Kit Carson Home and Museum, NM
The Kit Carson Home and Museum was built circa 1825 and purchased by Kit Carson as a wedding gift for his third wife, Maria Josefa Jaramillo, a member of a prominent Taos family. The territorial (Spanish Colonial) style adobe building was to be their home for the next twenty five years. Seven of their eight children were born and raised in the home, along with several Native American children who had been freed by the Carsons from captivity.
After the death of Josefa Carson on April 27, 1868 and Kit Carson shortly after on May 23, 1868, the home changed ownership six times before it was purchased, in 1911, by the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Mexico to be maintained as a memorial to Freemason Kit Carson in perpetuity. In 1949, the Kit Carson Memorial Fund was formed in order to officially maintain and operate the buildings as a historic home and museum. In 1963 the Kit Carson Home and Museum was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. Some thirty years later a grant from the Service made it possible to hire an historic preservation architect to document the condition of the original structures and courtyard and to determine the historic use of the site from the time Kit Carson purchased the property.
Inside the museum are photos of the Carson family and other historical figures, as well as artifacts such as Josefa's sewing box with red silk lining, Carson's U.S. Army sabre and scabbard, his Masonic hat and a replica of his .50 caliber Hawkins rifle.
The museum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 by the National Park Service and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kit Carson Home and Museum
113 Kit Carson Rd
Taos, NM 87571
(505) 758-4945
➠ www.kitcarsonhomeandmuseum.com
⇩ Museum Guide (PDF 568 KB)
⇩ Guide for Youth (PDF 1.1 MB)
After the death of Josefa Carson on April 27, 1868 and Kit Carson shortly after on May 23, 1868, the home changed ownership six times before it was purchased, in 1911, by the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Mexico to be maintained as a memorial to Freemason Kit Carson in perpetuity. In 1949, the Kit Carson Memorial Fund was formed in order to officially maintain and operate the buildings as a historic home and museum. In 1963 the Kit Carson Home and Museum was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. Some thirty years later a grant from the Service made it possible to hire an historic preservation architect to document the condition of the original structures and courtyard and to determine the historic use of the site from the time Kit Carson purchased the property.
Inside the museum are photos of the Carson family and other historical figures, as well as artifacts such as Josefa's sewing box with red silk lining, Carson's U.S. Army sabre and scabbard, his Masonic hat and a replica of his .50 caliber Hawkins rifle.
The museum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 by the National Park Service and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Additional Information
113 Kit Carson Rd
Taos, NM 87571
(505) 758-4945
➠ www.kitcarsonhomeandmuseum.com
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