Kit Carson House

Last updated

Kit Carson House
Kit Carson House, Kit Carson Avenue, Taos (Taos County, New Mexico).jpg
Front of the house, HABS photo 1936
USA New Mexico location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationKit Carson Ave.,
Taos, New Mexico
Coordinates 36°24′25″N105°34′20″W / 36.40694°N 105.57222°W / 36.40694; -105.57222
Arealess than one acre
Built1825 (1825)
Architectural styleSpanish Colonial; Territorial
NRHP reference No. 66000948 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLMay 23, 1963 [2]

The Kit Carson House is a historic house museum at 113 Kit Carson Road in central Taos, New Mexico. Built in 1825, it was from 1843 until his death the home of frontiersman Kit Carson (1809-1868). A good example of Spanish Colonial architecture, it is now owned by the local Masonic fraternity, and serves as a museum dedicated to Carson's life. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963. [2] [3]

Contents

Description and history

The Kit Carson House stands a short way east of Taos's central plaza, on the north side of Kit Carson Road. It is a modest single-story adobe structure, built in 1825, that is an east-facing U shape with a central courtyard. The oldest portion of the house consists of the front three rooms, and the next room to the north. [3]

The house in the 2000s Kit Carson Home and Museum, Taos, NM Picture 2007.jpg
The house in the 2000s

Kit Carson grew up in the frontier west, and became renowned as a fur trapper and guide on numerous United States Army expeditions against Native Americans and also during the American Civil War. In 1843 he married Josefa Jaramillo, who was from a leading Taos family, and purchased this house. It remained the couple's principal home until 1868. They were away from it 1851-54 and 1866–67, when Carson was stationed elsewhere. In early 1868 the family moved to the Colorado Territory, where both died.

The Kit Carson house was passed through a string of owners between Kit Carson’s death in 1868 and the acquisition of the property by Bent Lodge #42 (a masonic lodge founded by Kit Carson) in 1910.  The house had degraded and remained in a state of disrepair until 1952 when the Kit Carson Memorial Foundation Inc was established to restore and rehabilitate the property.  The foundation now operates the property as a house-museum where visitors can take tours, purchase souvenirs, and learn about Carson’s exploits in life. [4]

Current State of the Kit Carson House

The Kit Carson house is styled and furnished in the Spanish Colonial Style, and most of the house's rooms have been restored to fit within that style, matching their original condition as closely as possible.  The restorations go so far as to include authentic recreations of furniture from the time. [4] Additionally, several artifacts surrounding the life of Kit Carson and his family have been incorporated throughout the property, including a replica of his .50 caliber rifle, a United States Army sabre with its scabbard, and Josefa's sewing box. [5]

The museum constructed around the house includes a full guided tour which tells visitors about Carson's life, death, and other important details and achievements of his.  One of the first stops in the tour includes a 20 minute video on the History Channel that is all about Kit Carson and what he accomplished. [6] It culminates at the nearby Kit Carson Memorial State Park, where the graves of Carson and his wife, Josefa, can be found. [4] The house has also undergone several additions, such as a gift shop and bookstore which supports the mission of the foundation and the museum itself. [4]

Awards & Achievements

Appearances in Academic Literature

Prairie Schooner is a literary publication put out by the University of Nebraska since 1926.  The Kit Carson House appears within Vol. 42 No. 2 (Summer 1968) during an expedition to find D. H. Lawrence's ranch in Taos detailed in an article called The Spinsters of Taos. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Carson</span> American frontiersman and Union Army general

Christopher Houston Carson was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and news articles; exaggerated versions of his exploits were the subject of dime novels. His understated nature belied confirmed reports of his fearlessness, combat skills, tenacity, as well as profound effect on the westward expansion of the United States. Although he was famous for much of his life, historians in later years have written that Kit Carson did not like, want, or even fully understand the fame that he experienced during his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos, New Mexico</span> City in Taos County, New Mexico, United States

Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Chacón to act as fortified plaza and trading outpost for the neighboring Native American Taos Pueblo and Hispano communities, including Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, El Prado, and Arroyo Seco. The town was incorporated in 1934. As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,716.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in New Mexico</span>

Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birthplace of Richard Nixon</span> Historic house in California, United States

The Richard Nixon Birthplace is the birthplace and early childhood home of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. It is located on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, and serves as a historic house museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park</span> US National Historical Park in Massachusetts

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). The park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

The Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, located in Danville, California, preserves Tao House, the Monterey Colonial hillside home of America's only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris–Butler House</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Morris–Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built about 1864 in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Restored as a museum home by Indiana Landmarks between 1964 and 1969, the American Civil War-era residence was the non-profit organization's first preservation project. Restoration work retained some of its original architectural features, and the home was furnished in Victorian and Post-Victorian styles. Its use was changed to a venue for Indiana Landmarks programs, special events, and private rentals following a refurbishment in 2013. Regular daily tours of the property have been discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenmore (Fredericksburg, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Kenmore, also known as Kenmore Plantation, is a plantation house at 1201 Washington Avenue in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Built in the 1770s, it was the home of Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis and is the only surviving structure from the 1,300-acre (530 ha) Kenmore plantation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Stanton</span> United States historic place

Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Garland</span> United States historic place

Fort Garland (1858–1883), Colorado, United States, was designed to house two companies of soldiers to protect settlers in the San Luis Valley, then in the Territory of New Mexico. It was named for General John Garland, commander of the Military District of New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Monroe Law Office</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library is a historic museum at 908 Charles Street in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is located on the site of the James Monroe Law Office, used by future United States President James Monroe from 1786 to 1789. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It is now owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and operated by the University of Mary Washington. The museum features original objects and memorabilia related to James Monroe, and includes items relating to other members of his family, including dresses worn by First Lady Elizabeth Monroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco de Asís Mission Church</span> Historic church in New Mexico, United States

San Francisco de Asís Mission Church is a historic and architecturally significant building on the main plaza of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Originally the center of a small Mexican and Indian 18th Century agricultural community. Built between 1772 and 1816 replacing an earlier church in that location. New Mexico was then part of the Vice-Royalty of New Spain. It is a fine example of a New Mexico Spanish Colonial Church, and is a popular subject for artists. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boggsville, Colorado</span> Extinct town in State of Colorado, United States

Boggsville is an extinct town located in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The town was located near the Purgatoire River about 3 miles (4.8 km) above the Purgatoire's confluence with the Arkansas River. It was established in 1866. The surviving structures are among the earliest examples of Territorial architecture in Colorado. Boggsville was the last home of frontiersman Kit Carson before his death in 1868 at Fort Lyon. The U.S. Post Office at Las Animas now serves Boggsville postal addresses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Formerly designated simply as the United States Courthouse, it was renamed for the late District Judge Santiago E. Campos in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eanger Irving Couse House and Studio—Joseph Henry Sharp Studios</span> Historic house in New Mexico, United States

The Eanger Irving Couse House and Studio—Joseph Henry Sharp Studios, also known as the Couse/Sharp Historic Site, is a property on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It includes the home and art studio of E. Irving Couse (1866–1936) and two studio buildings owned by Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), both founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. It was added to the NRHP on September 28, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area</span> United States National Heritage Area in New Mexico

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The national heritage area includes a section of the upper Rio Grande Valley that has been inhabited by the Puebloan peoples since the early Pre-Columbian era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwood Foundation</span> United States historic place

Harwood Foundation is a non-profit organization in Taos, New Mexico that was listed as a National Register of Historic Places in 1976. For seventy-five years, serving as a public library, museum, auditorium, classrooms and meeting rooms, the Harwood was at the heart of the social and artistic life of Taos, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in New Mexico, United States

Taos Downtown Historic District is a historic district in Taos, New Mexico. Taos "played a major role in the development of New Mexico, under Spanish, Mexican, and American governments." It is a key historical feature of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway of northern New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Morada de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe</span> United States historic place

La Morada de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, also known as Taos Morada, is a holy site and past home of La Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno in Taos, New Mexico. The Penitent Brothers, or the Hermanos Penitentes used the Morado for religious study of ancient Catholic lay religious practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson</span> Wife of Kit Carson

Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson was the third wife of frontiersman Kit Carson.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "National Historic Landmarks Survey, New Mexico" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Kit Carson House" (pdf). National Park Service. June 15, 1978.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 19  (32 KB)
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Kit Carson House--American Latino Heritage: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  5. "Kit Carson Home and Museum | Taos, NM 87571". www.newmexico.org. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  6. "Kit Carson House and Museum - Taos, New Mexico". Taos.org. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  7. "Park Service Approves 23 Sites for National Historic Landmark Status". History News. 18 (9): 135–146. 1963. ISSN   0363-7492.
  8. "Fifty-Six Awards of Merit Given at Annual Meeting". History News. 18 (12): 181–186. 1963. ISSN   0363-7492.
  9. BAROLINI, HELEN (1968). "The Spinsters of Taos". Prairie Schooner. 42 (2): 111–119. ISSN   0032-6682.