The Museum

Over coffee at the Exchange Restaurant, Mary Revert, Claudia Reidhead, and Vonnie Gray began to discuss the need to have our own local museum. This was the birth of the Beatty Museum and Historical Society. We began to talk with the town advisory board and really anyone who would listen. We knew the Builfrog Mining District of Beatty and Rhoylite, Nevada needed their story preserved. We opened the first museum in Claudia's a small cottage in 1995. Soon we outgrew the little cottage through the generosity of the residents of Beatty. It seemed like memories were being brought in from everywhere. It became apparent that we needed a larger building, and we leased the old water building across the street. That worked well for another few years but, again we outgrew the building. Being able to purchase, by generous donations, we bought the Catholic Church from the Diocese of Las Vegas. The Museum is now open on Main Street in the historical church. The Museum has expanded the original building making room for a larger collection and research. You are invited to browse the displays, ask questions of the area and if interested look over documents, photos and books in our collection. Special projects are ongoing and will be listed on the virtual museum created here. The Society is a private nonprofit organization with approximately 200 members in the United States and Europe. The Museum was granted its 501(c)3 status in 2001. We are actively searching for volunteers to assist in the Museum.

The museum offers long-term and changing exhibits, online resources for research, public programming, and special events. Each year, the museum serves over 35,000 visitors onsite and thousands of people via its online resource materials.

The museum is guided by a Board of Directors with 5 members. This is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our Manager and PT employee are ready to help you learn more about Beatty and Rhyolite, Nevada.

The People Behind the Museum

Diane McGinnis

Mary Seale

Gary Gresham

Amina Anderson

Mae Lupac