Governor Charles Bent House
Encyclopedia
The Governor Bent House is the historic home of Governor
Charles Bent
who served as the first United States territorial governor of New Mexico.
of the territory of New Mexico
during the Mexican-American War. An Anglo-America
n government rule was culture shock to the Native Americans
who had lived in the land for many centuries and then coexisted with Hispanic
people during Spanish colonization
and then possession by Mexico
. Protesting American's possession of the territory, an angry mob descended on his home in January, 1847 and killed Governor Bent, survived by his wife and children who escaped through a hole in the adobe wall to the neighboring home.
Prior to becoming Governor, Bent was a well respected trader who owned a number of wagon train
s on the Santa Fe Trail
and trading post
s in Santa Fe
and Taos
. Bent built Bent's Fort in Colorado with his brother William
and Ceran St. Vrain
. It was a famous trading center for Native Americans and early mountain men. He traded with frontier mountain men, exchanging supplies for furs and buffalo hides.
at 117 Bent Street, the Governor Bent House is a private museum open to the public. Inside the museum are memorabilia and artifacts of the uprising. Within the house is the hole in the wall that allowed family members to escape. The museum also has works of local artists.
The building is Spanish Pueblo Revival / Hispanic Vernacular built about 1835 of adobe stucco over adobe bricks and wooden framed building. The building is on the State Register of Cultural Properties since 1969 and the National Register of Historic Places. The building is occupied by the museum, an art gallery and rental units.
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Charles Bent
Charles Bent
Charles Bent was appointed as the first Governor of the newly acquired New Mexico Territory by Governor Stephen Watts Kearny in September 1846....
who served as the first United States territorial governor of New Mexico.
Charles Bent
In 1846 Charles Bent was appointed GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the territory of New Mexico
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
during the Mexican-American War. An Anglo-America
Anglo-America
Anglo-America is a region in the Americas in which English is a main language, or one which has significant British historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural links...
n government rule was culture shock to the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who had lived in the land for many centuries and then coexisted with Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
people during Spanish colonization
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
and then possession by Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Protesting American's possession of the territory, an angry mob descended on his home in January, 1847 and killed Governor Bent, survived by his wife and children who escaped through a hole in the adobe wall to the neighboring home.
Prior to becoming Governor, Bent was a well respected trader who owned a number of wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
s on the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
and trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
. Bent built Bent's Fort in Colorado with his brother William
William Bent
William Wells Bent was a frontier trapper, trader, and rancher in the American West who mediated among the Cheyenne Nation, other Native American tribes and the expanding United States. With his brothers, Bent established a trade business along the Santa Fe Trail. In the early 1830s Bent built an...
and Ceran St. Vrain
Ceran St. Vrain
Ceran St. Vrain , also known as Ceran de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain, was a major fur trader near Taos, New Mexico, where he and his partner William Bent established the trading post of Bent's Fort. St...
. It was a famous trading center for Native Americans and early mountain men. He traded with frontier mountain men, exchanging supplies for furs and buffalo hides.
Museum
Located just north of the Taos PlazaTaos Plaza
Taos Plaza is a center of shops and monuments in Taos, New Mexico.-History:Located in Taos, New Mexico. Spanish settlers began their colonization of the Taos Valley in 1616, but the Plaza dates to the late 18th century when the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant was ceded to the settlers from the Taos...
at 117 Bent Street, the Governor Bent House is a private museum open to the public. Inside the museum are memorabilia and artifacts of the uprising. Within the house is the hole in the wall that allowed family members to escape. The museum also has works of local artists.
The building is Spanish Pueblo Revival / Hispanic Vernacular built about 1835 of adobe stucco over adobe bricks and wooden framed building. The building is on the State Register of Cultural Properties since 1969 and the National Register of Historic Places. The building is occupied by the museum, an art gallery and rental units.