Healy House Museum was the
Leadville, Colorado home built in 1878 by mining engineer and city father
August R. Meyer for his bride, Emma. It was purchased in 1888 by Daniel Healy (1857-1912), who operated a boarding house with his cousin Nellie Healy. An immigrant from Ireland, Healy served Leadville as a mail carrier and later assistant postmaster. He subsequently started several successful businesses and represented Leadville in Colorado's state legislature from 1903 to 1905.
After Daniel Healy had died in 1912, the house was given to his sister, nieces, and cousin Nellie Healy.
Nellie continued to live in and operate the boarding house until 1936.
She donated the house to the historical association in 1936 under the condition that the house be used to benefit the city.
In 1938, Clara Gaw Norton oversaw restoration work at the house paid for through grant money from the
Boettcher Foundation.
Norton hoped to turn the Healy House into the city's first history museum.
Healy House was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1970.
Currently it is a Colorado State Historic Site and is operated as a
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
museum by the state under
History Colorado
History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado un ...
, together with
Dexter Cabin. The two are located within the
Leadville Historic District
The Leadville Historic District is in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado. The National Historic Landmark District includes 67 mines in the mining district east of the city up to the 12,000 foot (3658 m) level, and a defined portion of the vi ...
, which is itself a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
The restored house serves as an example of the "Elegant Eighties".
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References
External links
Healy House Museum and Dexter CabinHistory Colorado
Historic Colorado Mansions and Castles
{{Registered Historic Places
Houses completed in 1878
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Historic house museums in Colorado
Museums in Lake County, Colorado
History Colorado
Houses in Lake County, Colorado
National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Colorado
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Colorado
Leadville Historic District