Celebrate your memories, new and old, in the historic setting of Berthoud, Colorado.
If you are interested in a site tour or would like to discuss holding your next event on one of the Berthoud Historical Society properties, please contact us at 970-532-2147.
Our Event Venues
Located in Berthoud’s Seventh Street Neighborhood the McCarty-Fickel home was built by Dr. and Mrs. D.W. McCarty in 1916. Planned by Mrs. McCarty and designed in the “Denver Square” style of architecture by Denver’s G.W. Huntington, the residence reflected the characteristic symmetry of the American Craftsman movement. Over the following decades, members of the Fickel family played important roles in Berthoud’s civic affairs.
Dr. R.B. Fickel, who helped found the Berthoud Historical Society in 1977 with his wife Helen McCarty-Fickel, deeded the home to the organization for use as a museum and event venue in July 2008. Since 2008, the McCarty-Fickel home grounds have undergone extensive beautification to make it a superb location for outdoor weddings and events with the home as an exquisite backdrop. The event lawn is spacious, able to accommodate up to 100 guests, and bordered by large mature trees, shrubs, roses, and tasteful garden planting. The newly completed Jenny Fagan McCarty Rose Garden adorns the northwest corner of the property with a bronze sculpture, benches, rose arbor, roses, and ornamental plantings.
Located on the site of blacksmith A.G. Bimson’s Stone Shop and current-day Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum, The Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Courtyard provides an elegant yet rustic atmosphere for weddings and events. The stone shop, erected in 1893, borders the west side of the courtyard and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The east courtyard is bounded by the Elmer Carlson Building, erected in 1940, and now serving as the museum annex.
The courtyard also plays host to several other historic buildings from Berthoud’s history as well as the Society’s trademark windmill. The 1902 A.G. Bimson barn is fronted by a stage. The 1916 Meadow Hollow School once sat in a valley west of Berthoud that is now covered by Carter Lake. This charming tiny white building still contains many of the original features from when it was the primary school for Berthoud’s children. The Bunyan Observatory is a replica of the astronomical observatory Berthoud banker John Bunyan built in his backyard in 1933. Built in 2004, the observatory is an exhibit during museum hours and a site for public stargazing events hosted by the Berthoud Historical Society. Finally, the 1864 Charles Meining cabin, with period furnishings and appointments, graces the North end of the courtyard.
Throughout the courtyard are tastefully planted borders in a prairie planting style of native grasses and wildflowers.