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 focus is on local and area history, and our collections feature a little of everything. We rotate our collections in and out of display regularly, so if you’re coming for a visit and would like to view a specific object from our collection, please call in advance so that our staff can retrieve it for you!