National Register of Historic Places

Carnegie Public Library

Buffalo, Johnson County, Wyoming
Listed
November 7, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76001949

About this property

The Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum is an American West museum in Buffalo, Wyoming, housed in a 1909 Carnegie Library building. The Carnegie Public Library in Buffalo, Wyoming was built in 1909 adjacent to the Johnson County Courthouse in the Neoclassical style. Andrew Carnegie provided $12,500 to build a library in Buffalo, contingent upon the provision of a site and $1250 a year for maintenance. A portion of the county courthouse grounds was donated as the site. The building consists of a raised main floor and a large basement level. The rough-faced ashlar masonry features contrasting quoins and belt courses. The facade is arranged as a porch with two slender Norman-style columns in antis. A semicircular apse projects from the north side of the building. In the late 1980s the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum acquired and moved into the library. The original museum was founded 1957 and focuses on Johnson County and frontier history. The museum's dioramas feature historic events and life along the Bozeman Trail, including the Wagon Box Fight, the Johnson County War between ranchers in the 1890s, the siege at the TA Ranch and a view of Buffalo's Main Street in 1894. Artifacts include frontier and military weapons, wagons, Native American artifacts, ranching gear, and household and historic items. The grounds include a two-room furnished log cabin. The Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Images of the Carnegie Library at the NPS Focus site Carnegie Public Library Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office

Location

90 N. Main
Buffalo, Johnson County, Wyoming
44.34803, -106.70003

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Johnson County Courthouse
Industrial
0 mi
Methodist Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Main Street Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Holland House
Industrial
0.2 mi
US Post Office-Buffalo Main
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Johnson County War — TA Ranch Siege
1892Frontier
0.8 mi
KC Ranch — Death of Nate Champion
1892Frontier
4.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Carnegie Public Library listed on the National Register?

Carnegie Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Carnegie Public Library?

Carnegie Public Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Carnegie Public Library?

The period of significance for Carnegie Public Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Carnegie Public Library?

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