Black American West Museum & Heritage Center

This is such a cool little museum! It’s located in a restored period house, and covers a lot of interesting history about Black people in Denver and out west. The ladies working there the day I visited were super friendly and knowledgeable too.

This Museum is small but PACKED with Black Historical Information and Artifacts from the area. The story behind the Building itself is amazing. It was well worth the visit!

Wonderful few hours learning about the contributions of African Americans to our great country’s history.

A great way to spend an hour. The museum is self guided and self paced, with exhibits on two floors of this historic house. You will definitely learn something new - and why not learn while looking at historic artifacts?

Absolutely loved this museum! Learned so much history about the region and the country that I never knew. When I went they had exhibits about notable Black history in medicine, mining, ranching, homesteads, and military. The building itself has historical significance and the story of how they moved the building to its current location was incredible. The museum hosts gave a great intro to the museum and subjects and were enjoyable to talk to. Is a gem of a museum and we are lucky to have it here in Denver! (I spent an hour here during my visit)

Well done museum on some of the amazing African Americans in Denver and Colorado. The house (Dr. Ford's original home & practice) has been well renovated. This was a great place to learn about Denver's history.

What a wonderful way to see history in a more accurate way. This is my second visit in a decade and I learn more about the central role that Black Americans played in the West each time. Well worth the trip to 5 Points.

Visited the Black American West Museum on February 7th and had a wonderful experience. From the 1st Floor exhibit of Dr. Ford's practice to the 2nd Floor exhibit about the Buffalo Soldiers, everything was carefully curated, and I highly recommend making a visit.

I'm sure others have commented this, but this plan is only open Friday and Saturday until 2pm, so plan your visit accordingly! I flew into Denver Saturday morning and this was the first stop that I made. I didn't make a reservation as the last time I had checked they were not fully booked, and I also wasn't sure about any flight delays. Admission is $17 for adults. The staff working were incredibly knowledgeable and the history of the museum and it was a joy to listen to them and read more at the different exhibits. When my friend and I went, we were the only two there. I truly feel like this is a hidden gem to go and learn more about history. My friend has lived in Denver her entire life and she learned a lot!

Worth a visit! Interested in learning more about Black Americans and there journey west, post civil war? This is the place for you. I was visiting Denver and really glad I made this my last stop on my trip. Located in a historical home turned museum. Created by Paul Stewart who had a passion for collecting artifacts, photos & researching at libraries about the people that lived in this area. Such as Five Points a thriving Black community. Topics include, Black cowboys, that were vital to the area, Buffalo Soliders, Dr. Justina Ford and several other medical professionals that provided community health to those in need because they were unable to seek care at white establishments. The day I visited, I was greeted by Daphne, with a beautiful smile, and she gave some insight about the museum. She offered hand outs as well. Cost is $15 dollars entrance. And that's a steal to learn more about American history, not just Black history. It's a small place, but packs a lot of knowledge & history in a small space. You can really take your time and ask questions after if you like. Max it will take a 45 minutes to an hour to enjoy the museum, I did it in 30 minutes. You can go online to specify a time of your visit. I wasn't able to pay online, but Daphne ensures they are working on that. There's even book nook for purchases if so inclined.

This museum looks underwhelming but trust me, it's worth it. It is jam packed with history and they are in the process of cataloging all of their cultural items so it is possible there will be more items in the future. We had a guided tour from one of the volunteers who was chock full of information. It was a tight squeeze for 8 girls and 4 adults but we learned a lot. Parking can be a pain in 5 points but it's not too bad on a weekend.

As someone always on the hunt for Black history, I planned ahead to make sure I could visit the Black American West Museum. Because the building it small, you need to reserve your entry time in advance and identify how many tickets you will need (adults, seniors, children, and military folks all have different pricing). I received two (2) confirmation emails in advance of our visit day and took an Uber to the location so I can't attest to parking. The railing on the front steps was broken, causing my mother to almost fall. Unfortunately, there was no signage warning of the need to repair it. Upon entering, the woman at the front desk was so rude. She took our $27 payment ($15 for one adult and $12 for military) and said nothing else. Just pretended we didn't exist. Cooooool. The museum is two-floors and quite small but there's a lot of good information to peruse. It's worth a quick visit but don't expect to spend a ton of time here, 30 minutes max. I imagine they could use charitable donations and enough putting folks at the front desk who actually want to be there.

What an incredible museum that I literally just found out about two weeks ago! It is run by volunteers and as such is only open on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A little tricky for scheduling but well worth your time. What really made the experience profound was talking to the two women who were volunteering that day. They are a wealth of not only factual but personal information on Denver's development with regards to racial history. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to them and hearing about their experiences. The museum is in the house of Denver's first African American female physician, Justina L. Ford. She is estimated to have delivered 7,000 babies in her time as a physician. The museum also houses the collection of Paul Stewart, who as a young African American and loved cowboys and Indians games, was told there was "no such thing as a black cowboy." How wrong those people were when they told him that. Up to 25% of the west had African American cowboys. And so shows the museum full of interesting facts, memorabilia and the obvious need we have for museums such as this to educate people. This museum should be on the list of every school field trip. For adults, I highly recommend coming here to learn more not only about Denver's history but the people who helped shape our city and the West but have been largely unrecognized for their efforts.

