October 6-7, 13-14, and 20-21: Paranormal Investigations of the Adams House – Join Deadwood History and Black Hills Paranormal Investigations (BHPI) for an exclusive ninety-minute paranormal investigation of one of Deadwood’s most haunted sites. Participants will search for paranormal activity in the Adams House with the BHPI team using parascopes, para-lanterns, the Tempest, Rem-Pod, Onvoy ghost box, Pharaoh Box, Flux 2, Ovilus, digital audio recorders, laser grids, divining rods, K2’s, and EMF meters. Investigations are offered at 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and limited to 20 people per investigation. You must be at least 12 years old to participate. Ages 12 – 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Psychic readings with Dani Jo Butler, owner of Sacred Soul LLC, will be available following each investigation in the gentleman’s smoking room for $25 per person. These are group sessions and individual readings are not guaranteed. Must be an adult to participate and limited to eight people per session. Reservations are required. Purchase tickets online at DeadwoodHistory.com or call 605-722-4800 for more information.
October 12: Preservation Thursday: Prostitution in the American West: Brief Notes on a Long History – History is all about stories. Whose stories do we tell? How do we tell them? How do they shape how we think about the past while also reflecting who we think we are today? Especially when it comes to a topic like prostitution, where the seller is often cast as either a harlot or a victim, how do we tell stories about those individuals who sold sex for a living? In American lore, men went west when gold was discovered to find adventure and seek their fortunes. They saw opportunity for land, wealth, and independence. What we often don’t hear is that women went west for the same reasons, not as wives or daughters, but as fortune seekers themselves. Except the fortune they were seeking wasn’t embedded in veins in mountains but in the pockets of the men who literally struck gold – and they earned their wages by selling sex. Women and sex work were an integral part of how the American West was built. Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Kayla Pritchard from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will focus on Deadwood, but she will also highlight other interesting stories and women from the region. Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; free for members and $5 for non-members.
November 2: Preservation Thursday: From Problem to Prize-winning – An exterior support ring for the solar neutrino experiment, known colloquially as the Davis ring, is visible to all who drive by the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead. This ring is merely one section of a 100,000 gallon tank that was placed at the 4,850 level of what was then the Homestake Mine. Just as this structure is one piece of the much larger solar neutrino experiment, so too, was Ray Davis only one of the scientists involved in this multi-decade experiment. The presentation by Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center Director Kelly Kirk will explore the partnership between John Bahcall, Ray Davis, and others, a collaboration that eventually led to a Nobel Prize and a place in physics history. Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; free for members and $5 for non-members.
November 24-26, December 1-3, 8-10, and 15-17: Christmas Tours of the Historic Adams House – The historic home will be elegantly dressed during the Christmas season. The open house-style tour will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A kid-friendly scavenger hunt with a prize will be available for children. Unique gifts are available for purchase in the Adams House Gift Shop. Tickets are $8 for members and $12 for non-members, $5 for children 6 – 12, and free to children 5 and under. General admission tickets can be purchased online at DeadwoodHistory.com or at the door. For more information please call 605-722-4800.
December 2: Holiday Open House – Please join us for Deadwood History’s annual Holiday Open House celebration at the Days of ’76 Museum from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Open House includes children’s activities, great holiday gifts for family and friends, free museum access, and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free. For more information, please call 605-722-4800.
