Victor Lowell Thomas Museum

Background Statement

The Museum is housed in the 1899 Reynolds Block and is a prominent feature of Victor's National Historic District. The VIA would like to continue to promote public use of the facility, preservation of our nationally known gold rush history and continue to be a key destination of heritage tourism in our area. We have successfully conducted gold panning and modern mine tours as a means of self-support and continue to raise funds for our project.

Since 1959, when it was donated to the VIA, the building has been home to the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, which seeks to preserve the rich gold rush history, heritage and culture of Victor.

Due to a fire and lack of funds, the building was in dire need of stabilization and preservation. In 1960 a fire destroyed timbering and supports in the east portion of the basement; that lack of support was causing the building to lean and the north wall to fail. The small local museum group never had the resources for funds to complete major work. Since 2007 our board has raised over $1 million to correct the stabilization issues and install new windows and a roof, which will make the exterior sealed to weather and dust.

The museum board is committed to the preservation of the museum facility and its contents. We have enjoyed a great deal of community and foundation support during this most critical first step, and we look forward to continued growth and public support. We want to continue the momentum we have created within our community and our board to ensure that our museum is able to operate in a sustainable and environmentally sensitive manner. Our architect will oversee the construction projects and we have hired a professional grant and project administrator to ensure these projects are carried through professionally and timely.