Museum opening hours: Museum Hours Wed 1-4 and Sat 10-2

66 Lower Glenway Street

Palmer Lake, Colorado 80133

The Lucretia Vaile Museum

The Lucretia Vaile Museum

Lucretia Vaile Library and Museum

Museum hours are Wednesdays 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Private tours available with reservations. You may call the museum at (719) 559-0837 and leave a message. FREE and open to the public. Pick up your 2024 Historical Society Calendars here while supplies last.

FREE Historical Society Calendars are available at our Lucretia Vaile Museum. They are also available through our loyal advertisers who help make the calendar possible. Stop in and thank our local advertisers and pick up a FREE calendar:

Jeff Hulsmann – O’Malleys Pub, Bobby Yoder – Monument Auto Clinic, Trish Flake – Main Street Brokers, Rock House Ice Cream, Sasquatch & Yeti Taqueria, Bella Panini, Bella Art & Frame, Faith Ferguson – Vogue Hair Styling, Jim Maguire -Maguireville, Patrick Hall – State Farm, Thom Facinelli – Facinelli Motors, Jamie Wilke – Nature Photographer, Sara’s Sausage, Monarch Merchandising, Tri-Lakes Printing, Monument Pharmacy, Integrity Bank & Trust, Julian Drummond – DARS Supply, Christian Brothers Automotive, Ruth Wordelman – Front Range…  

Thank you to all our loyal advertisers. We appreciate your support!!

Museum Location

We are located at 66 Lower Glenway Street (below the library) in Palmer Lake, Colorado with easy access from Highway 105. Across from the Town Hall. 

History

The Lucretia Vaile Museum began in the basement of the Palmer Lake Marshal’s Offices (originally the AT&SF Section Foreman’s house). The museum quickly outgrew that building, and the current Library-Museum was dedicated on October 4, 1981.

The building was erected as a memorial to Lucretia Vaile, who left a bequest to the town of Palmer Lake, which was used to build the original structure. With the new building came new museum pieces. A local  furrier who was going out of business donated the glass display cases still used in the museum.

An addition was built in 1996 with money the Palmer Lake Historical Society received from the estate of Lena Royse, providing storage and administrative space. The Museum now contains permanent exhibits dedicated to the towns of Palmer Lake and Monument as well as the surrounding area including Black Forest and the U.S. Airforce Academy. The rich history of the Palmer Divide is maintained as a legacy for those yet to come.

A Museum Director, Staff, and Docents, all of whom are volunteers, operate the Museum. Meet our team!

It houses many photos, articles, and artifacts of the historical Palmer Lake, Monument and Palmer Divide areas. Special displays are rotated every 4-6 months.

Mission Statement

To provide, maintain and expand a museum resource for historical data, artifacts and other items of significance relating to Palmer Lake, Monument, and the Palmer Divide area and make resources available to the public on a scheduled basis.

Objectives

  • Serve the historical and educational needs of the Palmer Divide area including Monument, Woodmoor, United States Air Force Academy, Black Forest and Palmer Lake as a resource and repository for historically significant documents, photos, artifacts and related items.

  • Preserve and protect the Museum and its contents.

  • Maintain Museum housing, reference files, books and storage on an organized basis.

  • Coordinate liaison activities with the Palmer Lake Historical Society, sponsor of the Lucretia Vaile Museum, and also with the Town of Palmer Lake for those services furnished by the Society and the Town.

  • Coordinate liaison activities with the Town of Monument and private organizations to further the mission of the Museum.

  • Communicate to the public the availability of the Museum as a research and educational resource and assist visitors with information about the historical data available.

  • Maintain and communicate to the public the schedule of the Museum’s open hours.

  • Promote guided tours, develop and conduct history-related presentations to clubs and groups, create Museum displays and sponsor special Museum events.

  • Encourage and promote donations to the museum of historically significant data and artifacts.

  • Encourage and secure donations and funding to ensure the continuation of the Museum.

Patrons and Benefactors

We wish to recognize the patrons and benefactors that have made very generous contributions thus furthering the mission of the Vaile Museum and the Historical Society.

Please visit the websites of these fine people and organizations. They have all helped make the job of preserving and displaying the history of the Tri-Lakes area possible. Find out more at our new Patrons and Benefactors page.