Dougherty Museum

Things To Do For Under $5 Bucks In Boulder

Driving along Hwy 287 between Lafayette and Longmont, there is a rather nondescript concrete building with a dirt driveway.   A small sign out front states, “Doherty Museum.”   I’ve seen this building countless times.  Maybe you have too. Today, there were flags and the word: O P E N.  This caught my eye and as I was in no particular hurry, I decided to stop in and say hello.

Dougherty Museum Is A Gem

Perhaps they don’t get too many visitors was my firs thought, because a nice gentleman opened the door for me as I walked up.  The first room of the Dougherty Museum offers a glimpse of what is about to come.  A couple of ancient typewriters sit on a glass case.  Postcards are laid out with pictures of shiny old cars.   There are some pianos on the wall– part of the collection I guess.

I paid the $5 entry fee, mostly because I just had to know, what the heck is this museum about.  The museum is mostly about really old, rare cars. Throw in an amazing rifle collection, some gramophones and and farm tractors and you have a good idea. I loved the museum btw. Not for the old farm tractors – I actually skipped that part.  What I enjoyed most at Boulder’s Dougherty Museum was the old timer, Demmy, who told me great stories of this vehicle and that.

 

Old Timer Tour Guide

When I told Demmy my name, he got this smile, his eyes flicked upwards and he said, “I knew a Bob Gordon, back when I graduated high school in 1947.  No kidding.  He chats nonstop as we walk around the museum.  About ten minutes after we start viewing cars, the lights suddenly bloom on.  Oh, that makes it so much easier to see the cars.

One of the first vehicles we view looks more like a carriage than a car. Demmy says, “It was the first car in Boulder. Mr. Macky owned it.”  Macky has a building named after him at the University Colorado Boulder. The 1902 Mobile Steamer runs on steam power.  The driver sits in the backseat, not the front.  Demmy tells me they took the car out several years ago, but he doesn’t think it is running condition any longer.

Demmy points out a bright red car (I get his picture in front of it).  That car was out a few years ago, in a parade.  550 cubic something engine with really big pistons He says it drove like a tractor, super powerful engine and able to tow anything.  I like the color. LOL.  For the five dollar admission fee, you can return anytime this summer. Well, anytime the museum is open Friday-Saturday-Sunday through August.

We walked by a grand old firetruck.  It came from Longmont and was loaned to Boulder the year the Boulder county courthouse burned to the ground. Shortly after that, Boulder got its act together an invested in an identical fire engine.  I hear plenty of great stories, many of which start with, “the first ever in Boulder.”  For the minimal donation, the Dougherty Museum is a good value.  Tip; make certain they turn on the lights and ask one of the old timers to be your guide.

Official Information on Dougherty Museum

Opened in 1978, the museum is staffed through a partnership with The Boulder County Open Space division.  Contact phone is 303-776-2520 or 303-684-0366.  The Dougherty Museum is located one mile south of Longmont on the East side of the road.  Mr. Dougherty was a longtime Turkey farmer in Boulder; he began collecting antiques and older cars long before it was fashionable.  In fact, according to the pamphlet I pick up, “Some might even have questioned Mr. Dougherty’s judgement.”  Now you really have to see this museum.

Every August, the doors open and a really big TBT type event occurs.  Throwback to yesteryear showcases farming gear and old-school tractors.  Definitely worthwhile hands-on opportunity.