Richard’s Cabin – Gold Hill, Colorado
Tucked away in Gold Hill, CO, is Richard’s Cabin. Its hand-hewn timbers date from the 1870s, when the town was alive with miners chasing the promise of gold in the newly framed Colorado Territory.

Gold Hill was founded in 1859, the site of one of the first major gold discoveries in Colorado. By the 1870s, its streets were lined with saloons and small log homes. At its height, the population reached nearly a thousand, a mix of miners from across the country. There was also a group of Chinese laborers who had made their way East from California after the first gold rush waned.
Richard’s Cabin is believed to have been one of these workplaces: A Chinese laundry serving miners in Gold Hill and nearby claims. The cabin stood above a natural spring, providing a steady supply of water essential for washing.

Long after the miners drifted away and the laundry closed, the natural spring continued, and wildlife found its way back. A family of foxes now used the cabin as a den. Richard’s Cabin is a relic of the Gold Hills mining days and carries the story of immigrants who found purpose on the margins of a rough frontier town
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First White House of the Confederacy – Montgomery, Alabama
While visiting Montgomery, Alabama, we visited the First White House of the Confederacy. What made the house striking to us was how early it entered the story of the Civil War. The Davis family moved into this Montgomery residence in February 1861, when the Confederate States of America had only just been formed. That same month, delegates from […]
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace – North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Gilbert Stuart went on to fame as the portrait artist of Geroge Washington, the very image that appears on every dollar bill. Our first visit to this site was during my homeschooling days. Visiting historic houses was a part of our homeschooling adventures, and I would purposely seek out places like this, homes where history felt real […]
Gillette Castle – Connecticut
While homeschooling, we would take numerous road trips to explore historic and natural sites. It was important to us that our children know the area they were growing up in and understand the stories connected to it. Connecticut was just a short drive from our home, so many of our day trips took us there to […]