Keystone Historical Museum
Keystone Historical Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Temporarily Closed. Closed for the 2023 season. The museum is located in the old Keystone School. The school was built in 1899. Keystone is home to Carrie Ingalls Swazney. Carrie is Laura Ingalls Wilder's little sister. The museum has many artifacts from the Ingalls family. The museum also has local, mining, and Mount Rushmore history. Upstairs there are two classrooms for the children as well as adults to experience what school was like many, many years ago. The museum is free, but we do take "milk money" donations.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
26 within 3 miles
Attractions
26 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
47 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
16
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
2
rtzbrick
Hastings, MN132 contributions
Jul 2022
History, you can feel and almost hear the action that the building and the town have had. Very interesting to learn about the history of the Ingalls living in the area. Also to learn about the other town celebrities and historical people that i recognized but didn't know they were from this area.
Written August 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for the kind review of our institution! We appreciate you coming in and are happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Written September 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hannah G
2 contributions
Aug 2023
This museum is fascinating! They have a good variety of exhibits including a lot of information about the Ingalls family. Very easy to find and within walking distance of much of the other little spots in Keystone. The guide was very nice and helpful, and informative. There's something for everyone here: we had all ages in our small group and everyone saw something that he could take an interest in. Stop here when you're in Keystone!
Written August 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kwfnut
Minneapolis, MN131 contributions
May 2022
This is truly is a historical place in Old Keystone. There is a lot of history here. My reason for going was to find information on the flood that went thru Keystone in 1972.
There are many displays plus a classroom upstairs.
School children were there to learn about Carrie Ingalls, Casey who is in charge was great with the kids.
I must convey to anyone who visits...please leave a donation for them, Keystone is not a big community and they can use the help
There are many displays plus a classroom upstairs.
School children were there to learn about Carrie Ingalls, Casey who is in charge was great with the kids.
I must convey to anyone who visits...please leave a donation for them, Keystone is not a big community and they can use the help
Written May 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review Donna! We appreciate your yearning for learning and are happy we could make it enjoyable for you. Thank you as well for all your support!
Written September 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York5,058 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
The second Keystone School was built between 1899 and 1901 and served as a school until 1988. It is now an excellent local history museum. One of the exhibits was President Taft's customized bathtub. Since he was our nation's largest president (350 lbs./160 kg.), he needed a special bathtub. This tub was kept at State Senator Alford Burke's apartment so Taft could use it whenever he visited. There is also a display of Carrie Ingalls Swanzey memorabilia. Two classrooms were on display at the museum.
Written July 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ms julie
Dobson, NC233 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Nobody mentions President Taft’s bathtub in the museum. High on the hill overlooking Historic Keystone, the building has endured. Museum of the school history with a six grade final posted in the stair well. Pictures of local disasters- flood and fires. Downstairs in the school gym is the old town plat. Second floor has two classrooms like the students have just gone home for the day.
Written September 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aaron D
New York City, NY2 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Definitely hit this spot. Stay off the beaten path and avoid all of the imported plastic toys on the main street. Learn something of the history behind what came to be keystone, sd. This converted schoolhouse has been slightly renovated to educate. Relics of early 19th century gold rush west.
Written July 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
debbiekkelly
Taylorsville, KY179 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Missed you. There were temporary hours on the door, but nothing posted here to let us know. Drove an hour from Hot Springs to find you’d closed 2 hours early. There was another couple outside the door too. Hope all is well, I recognize things come up and without a steady flow of visitors it must be hard to work around.
Written June 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Debbie,
Very sorry to hear you missed us. We operate with one full-time employee, six days a week as it has been difficult to find help and volunteers. Our Facebook page is the most updated social media page we have. Please follow us on there at Keystone Historical Museum for all the up-to-date information about early closings or events. We are always trying to update all of our outreach sources but as I described, we are spread quite thin. We hope to make it up to you at some point.
Thank you for your interest!
Best,
Keystone Historical Museum
Written September 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TAM
2 contributions
Sep 2020
We loved our visit to the Keystone Historical Museum. A great stop not just for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans but filled with lots of lovely, local history. The docent was so so knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend!
Written September 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bluemax36
Bedford, TX41 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
Yes, the kids put down their screens are used the playground equipment, which they referred to as How Nana and Pup played back in the old days. Lol.
Well, even Nana and Pup went down the slide a few times in these present days.
Museum was informative. I enjoyed the old classrooms and the local newspapers over the decades.
Well, even Nana and Pup went down the slide a few times in these present days.
Museum was informative. I enjoyed the old classrooms and the local newspapers over the decades.
Written September 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dak_gal
Jamestown, North Dakota248 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
We were traveling through the area. The museum was open a few hours in the morning for Living History Days so I got to squeeze in and see the Carrie Ingalls display. It will open officially on May 15th. I am a HUGE Laura Ingalls Wilder fan and only had this site left to visit. I was not disappointed! It was worth it all just to see the China Shepherdess in person instead of pictures.
Written May 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a fee for the Keystone Historical Museum?
Written November 15, 2020
Thinking of catching the steam train from Hill City to Keystone. Wondering if we should stay a while before getting the train back?
Written February 19, 2017
Hi Alison,
You might want to stay a while before going back. There is a walking tour of Keystone. There is many things to see and do. The Keystone Historical Museum is located in the old school. You can walk to the museum from the train depot. The museum will be open starting May 1, 2017.
Written February 21, 2017
Showing results 1-2 of 2
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing