Keystone Historical Museum
Keystone Historical Museum
4
Speciality Museums • Points of Interest & Landmarks
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10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
*Closing for 2022 season on October 1st.* 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.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
42 reviews
Excellent
21
Very good
14
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
2
timetraveler54
keystone, sd20 contributions
Jun 2022
This little town has done a fine job preserving its history. The rock, mineral and mining displays have been expanded. The history of the first general store is unique. The church history has pictures from early Easter Sunrise Services. Carrie Ingalls Swanzey, Laura Ingall's sister, lived in Keystone, and the museum has many of her belongings.
Written March 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
James G
6 contributions
Sep 2022
This Museum holds a lot of antiques from the Engles family history. The history of the school is also interesting
Written September 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
rtzbrick
Hastings, MN138 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.
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.
debbiekkelly
Louisville, KY150 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.
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.
kwfnut
Minneapolis, MN129 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.
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.
Bluemax36
Bedford, TX33 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.
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.
bejoyful65
Madison, WI133 contributions
Jul 2020
Stopped while leaving Mt. Rushmore because I wanted to see the Carrie Ingalls exhibit. There are some wonderful little surprises they have that belonged to Carrie and the Ingalls family. A must stop for Ingalls fans! There is also so much for to see in this museum, it showcases an amazing collection of the areas history.
Written July 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kris P
Omaha, NE53 contributions
Jul 2020
I think it's fun to visit old school houses and see what they looked like. This museum is spread over three floors and does a nice job of giving you town history. I think the biggest draw is the Carrie Ingalls exhibit. I had no idea she lived in Keystone for as long as she did. They have Ma's shepherdess statue on display! It was a fun place to stop at.
Written July 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Perkadventures
Banning, CA15,292 contributions
Aug 2019
this used to be the Old School house which has 2 floors to see what has been saved. It is located in the Old town which in not on the main tourist area of Keystone. Great pictures and Information await you here.
Small town attempting to display its information and knowledge. Please leave a donation to help with their doing this.
Somewhat hard to find but worth your time
Small town attempting to display its information and knowledge. Please leave a donation to help with their doing this.
Somewhat hard to find but worth your time
Written September 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Alison F
Buckley, UK95 contributions
Thinking of catching the steam train from Hill City to Keystone. Wondering if we should stay a while before getting the train back?
Keystone M
Keystone, SD8 contributions
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.
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest an editKeystone Historical Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Keystone Historical Museum
- Keystone Historical Museum is open:
- Wed - Fri 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Keystone Historical Museum:
- (0.13 mi) Battle Creek Lodge
- (0.17 mi) Comfort Inn & Suites Mt. Rushmore
- (0.16 mi) Brookside Motel
- (0.21 mi) Baymont by Wyndham Keystone Near Mt. Rushmore
- (0.23 mi) A beautiful 2 bedroom cottage-style cabin minutes from Rushmore
- Restaurants near Keystone Historical Museum:
- (0.11 mi) Big Thunder Gold Mine Eatery
- (0.32 mi) Cruizzers
- (0.34 mi) Janes Boardwalk Pizza
- (0.18 mi) BaRLee's Food and Drink
- (0.21 mi) Brgr 61