Riverside is a historic house museum in

Hamilton, Montana Hamilton is a city that serves as the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hamilton was founded by Copper Kings, copper king Marcus Daly in the la ...

. It was the private residence of Margaret Daly, copper magnate

Marcus Daly Marcus Daly (December 5, – November 12, 1900) was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the four Copper Kings of Butte, Montana, United States. Early life Daly emigrated from County Cavan, Ireland, to the United States as a youn ...

's widow. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The house is surrounded by 26.5 acres of lawns with over 400 trees.

History

The house was first built for homesteader Anthony Chaffin. After the home and surrounding ranchland was purchased by copper magnate

in 1886, it was redesigned in the Queen Anne architectural style, with a tower. Daly's widow, Margaret, hired architect A. J. Gibson to redesign it in the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

and

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

styles in 1910. With Margaret Daly died in 1941, and the house was ultimately inherited by her granddaughter, Countess Margit Sigray Bessenyey of Hungary, in the 1950s. When she died, it was inherited by her stepson, Francis Bakach-Bessenyey, who deeded it to the state of Montana in 1986 in exchange for forgiveness of $400,000 in inheritance taxes. The Daly Mansion Preservation Trust was established that same year, in part with a donation from him. In 1986, the Trust began renovations on the mansion, which had been abandoned and closed since 1941. By 1987 a few rooms had been restored and the building opened to the public. A more extensive renovation was started in 2005. The house has been listed on the

since July 16, 1987. It is now a

house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

References

External links

Website
National Register of Historic Places in Ravalli County, Montana Colonial Revival architecture in Montana Houses completed in 1910 Historic house museums in Montana Hamilton, Montana Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Houses in Ravalli County, Montana {{Montana-NRHP-stub