This museum wakes you up. I learned so much, in under an hour, and can't stop talking about it. Did you know that the Lone Ranger was based on a man named Bass Reeves? Did you know that the first female, self made, millionaire received her fortune by creating hair products for other WOC? That's just a drop in the bucket of the cool things I learned there. I highly recommend you check this place out. The docent, the museum educator, the curator, all warm and friendly and patient when a nerd like me has a million questions. I opened a door that I don't care to close. It has motivated me to learn as much as possible about the contributions of POC to our world in the West. The story of the building and its original owner is phenomenal. I will be visiting again, next time I'm in Denver. If you're there, take your kids. Teach them real history. Two exuberant thumbs up.

I was in Denver for a wedding with a friend and found this museum online. I just had to check it out and am I glad I did. Hopped on the train to 30th and Downing through historic Five Points. What an awesome place to learn real history not in the history books. The amount of knowledge and artifacts stored in this house is unbelievable. Not to mention it's the actual house many babies were delivered by Dr. Ford. If you go, definitely take the opportunity to speak to the people working there. They have an abundant amount of knowledge. Be sure to check their hours as they are open limited hours. You're also not able to take pictures inside, to preserve the artifacts, only outside of the house.

It wasn't open due to lack of volunteers ( Volunteer Black Denver), but the lady allowed me to look around quickly. There's a lot of black interesting facts. I was hoping for a little more.

I took my friends from India to the Black American West Museum to give them a history lesson about the American cowboy. The collection was just enough to give them a flavor of the old west. What it taught me was that 1/3 of the cowboys were Black American, many of the Black American pioneers where the first millionaires in the West, and that the building (as Taz says) is this home of the first Black American woman doctor in Denver. She had to practice out of this home as she was not allowed to practice in Denver hospitals; many of the instruments she had to use are on display. There is a nice collection of artifacts from cattle drives and enough to show you what a tough job it was; also a few things from modern day cowboys and cowgirls (one was a champion barrel racer). And the docents are very helpful. The museum is next to light rail and also offers a look at the renovated, historic Five Points. It is small but packs a punch. A good place to visit when you have a few hours on a weekend.

I really enjoyed my visit to this museum. The building itself has an interesting history; it belonged to Denver's first black woman doctor, who delivered over 7,000 babies in her career ... right out of that house. The museum has a lot of interesting tidbits about cowboys, the front range, and so forth from a black American perspective. There is also a room for Tuskegee airmen (small and just so-so). Located in the historic Five Points neighborhood,the Black American West Museum is well situated in the center of the history it represents. I recommend a visit if you like local history.

An interesting look into the long forgotten history of the black american cowboy. His life, struggles, and hardships of trying to integrate into society after either fleeing the southern plantations or moving westward after being freed. A small building in what looks like a retro fitted house. Parking is scarce, so come early.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from the museum but i had to go for a college course. I really found this museum very intriguing! There were many cool things featured in the museum that I learned about such as Black American cowboys, miners, important military members, and many other important pioneers through out history. I found this museum and the ladies working there to be wonderful and very informative! Great place to visit!

Wonderful.. Great overview of a slice of US history. Very friendly staff and not overwhelming or exhausting

Highly recommended!! This museum is a hidden jewel in Denver, a well-researched, deeply valuable archive of American history. Terri is helpful, knowledgeable, personally attached to the museum and was willing to share additional historical informarion, augmenting the information provided by the museum's displays. Fabulous!!

We were intrigued by the blurb at our hotel. Drove through the Five Points neighborhood to a house in a residential area. Parking is on the street. It's across the street from a light rail and bus station. The house was actually relocated to it's present location to preserve the historic home and office of Dr. Justina Ford. She delivered about 7000 children during her career, either in her home office or family homes, because as an African-American woman, she was not allowed to practice in a Denver hospital. One room is a recreation of her medical office. The other rooms each have a theme:. Buffalo soldiers, African-American rodeo competitors, African-American cowboys, settlers, and others. There's a video chronicling the African-American settlement of Dearfield. Display items are nicely labeled, and there are little cards with interesting factoids about achievements and inventions of various African-Americans. Hours are limited as the staff are volunteers. There is a lot of stuff to display, so it looks a bit cramped, and the stairs are steep. IMHO it should be a required visit for all school children. A real education for adults. Our docent, Elise, was very knowledgeable.

Very tiny but unique museum located in an historic house in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver. Admission was $8 per person. When two other visitors arrived they showed us a video on the all-black town of Dearfield. Many interesting photos with historical notes; also a number of historical objects which were fun to see, though the interpretaive signs could have been better in a number of cases. Overall a very worthwhile experience, though the staff person could have been a bit more friendly and helpful considering we were the only people there for much of the visit.

A hidden gem in Denver. It is a must see. Surprised it was not recommended by the Denver Visitors Center at the Convention Center. The museum and history of the home quite informational. A small museum with lots of history. Justina Ford's story is quite inspirational. AGAIN, A MUST SEE!

Good morning: just wanted to tell you thank you for receiving me and my family on May 17th 2014. It was truly and unforgettable experience and it will alwys be remembered. I thank the young lady that greeted us and explained to us all the information needed to enjoy the museum. She was also helpful in directing us to the library just a few steps away and that to was an experience. Although we were visitors from Pennsylvania we will visit the museum again. May you continued to blessed in all you do in keeping our hidden history alive. I am Brother George C. Luckette