Historic Adams House: Overview
The Historic Adams House was built in 1892 by Deadwood pioneers Harris and Anna
Franklin. Local contemporary press described the home as "the grandest house west
of the Mississippi." The elegant Queen Anne-style house heralded a wealthy and socially
prominent new age for Deadwood, a former rough and tumble gold mining town. Harris
and Anna Franklin’s son Nathan bought the house for $1 in 1905. In 1920, Nathan
Franklin sold the house to W.E. and Alice Adams for $8,500. Adams' second wife Mary
closed up the house in 1936, two years after W.E.'s death, leaving the contents
and furnishings intact. By 1987, an infirm Mary Adams Balmat sold the mansion to
a couple who renovated the house and operated it as a bed and breakfast inn until
1992 when they sold the home to the City of Deadwood’s Historic Preservation Commission.
In 1998, the City of Deadwood, Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, and the
Adams Museum began to restore the Historic Adams House as a museum. Later, the two
city entities entered into a co-stewardship agreement with the Adams Museum Board
of Directors. The Adams Museum & House's Board and staff are charged with the preservation,
interpretation and operation of the house as a museum devoted to the history and
culture of the Deadwood area. The City of Deadwood owns and maintains responsibility
for the care and maintenance of the buildings and grounds, and provides general
operating support. The restoration project cost $1.5 million, with matching funds
provided by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, the Adams-Mastrovich
Family Foundation and Mary Adams Balmat. The house opened to the public as a museum
on July 1, 2000.
The Historic Adams House includes the Mary Adams Orientation Center with wheelchair
accessible bathrooms, orientation exhibition, and gift shop. The Historic Adams
House is wheelchair accessible on the first floor.
Admission to the Historic Adams House tour is $7 for adults, $2 for children (10
or under), and free to members.
Historic Adams House hours are:
Summer (May 1 - September 30)
Daily, 9:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m.
First Tour at 9:00 a.m....last Tour at 4:30 p.m.
Winter hours (October 1 - April 30)
Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m
Closed Sundays, Mondays and winter holidays.