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.
Everything that was here
- 1892–present
Historic Adams HouseHistoric House
A Queen Anne mansion built for one Deadwood pioneer family was bought by another as a memorial to his dead wife and daughter — then left frozen in time for decades.
See the map in 1893 →
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Connected places
Adams Museum
Historic Franklin Hotel
Nicollet Hotel
Georgetown Castle (Gessner Mansion)
Henry Gerber House
The Midnight Star
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Nearby history
Mollie Johnson's Brothel
Homestake Slime Plant (Deadwood Mountain Grand)
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Adams Museum
Historic Franklin Hotel
The Midnight Star
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