Power County Museum reopens in new location after 2-year closure
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AMERICAN FALLS — After two years without a local museum, Power County is welcoming the public back with a grand reopening celebration on April 25 at its new location, 592 Gifford Ave.
The museum has been closed since its previous building at 500 Pocatello Ave. was condemned in 2024. The nearly 100-year-old former courthouse annex sustained significant water damage during a severe rainstorm, resulting in mold and a compromised foundation. Officials deemed it unsafe to occupy.
According to county historian and museum secretary Celia Klassen, past county commissioners secured grant funding while current commissioners obtained a new building near the hospital to house the museum.
Klassen, who moved to American Falls from England in 2016, said she quickly became fascinated with the town’s history. That interest grew into a deeper role as a local historian.
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“The new museum will have a research room for people who want to look up old newspaper articles and learn more about the people and places in our area,” Klassen said. “There will be a lot to see, and it’s a place people will want to visit more than once to take it all in.”
Volunteers and board members have also spent the past two years digitizing hundreds of historic photographs, preserving them for future generations. The new museum will also feature an archaeology section, highlighting bones and fossils found in the area.
Klassen said understanding the town’s past is key to appreciating its present, pointing to one of the community’s most remarkable chapters.
When the American Falls Dam was rebuilt and raised in the 1920s, the expanded reservoir threatened to flood the original townsite. Instead of leaving, residents made the extraordinary decision to move the entire town to higher ground nearby.
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“People fought so hard to save this town and did everything they could to keep it going,” Klassen said. “This is not only unique to American Falls, but unique to America. People can’t fully appreciate their town without realizing what went into it.”
Power County Commissioner Kryst Klein, who worked closely on the project, said the museum plays an important role in preserving that legacy and has been missed by tourists, families visiting during American Falls Days, and those researching local history.
“This museum is part of the history of our city and our nation,” Klein said. “We all stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, and the museum is a way of preserving and honoring what they’ve done.”
Klein said he is excited to see the project come together and credited the efforts of those who made it happen.
“The hard work that the volunteers and museum board have put into this has been amazing,” he said.
The public is encouraged to attend the celebration for Power County and part of the America 250 celebrations, which will include remarks from American Falls Mayor Gilbert Hofmeister and state Rep. Rick Cheatum starting at noon. The event will feature refreshments, prizes and an opportunity to tour the new museum.
For more information follow Power County Museum on Facebook.
