Lincoln County Historical Society - NM

10/03/2026

Signs are up designating the Historic Business district, celebrating the buildings that tell the story of our town’s 100+ years of history.

Thanks to former Mayor Ray Dean for getting the Historic District designated in his administration, to Gwen Rogers for the suggestion for the sign/map; to the current Administration for location approval; and to Keith Kessler (once again) for the muscle getting them installed.

Funding provided by the Carrizozo Heritage Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Lincoln County Historical Society.

(Matching signs are up at the Museum and the Photo Gallery plaza.)

Stop by and take a stroll through Carrizozo history!

09/08/2026

09/04/2026

Our friends at the Wingfield Heritage House Museum sent us this photo of town from a plane; circa 1950. The second image is an AI-corrected view, and I added a few current landmarks for orientation. [Photo by Carmon Phillips]

07/14/2026

Come see us - and 20 other regional museums! - at the MuseumFest! This Saturday, July 18th, 10-4, at the Cloudcroft Ice Rink (US 82)!

05/10/2026

Your Carrizozo Heritage Museum & Visitor Center received a unique donation recently, and just now installed.

These are two cement pylons that used to sit at the intersections of streets in town. They were apparently in place in the 20s and 30s, long ago replaced with the more familiar street signs on poles.

Alamogordo Avenue is now 12th St., and El Paso Ave. is now 13th St.

Because the pylons were broken at the bottom when they were removed from their original site, installing them here necessitated making them a bit lower, which obscures part of the lettering. But note that the “E“ in “Ave.” on Alamogordo‘s post is reversed. An indelible ‘typo’ from a lifetime ago! 

While we were tempted to paint them a neutral color to make them easier to read, we have decided to leave them unadulterated, with the original paint and patina intact.

Stop by and have a look! They’re installed just a few dozen feet away from the donation box… 😄

05/02/2026

The only picture, of which I’m aware, of Carrizozo’s Lyric Theater on 12th Street. Taken in 1919. See other photo for posters of the films being screened that weekend.

Note that the name at the time was The Crystal Theater. It’s had three names - opened as the Carrizozo Opera House for live stage shows, then the Crystal when converted to film (the name a reference to the projector lens), then changed to The Lyric, a reference to the advent of sound film.