Adams House

Admire the architecture and the interior décor inside this historic house.

The Adams House is a must-see stop while in or around Deadwood, South Dakota. Walking in is like going back in time. You will see the original décor and furnishings and all of the personal items displayed throughout. The 2-story mansion is a grand Queen Anne Victorian-style home. It was built in 1893 by a merchant and business entrepreneur named Harris Franklin. Franklin built the home for his family with all of the modern conveniences of the time. The cost was $8,000 - $10,000 to build. The mansion has mixed materials, with the first floor made with quarried red sandstone that was brought by train from Buffalo Gap in South Dakota. The shingles of the home are metallic. There are 10 rooms with natural oak and some pine. The home had central heating, hot and cold running water, indoor plumbing, phones, wall-to-wall carpeting, and electrical lighting. The Franklin family, Harris, his wife Anne, and their son Nathan moved into the mansion in 1893, and more delicate touches were added in 1896, such as wall coverings, stencils, stained glass and decorative painting. In 1904, Nathan and his wife Ada bought the home from his parents for $1 and did some updating with parquet flooring in the parlor and linoleum in the kitchen. The updates continued with new lighting and some of the wraparound porch being enclosed and created into a sunroom.

In 1920, W.E. (66 years old) and Alice Adams bought the home and updated it again with fireplaces converted to gas and an improved heating system. Alice, unfortunately, died just 5 years later. W.E. Adams remarried a 29-year-old he met on the train, and more changes were made to the mansion. Mary and W.E. lived in the home for 7 years until he died. Mary closed the house and left everything as it was. She would visit her mother and entertain in the home once each year but always stayed in The Franklin Hotel. The beautiful time capsule sat empty for 50 years full of the original furnishings. Mary sold the house with all the furnishings when she was in bad health. Eventually the mansion was restored and became a house museum. It is breathtaking and full of rich history, making it a fun little outing during a visit to South Dakota.