genoa courthouse museum

DJRN1959

Small museum with great history of area. Wonderful for school age children. Cemetery up Main Street is great also.

peewhy

There is a natural reverence in this court room and seeing the iron jail in the courtroom, with a coffin next to the bed brings the reality of rough justice to mind. Fantastic museum

113williamp

This is a super little museum to visit. It is full of the history of the area, complete with it's own jail. Very reasonable admission and right across the street from a beautiful park.

436jonathanj

If you are in the Carson Valley you should stop by this small but very interesting museum. Quaint Genoa is worth the visit by itself, but a stop at the museum will help you understand the history of this first settlement in Nevada. Genoa is situated on an old pioneer trail and the Pony Express Route, details of which are covered in the museum. The only downside is that the museum is closed in the winter. There are nice restaurants in town, and at nearby Walley's Hot Springs Resort. Genoa is home to the oldest drinking establishment in Nevada, the Old Genoa Bar.

LynnS290

The courthouse museum was a fun way to learn about this first Nevada settlement, Genoa. Lots of Wild West type historical information. The jail cells in the back were interesting. The museum had antiques from various decades. I enjoyed the courtroom. There was historical information on a Norwegian man who had moved to the area and delivered mail in the area for decades (back many decades ago - perhaps a hundred years? I've forgotten.). The cost is only a couple of dollars. You can easily tour the museum in 30 minutes or so. The museum also has a small gift shop.

OliverS934

True confession: I am a sucker for history. Anybody who wants to get my money or interest, can do it easily by luring me to a historical exhibit or museum or artifact, etc. Often it does not deliver. But I still go. In any event, I was in the area and HAD to stop in the Genoa (pronounced Ge'noa) museum. It's in a former courthouse and very small. I learned about the famous "Snowshoe Thompson", a brave Norvegian who was delivering the mail through the mountains. I saw the Judge and his Court Room (see photo) and signed the visitors book. That's about it. The most interesting thing I found was the oath the Pony Express riders were taking, as well as an ad seeking riders. The Pony express lasted only 18 months but it was a serious achievement in the Wild West. The docents, two of them, probably volunteer looked and sounded somewhat confused, maybe it was time to close, I got there half an hour before closing time

McWett

This is a nice museum that gives you a feel for what life was like in the early years of Genoa. Friendly staff is very helpful in answering questions you may have.

Bozgratch

I'm not much of a museum guy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of historical content to be found here. Partly there were exhibits that gave A sense of scale to living in the 1800's.

kjdj28

Couldn't believe how much is in this museum. We only had a short time to visit, but were very impressed with all the exhibits.

mini

We have been to Genoa several times and although the court house museum looked interesting, we gave it a pass. This time we decided to explore it. It is a gem of a museum. There is so many great exhibits here from the court house, to the jail exhibit, post office exhibit, pioneer exhibits. There are exhibits on houses; there are things women and girls will like such as the dresses and doll exhibits. There is the blacksmith shop.We were delighted with the historical pictures, the bell, and the exhibit on Mr. Ferris from Carson Valley was amazing. He created the Ferris Wheel. Never knew there was a Mr. Ferris before.This place is a "must see" if in the area. You will also find out about local events such as the Candy Dance.So much in this museum - cannot cover it all in this review. The volunteer staff is very nice. It cost $3 adult to go see such an amazing collection.One of the best small town museums in the West! Note: There is a steep stair case to the 2nd floor exhibits; its ok - but people who have trouble climbing steep stairs did want to note. There are still exhibits such as the school, etc. to see on the 1st floor.

Jeanne532013

This was a great museum. Loved the story about Snowshoe Thompson including the furniture and photos. The wedding dress collection and photos was neat. Done very nicely.

rengstrom230

This museum is a must see in the town. It has two floors of excellent attractions. One of the more interesting items was the original jail made out of steel plates. I also enjoyed the original post office, court rooms and colonial kitchen. A fun place to visit. Allow a couple of hours to see it thoroughly.

411gerryb

This little museum had lots of history in it.. Items on the pony express; a small room had a jail, another had a post office. then a large court house up stairs .They had wheel chair access around the back to upper floor.Very good value for the $3.00 admission.

ThomasL944

We have wanted to see this place. It has always been closed when we have been in Genoa. It tells the story of Nevada's first town exceptionally well. Native American issues are documented as well as the Pony Express.The old courthouse has been well restored right down to the Original Courtroom. Genoa itself is sprucing up. Its worth a couple hour stop.

Bearwife

We learned a lot about early (meaning mid-19th century) Nevada in this museum, and appreciated the friendliness of the gift shop staff. We particularly enjoyed the haunted room upstairs, the re-created courtroom, the old jail cell area, and the Pony Express display.