Permanent collection

The American Museum houses over 12,000 objects and represents the wide range of American cultures. The founders of the Museum, Dallas Pratt and John Judkyn, went on a whirlwind collecting spree in the late 1950s and gathered much of what is on display in the Museum.

Today the collections are accessible to visitors through displays in the Museum’s permanent galleries, during temporary exhibitions, and on loan to other institutions around the world. We also acquire new objects to the collections to represent both current day and historical periods. For more information about donating an object to the collection, please click here.

Through these objects we tell stories that span 2000 years of American history. We acknowledge that there are many stories yet to be told and diverse voices yet to be heard and we will be eagerly exploring these in more detail as we look to the future.

“America is not like a blanket – one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt – many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.”

Jesse Jackson, 1984

Quilts & Textiles

Find out more about our stunning collection of textiles

Enter the world of Quilts & Textiles

Folk Art

From whirligigs to shop signs – this art collection is sure to delight

Explore our Folk Art collection

Dallas Pratt Map Collection

Over 200 maps from the Renaissance period

Explore our Map collection

Visit

Plan your visit to the American Museum

Donate an object

Learn more about how we add objects to our collection

Update:

During December we are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–3pm, with last entry to the Museum at 2pm. At 3.30pm, the Colorado Lodge opens and at 4pm the grounds re-open for The Enchanted Garden of Light trail.