Hillsboro

Historical

Society

The Stage Stop Project will bring our current Black Range Museum building together with the new Coach House, making the space accessible, and will significantly expand what the HHS can offer the community and visitors. The following is a brief tour:

·      As you step off the entry deck onto the new concrete walkway to the backyard, your first stop will be the new Mining Area. There will be interpretive signs between the buttresses or on mining equipment which will be on displayed on your right.

·      As you continue, Tom Ying’s round Adobe Water Tower stands tall. Interpretation here about the tower will tie it to the story of Tom’s inventive water-heating system told in the museum.

·      Walking clockwise around the adobe water tower, find a place to sit in the shade of the new well arbor. The headwall for the rock-lined, hand-dug water well is now restored; the reconstructed edge of the well is your seat. Interpretive signage will explain how the well was used and how the water was lifted to the tank held on the Adobe Tower.

·      Continuing around the tower, you will find the Activity Square. A planter with native plantings will divide the square from the space under the storage crate roof. Spaces under the roof can offer extra seating for programs and space for vendors of local art and craft goods during special events.

·      At the south end of this space is access to the museum grounds maintenance building. From here, or from the Activity Square, you can step onto the covered porch of the new Coach House.

·      The Coach House was specifically designed for the return of our 1889 Concord Stagecoach, the Mountain Pride, which once carried passengers and freight from the railroad spur at Lake Valley to Hillsboro and possibly Kingston. In addition to the beautiful Coach, the building now includes historic photos, and in the future will include other materials about types of transportation from the time, and the many travel routes used.

·      Between the new Coach House and our Black Range Museum is the Activity Square. This 20’ x 35’ colored, stamped concrete area will have a 20’ x 20’ square sun-sail. The space will include outdoor lighting for evenings and HHS will be able to host talks, music and other activities in this space. Chairs for the space and other equipment will be stored in the maintenance building.

·      Three-foot-high adobe walls define the east end of the Activity Square.  Beyond this, you will find a Plants and People garden – designed with native plants that were used for healing and for food. This outdoor exhibit will show living examples of what is displayed in the Medical Room inside the Museum. This area holds another small 7’x7’ shade structure with bench and shade roof.  We hope to also add local Sotol flower stalks to the shade structure roof.

·      Beyond the adobe walls you will someday find a windmill and cistern. This space is designed to reflect local ranch settings with a two-track road leading through native grasses. The native grasses will be highlighted in our interpretive materials – these are why ranching was possible in our area.  Also, next to the gravel two-track drive which leads to the striking large wooden Coach House doors, is the sites’ original 2-holer outhouse.  It just had to stay on our site!