Last updated: 6/27/2012
505 West Richardson Avenue
Artesia, NM 88210
Tuesday - Friday
9 AM - 12 PM & 1 PM - 5 PM
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Nancy Dunn
phone: 575-748-2390
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The Moore-Ward house was built soon after the town of Artesia was founded, in 1904. The unusual cobblestone façade was placed by hand as part of the original construction, using stones from the nearby Penasco River that were hauled in on wagons. The stones were set in concrete starting from the bottom up—a couple of rows were laid at a time and then allowed to dry before the next rows were laid. The whole process took nearly two years, and no, we don’t know exactly how many stones were used! The house is on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places, and has housed the Museum since 1970.
Our Art Annex gallery is located in the small house next door to the cobblestone house, and features traveling exhibits, in-house temporary exhibits, and annual events such as the Russell Floore Memorial Art Show and the Artesia Quilters Guild’s yearly display.
We are happy to assist with any requests for information. We do ask that you be aware that we get a lot of these requests and that they are answered in the order in which we receive them—please be patient! If you are planning a research visit to our Museum, contacting us in advance is strongly recommended so that we can retrieve the information you are looking for—we are sometimes quite busy and cannot drop what we are doing to spend several hours working on your request! We cannot provide appraisals on any objects—this is not only against the code of ethics of the American Association of Museums due to possible conflicts of interest from museums that purchase objects for their collection, but also a service that requires specialized training and licensing. For an informal “guesstimate” we suggest that you look around in local antique stores for comparable objects, or contact an antique auctioneer. If you need an official appraisal you will need to contact a professional.
Founded in 1970, the museum's focus is on local and area history
General colleciton: 1880s - 1970s. Photographs, newspapers, city of Artesia archives, Native American, restored 1920s era kitchen, children's room with hats & clothes to try on, farm and ranch stuff, oil and mineral stuff.
School tours, on-site trunk shows, lectures, exhibits
Off-Site Exhibits: If your organization has an upcoming event and would like for the Museum to provide a historic display for it, please give us plenty of time to prepare! We may need to view your facility to assess your needs, the space available, and to evaluate any security issues. Fabricating, researching and installing any display takes time too!
Tours are always welcome, for school classes, daycares, tour groups, and other organizations- just call the Museum to set up a time and date. After-hours tours are also available by arrangement. We offer a summer adobe-making lesson for children, in which all participants are guaranteed to get wet & muddy! Each participant makes their own adobe block to take home; when dry, participants can build whatever they want!
Group Tours
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