Adams Museum

Discover the history of Deadwood, South Dakota.

W.E. Adams founded the Adams Museum in downtown Deadwood to preserve history of the area. It has been open since 1930. W.E. Adams donated the building for the museum. A board of directors oversaw the collection of artifacts from the Black Hills region. The museum has a Potato Creek Johnny's 7.346 troy gold nugget, a pencil sketch drawing of Wild Bill Hickok, a rare marine reptile, and one of a kind plesiosaur skeleton.

Adams is the oldest history museum in the Black Hills and it is open year-round with admission by donation ($5 suggestion). This is a great museum for adults and children of all ages with lots of interactive exhibitions. There are 3 full floors to explore and visitors won't just read about history, visitors will experience it too. It is educational and fun at the same time. There are stories of prominent people from Deadwood and even a two-headed calf. Expect to see several maps and photographs that explain what Deadwood looked like in the past. The whole museum keeps everyone's attention and the gift shop is a great place to find souvenirs.