This museum, set in a late 19th century historic mansion offers extraordinary collections of Victorian fixtures and furnishings, beautiful historic textiles and clothing, and memorabilia from early Laramie and ranch history.

Edward Ivinson was born September 20, 1830, on the River Estate, St. Croix, in the West Indies. Of English descent Edward returned to London by ship at the age of seven to attend the elite boys school, Croft House Academy in Brampton with his three brothers, Joshua, John, and Thomas. They arrived in London on the day of Queen Victoria’s coronation on June 28, 1838. During holidays from school and upon completion of his education Edward worked on his grandfather’s farm in the English countryside, where he learned the value of self-discipline and hard word alongside his higher education. These traits served Edward well after he immigrated to the United States.

Jane Wood Ivinson was born October 22, 1840 in Bolton, a tiny village in Lancashire, England. She was the youngest of thirteen children born to her mother, and the only one to live past the age of two. Jane lost her father when quite young and her mother, struggling amidst failing health, difficulties with childbearing and the death of her husband, chose to marry a man by the name of Waddington of Lancashire, England. Jane’s mother was left with her maternal grandparents while her newly married mother and step father immigrated to New York for a fresh start. Despite Jane’s difficult childhood she grew up to have an indomitable spirit. At the young age of 12, Jane boarded a ship to New York to be with her mother. She landed in December of 1853 where she was greeted at the docks by Edward Ivinson.

This fortuitous meeting by the eventual couple was the beginning of a story that is typical of pioneer history, one of making a home in a new place.

The Ivinson Mansion has left an enduring legacy as the gem of Laramie City. From its original owners, Jane and Edward, whose philanthropy left their mark throughout town, to the Jane Ivinson School for Girls’ and later as a historic house museum, this structure has become a community repository of Laramie’s history. The community has come together to continuously support this fully restored 1892 Queen Anne Victorian Mansion.