What Is the Adams House?
Part of the Deadwood Historic District, this was the home of philanthropist and Deadwood mayor, William Emery Adams!
What Makes It Historical?
William and James Adams arrived in Deadwood in 1877, ready to build a grocery empire! They were so ready that when the great fire of 1879 burned down their Banner Grocery store, it was just a hiccup! As the store grew, so did Mr. W.E. Adams’ family, with his wife, Alice, in 1880 and two daughters, Lucile and Helen!
The year Helen was born (1892) this Queen Anne style house was being built for someone else, Anna and Harris Franklin, but years later, after Mr. Adams had built one of the largest wholesale houses in South Dakota, the Adams Block, this became the Adams family home! Mr. Adams would go on to serve six terms as mayor of Deadwood, set up the annual Days of ’76 Celebration in 1924, then created the Adams Museum as both a place to display Deadwood’s history and memorialize his first wife and daughters, who all died young. Today, the Adams Home is a real time capsule from the turn of the 20th Century, kept intact down to their medicines, their sheet music, and the cookies in the cookie jar!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer with Deadwood History!
- Donate to Deadwood History!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
22 Van Buren St
Deadwood, SD 57732
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Adams House is open for tours daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, May through September! In October and April only, it’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM!