The Story
The house was built in 1892 for pioneers Harris and Anna Franklin (namesakes of the Franklin Hotel). In 1920 Deadwood businessman and former mayor W.E. Adams bought it and furnished it in memory of his first wife, daughter, and granddaughter, who had all died. When Adams died in 1934, his second wife Mary closed the doors and the house sat essentially untouched for decades. The city's preservation commission bought it in 1992 and opened it as a house museum in 2000, much of the original furniture still in place.
Surprising Facts
→ It was built for the Franklin family before it ever belonged to the Adams family.
→ W.E. Adams bought it explicitly as a memorial to his deceased first wife, daughter, and granddaughter.
→ After Adams died in 1934, the house was closed up and left largely untouched for ~70 years.