healy house museum & dexter cabin

As with any guided tour much of the enjoyment depends on the facility and the guide. This is one of the few museums that allow you to get up close to items, clothing, wall coverings, etc. We learned the history of Leadville, the Dexter Cabin and the Meyer (now called Heally) house from a delightful School Teacher. Don't miss this stop!

This along with the other major sites in Leadville (Mining Hall of Fame, Matchless Mine, and Tabor Opera House) are worth purchasing the Museums of Leadville Passport. The house and cabin are around the corner and up the hill from the Mining Hall of Fame. But the inside of this Dexter Cabin is what was amazing. This is not a simple log cabin on the inside. The wallpaper there and in the Healy House is drop-dead gorgeous and the floors beautiful! This was a luxurious cabin (my understand one of 7 Dexter built for his family)! Remember, however, when visiting Leadville that it is a 2 mile-high town so it can be cold and windy during the summer.

We had been to Leadville 4 or 5 times before we "discovered" Healy House and Dexter Cabin. It is the hidden jewel of Leadville! As you enter town from the direction of Minturn and I-70 on Rt.24, the main highway curves right, then left onto the main street. It is as the main road turns left (and all eyes are on enchanting downtown Leadville), that you turn should turn RIGHT, go up the hill a bit, and there it is. There is a cabin and a main house, and the Victorian decor is among the best we've ever seen, and there were a number of "we have never seen anything like THAT before!" exclamations from our party of four. They do guided tours that are led by welcoming and well-informed locals in period costume. They know the history of Leadville and can provide tips on what to see next. This should not be missed. It's the best thing in town.

The lady who took us on the tour was very knowledgeable about the history of the house and cabin. The cabin was fascinating, when you walk in it doesn't even look like your in a cabin with the fancy wallpaper. Most of the furniture, lighting, and décor were original or period to the late 1800's.

Take a tour of this beautiful Greek Revival house with a costumed guide and learn about the early days of Leadville's mining boom. The house is beautifully restored with wooden floors, patterned wallpaper, period lighting and Victorian furniture. It illustrates how the people lived in the late 1800's. Also on the site is the lavish log cabin of millionaire James Dexter. There is also a garden and the museum store has Victorian gifts and souvenirs of Leadville and the West.

They give a very nice tour here.The young man who led our tour of 3 was exceptionally knowledgeable - and he was a high school student! We were very impressed by his maturity. And he knew so many tiny tiny details. Tour takes as long as one wants, no rushing. Highly recommended.

History and antique lovers will find gems here that can be seen nowhere else. Healy House offers interactive educational exhibits for children. Allow an hour for your visit. The appointments in the Dexter Cabin are unexpected, remarkable and modern for its time. The plaster-type work done with a lost recipe of flax and linseed oil is unparalleled. The Healy house provides perspective into life in the two mile high city including a mother of pearl inlay sewing machine, murphy bed cabinet, women's boots and clothing, elegant children's dolls and furniture and an exceptional hair wreath. The gardens are lovely.

My husband and I found this home after visiting the Mineral Museum. Although attractive with lovely flowers on the outside, it is more beautiful inside. Our guide dressed in period clothes, seemed like a professional story teller with dramatic flair and smidgeon of spunk. Every room teaches history with lovely elegant furnishings and items of interest. My questions were met with enthusiastic response from our guide. I wish I could have lingered longer in each room to take note of the details. Sad that pictures weren't permitted and disappointed that the gift shop didn't sell pictures or picture books of the home. I would have purchased a pictorial book of the home for a souvenir if offered.

such an excellent historic home to tour. our mature female guide was so knowledgeable and really enhanced both buildings. the 'cabin' will shock you when you enter! Healy House is a true jem that you must not miss if you have interest in the 1890s in Leadville.

My family loves history and this place is packed with it. The history of Leadville is very interesting, one of those places that you wish you could go back in time for just a day.

This was a great historical tour with beautiful gardens. Breanna was a great tour guide. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

While this will not take you very long to visit, it is well worth the detour. Open in the summer, the docents dress in period costumes and give you an idea of what life was like in this mining town in the late 19th century.

The Dexter Cabin does not look like much on the outside but inside it was surprisingly lavish, while the Healy House has been restored to reflect upper middle class gentility in this frontier mining town of leadville of the late 19th century. . The tour was excellent and complete. A nice place to see.