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Keystone Historical Museum

Introduction

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Located in the historic 1899 Keystone Schoolhouse building, the Keystone Historical Museum preserves and promotes local history. The museum features numerous items on display including mining tools and artifacts, photographs, rock and mineral collections, old rolltop desks, antique furniture, an old organ, and a bathtub once used by President Howard Taft. The second floor still has classrooms that have been left in tact. The school operated until 1988.

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Keystone Historical Museum was built in 1899 and operated as a local school until 1988.

Keystone Historical Museum was built in 1899 and operated as a local school until 1988.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

It took three years to build the school at a cost of $10,000. It is very well preserved and is a unique example of a rural frame school building from the turn-of-the century period. It is also unusual for its rather large size and the fact that the lumber used to build it was sourced locally. It was built at a time when Keystone was a bustling community of 1,500 residents, complete with two churches, three hotels, and a number of saloons. The building, which is located on a hillside overlooking the town, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Cite This Entry


M., Ben. "Keystone Historical Museum." Clio: Your Guide to History. November 4, 2019. Accessed August 7, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/87620

Sources

"A Facility with Many Stories to Tell." Keystone Area Historical Society. Accessed November 4, 2019. http://www.keystonehistory.com/index.php/about/keystone-museum.

Creighton, Orville. "Keystone School." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 22, 1981. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b203815c-53b1-4696-acff-64f36f26b9fa.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons

Additional Information

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