Lafayette Miners Museum
The museum is open to the public year round. Visitors are welcome and encouraged to explore Lafayette's past.
Miners Museum Mission Statement
The mission of the Lafayette Miners Museum is to showcase the history of Lafayette, Colorado, especially as it relates to coal mining and miners' lifestyles. The Museum will serve and educate the interested public through the collection, preservation, and interpretation of artifacts and materials that represent the history of the Lafayette area.
The Museum's History
The Lewis Home, located at 108 East Simpson Street, became the Lafayette Miners Museum in August 1976. Built in the 1890s, the house was occupied by miners at the Gladstone Mine northeast of Lafayette. After the mine closed, the house was moved into town.
In December 1913, coal miner William E. Lewis and his family purchased the home from Oscar Padfield. (Padfield's father had owned the Gladstone Mine.) The Lewis Home served as a meeting place for miners during a lengthy strike, which lasted until 1915. During that turbulent period, frequent gun fire would often force the Lewis family to sleep in a nearby cellar for safety.
What the Museum Contains
The museum contains a wealth of Lafayette history, from the early days of pioneer heritage, through the coal mining years and into the present. Visitors will view a broad collection of artifacts which includes a kitchen full of unusual household items used by Lafayette's founding families, plus a tremendous collection of mining tools and equipment.
In the "school room" of the museum, the town's educational heritage has been well preserved in pictures, trophies and memorabilia. Current residents often enjoy searching for a "school days" picture of their parents or grandparents. A small bedroom also contains vintage clothing and accessories from the turn of the century.
As the Lafayette Miners Museum continues to grow and manage a collection of significant historical artifacts, we occasionally come across items that fall outside the Museum’s mission. These objects will be permanently removed or deaccessioned from the Museum’s permanent collection. An object could be deaccessioned for many reasons, including if it does not have a connection to Lafayette, the Museum already has multiples of the same artifact, it is damaged beyond repair, or the Museum does not have the resources to properly care for the object.
When possible, deaccessioned items are given to other museums or educational institutions.