The home was once heated with four pot belly stoves but had no plumbing or
electricity. The fixtures from the Catholic rectory in Aspen were used to
remodel the pantry into a bathroom. The addition of the back room and porch
were moved up from the railroad building in Basalt. Her two-story brick home
is decorated in the original kitchen cook stove and furnishings. The two-story
Arbaney barn was the family horse barn. Today Josephiney Arbaney still resides
in the Arbaney home which is located behind the Arbaney Barn. Many of the
items which the Arbaney Barn will display will come from Mrs. Arbaney as well
as the Cerises, the Willits, the Lees and other Basalt pioneer families.
The Arbaney Barn will not be a museum where the displays just gather dust,
The BRHS plans on breathing life into the museum through live demonstrations
that show what life was like in Basalt. We plan on doing this by holding talks
at the barn in which BRHS members will demonstrate butter churning, apple
cider pressing, preserving as well as telling the story of different town
homesteaders by becoming that person through live performances. This will
take place during the summer as well as during the school year so that when
the middle school and elementary school are studying the local history we
will complement that lesson with our museum talks. We will work together with
the history teachers to accomplish this very important part of the childrenŐs
education.
