Entry No. 12 — the Bozeman file — filed under: offbeat-museum
American Computer & Robotics Museum
A block from the MSU campus, this tiny museum bills itself as likely the oldest in the world devoted to the history of computing, and it crams 4,000 years of information technology into a few rooms. The collection runs from a Babylonian cuneiform tablet and an Enigma cipher machine to early Apple hardware (including an Apple I signed by Steve Wozniak), with detours into the Space Race, AI, quantum computing, and the history of DNA research. It is a single-obsession shrine to human ingenuity hiding in a Montana strip-mall suite.
The story
In 1980, an industrial automation consultant named George Keremedjiev walked into a Florida antique shop, spotted a mechanical calculator mislabeled as a check printer, and bought it on the spot. That single Brunsviga machine triggered a full-blown obsession that quickly overflowed his attic and storage units in Princeton with slide rules and adding machines. In May 1990, George and his wife Barbara hauled the entire collection out west and set up shop in a strip-mall suite a block from Montana State University, founding what is billed as the world's oldest continuously operating museum dedicated to computing.
It looks unassuming from the asphalt, but Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson wasn't throwing around empty praise when he declared it 'inch for inch, the best museum in the world.' Inside a few tightly packed rooms, you’ll find 4,000 years of human data processing crammed together: original Babylonian cuneiform tablets sit a short walk from a WWII German Enigma cipher machine, Apollo program moon mission computing hardware, leaves from Shakespeare's 1623 First Folio, and an original 1976 Apple I signed by Steve Wozniak. Before Keremedjiev passed away in 2018, the shrine expanded beyond early microchips to document quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the history of DNA research.
What it's like
You'll pull up to a nondescript commercial plaza at 2023 Stadium Drive that looks more like an accounting office than a world-class technology archive. Step inside, and the campus chatter drops away into a quiet, single-level labyrinth of dense glass display cases and rich interpretive panels. You can easily trace the line from ancient clay tablets to modern neural networks in 60 to 90 minutes without battling tour buses. Staffers here are deeply knowledgeable and will happily dive into machine specifics if you linger long enough—just verify their operating schedule before you go, as hours can shift.
The move: Geek out together tracing the line from ancient abacuses to AI, then argue over which old machine you'd most want on your desk.
📍 Before you go Open Tue-Sun, roughly 10am-4pm; closed Mondays. Compact, so an hour or two is plenty.
- 📍 Bozeman
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2023 Stadium Dr, Ste A, Bozeman, MT 59715
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Montana Entomology Collection (MTEC), Montana State University — Pair four millennia of human computing artifacts with two million curated bug specimens located just six-tenths of a mile away inside MSU's Marsh Labs.
- The Break Room — Wash down a tour of early mainframe computing with a cold drink and pizza game-room arcade action less than a mile up the street.
- Rook's Games and More — Trade mid-century silicon logic for hands-on tabletop gaming at this dedicated shop just over a mile down the road.
Good to know
How long does a typical visit take?
Because the museum is squeezed into a single compact suite, most visitors comfortably explore the entire collection in 1 to 2 hours.
What are the current hours of operation?
The museum is generally open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and closed on Mondays, though you should confirm hours online before visiting.
What standout items are in the collection?
Highlights include an authentic Apple I signed by Steve Wozniak, an WWII Enigma cipher machine, Apollo guidance computer hardware, and ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets.
Where is the museum located?
It is located in Suite A at 2023 Stadium Drive in Bozeman, roughly one block from the Montana State University campus.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · visit-bozeman.com · newsweek.com
last checked: 2026-06-24