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| '''Virginia City Historic District''' is a ] |
'''Virginia City Historic District''' is a ] in ], ], ]. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, it is one of only six in the state of Nevada. Besides Virginia City, the district includes the former mining villages of Dayton, ], and ].<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv2"> {{citation|title={{PDFlink||1.28 MB}}|date=April 21, 1978 |author=Charles Snell and Marilynn Larew |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{PDFlink||8.81 MB}}</ref> | ||
| Virginia City was the prototype for future frontier mining boom towns, with its industrialization and urbanization.<ref name=autogenerated1></ref> It owed its success to the 1859 discovery of the ]. It is laid out in a grid pattern 1,500 feet below the top of ]. Most of the buildings are two to three story brick buildings, with the first floors used for ]s and shops. It was the first silver rush town, and the first to intensely apply large-industrial mining methods.<ref>Snell and Larew, pg.2, 5, 7</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 /> | Virginia City was the prototype for future frontier mining boom towns, with its industrialization and urbanization.<ref name=autogenerated1></ref> It owed its success to the 1859 discovery of the ]. It is laid out in a grid pattern 1,500 feet below the top of ]. Most of the buildings are two to three story brick buildings, with the first floors used for ]s and shops. It was the first silver rush town, and the first to intensely apply large-industrial mining methods.<ref>Snell and Larew, pg.2, 5, 7</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 /> | ||
Revision as of 01:39, 8 October 2009
This article is about the district in Nevada. For the district in Montana, see Virginia City Historic District (Virginia City, Montana). United States historic place| Virginia City Historic District | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
 | |
  | |
| Location | Virginia City, Nevada, USA |
|---|---|
| Built | 1859 |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/craftsman, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000458 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | July 4, 1961 |
Virginia City Historic District is a National Historic Landmark in Virginia City, Nevada, United States. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, it is one of only six in the state of Nevada. Besides Virginia City, the district includes the former mining villages of Dayton, Gold Hill, and Silver City.
Virginia City was the prototype for future frontier mining boom towns, with its industrialization and urbanization. It owed its success to the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode. It is laid out in a grid pattern 1,500 feet below the top of Mount Davidson. Most of the buildings are two to three story brick buildings, with the first floors used for saloons and shops. It was the first silver rush town, and the first to intensely apply large-industrial mining methods.
After a year in existence, the boomtown had 42 saloons, 42 stores, 6 restaurants, 3 hotels, and 868 dwellings to house a town residency of 2,345. At its height in 1863, the town had 15,000 residents. From its creation in 1859 to 1875, there were five widespread fires. The 1875 fire, dubbed the Great Fire of 1875, caused $12,000,000 in damages.
Today, Virginia City is but a shadow of its former glory, however, it still draws over 2 million visitors per year. In 2004 its condition was considered "threatened". One reason is that an inactive mining pit may cause some of the buildings that make up the historic nature of the district to slide into the pit. The cemeteries are constantly vandalised and are in danger of erosion. Continued use of the district for tourism is harming those historical buildings still in use, and neglect of privately-held unused buildings increases the damage to the district.
Contributing properties
Contributing properties in the historic district include:
- First Presbyterian Church (Virginia City, Nevada) - built in 1867, it is one of the few buildings built before the Great Fire that still stands today;
- Fourth Ward School - now a community center, it was a school from its construction in 1876 to 1936;
- Knights of Pythias Building, West side B Street, between Union & Sutton Streets, this cast iron and stuccoed brick building was built in 1875;
- St. Mary's in the Mountain Catholic Church, St. Mary's is a basilican structure and still has services;
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Virginia City, Nevada) - Built in 1876 and still used for services;
- Storey County Courthouse - Built after the 1875 fire, the rectangular brick building is still in use;
- Territorial Enterprise building - built in 1862, Mark Twain once worked in the building.
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
- ^ "Virginia City Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
- Charles Snell and Marilynn Larew (April 21, 1978), Template:PDFlink, National Park Service and Template:PDFlink
- ^ Virginia Historic District -Three Historic Nevada Cities: Carson City, Reno and Virginia City-A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
- Snell and Larew, pg.2, 5, 7
- Snell and Larew, pg.2, 8, 9
- Snell and Larew, pgs 2-4
External links
- Photos of numerous Virginia City, Nevada buildings and structures are available by searching HABS/HAER here, at Historic American Buildings Survey
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Topics | |
| Lists by state |
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| Lists by insular areas | |
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| Related | |
| National Register of Historic Places in Storey County, Nevada | |
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