William Emery "W.E." Adams

1854-1934. Merchant, six-term mayor, museum founder

AI-generated illustration: man with a mustache in a brown three-piece suit — AI-generated illustration, not a likeness.

William Emery Adams was born in Michigan on May 13, 1854. After his mother’s death he moved to Deadwood in 1877 with his older brother James.

Grocer to wholesaler

They opened the Banner Grocery on Main Street. The fire of September 26, 1879, destroyed it, and they rebuilt across the street. The business became Adams Bros. In 1894 W.E. began the Adams Block on Sherman Street and shifted his focus to the wholesale trade, eventually running one of the largest wholesale houses in the state. He served six terms as mayor.

Family

He married Alice Burnham late in 1880, and they had two daughters, Lucile, born in 1884, and Helen, born in 1892. All three died before 1930, though South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s account does not give their dates. That account calls Alice his first wife, implying a later marriage, and names the house at 22 Van Buren as his last home. Sources differ on the house itself: one credits him with building it in 1892, while the Adams Museum history says Harris and Anna Franklin built it that year and that Adams bought it in 1920. The second account is more detailed and the more likely.

The museum

When the Deadwood Businessmen’s Club approached him, Adams agreed to finance the lot and building for a museum, honoring the pioneers of the Black Hills and his lost family. The Adams Memorial Museum was dedicated on October 3, 1930, and presented to the city. He said it would be free to the public. The City of Deadwood calls it the first established museum in the Black Hills.

In 1934 he paid Potato Creek Johnny $250 for the famous nugget, which the museum still displays.

Legacy

He died on June 16, 1934, at age 80. The family mausoleum is in Pasadena, California, rather than Deadwood. Today Deadwood History, Inc. runs the museum and the Adams House, with partial support from the Historic Preservation Commission.