once restored, the barn will be used for additional exhibits.

Elmer Carlson erected “a new 24×60-foot garage building, just east of Bimson’s old stone shop” in 1940. Located at its original site but now on museum grounds, the “ Carlson Building ” serves as a museum annex.

The Meadow Hollow School once sat in a valley west of Berthoud that is now covered by Carter Lake . The school was built in 1916 and was a gift of rancher Roy Hunter. Since 2005 the school has served as an exhibit and site of a living history day camp.

The Bunyan Observatory is a replica of the astronomical observatory Berthoud banker John Bunyan built in his backyard in 1933. Built in 2004, the observatory is an exhibit during museum hours and a site for public stargazing the first Friday of every month.