Entry No. 121 — the Denver file — filed under: history
Hamill House Museum
“It is, unironically, billed as Colorado's finest outhouse”
Everyone photographs the silver baron's restored Victorian mansion; almost no one clocks the real story out back. The privy is a cupola-topped, six-hole monument to class hierarchy: three walnut seats for the Hamill family on one side, three plain pine seats for the servants on the other. Archaeologists digging the servant side found it stuffed with broken Haviland china and empty liquor bottles the staff had quietly hidden from the boss. It is, unironically, billed as Colorado's finest outhouse.
The story
William Arthur Hamill made a fortune during Colorado's silver boom and spent it turning a modest 1867 Country Gothic cottage built by his brother-in-law Joseph Watson into a gilded mountain estate. He brought in architect Robert Roeschlaub to add a glass conservatory, gaslighting, central heating, and walnut woodwork—a flex designed to project maximum wealth in the Clear Creek Valley. (In an unexpected pop-culture twist, Hamill is also the great-great-great-grandfather of actor Mark Hamill.) But while tour groups spend their time admiring the Victorian decor and parlor furnishings, the sharpest story on the property sits behind the summer kitchen.
Standing in the backyard is a freestanding, cupola-topped stone structure unironically billed as Colorado's finest privy. The six-hole outhouse translates Victorian class hierarchy directly into architecture: three smooth walnut seats served the Hamill family on one side, while three plain pine seats were designated for the servants on the other. But the staff found their own quiet ways to undermine the arrangement. When archaeologists excavated the vault beneath the servant side, they unearthed shards of fine imported Haviland china dropped down the hole to conceal household breakages, along with a stash of empty liquor bottles drained out of sight of the boss.
What it's like
Arriving at 305 Argentine Street puts you in a quiet residential corner of Georgetown, where narrow streets demand slow driving and respectful parking in the free off-street lot behind the house off 4th Street. If you visit on a summer weekend, drop-in tours walk you through the main home's conservatory and restored rooms, but save time to wander the grounds out back. You can walk right up to the freestanding privy to inspect the stark difference between the walnut family seats and the plain pine servant side. Drop-in hours are short—12:00 PM to 4:00 PM on summer weekends—so timing matters, and off-season visits require booking an appointment in advance.
The move: Tour the mansion on a summer weekend, then make a beeline for the outhouse and read the servant-side excavation story to each other; cap it with a walk through Georgetown's Victorian district.
📍 Before you go Georgetown is a preserved silver-mining town about an hour west of Denver off I-70 — the whole place is a National Historic Landmark District, so streets are narrow and residential; park and walk respectfully. Free off-street parking sits behind the house near the west end of 4th Street. The famous privy is the freestanding structure out back, so save energy for the yard, not just the parlor. Drop-in tours run on summer weekends; the rest of the year is appointment-only, so check ahead if you're visiting off-season. Pair it with the Victorian main-street shops, the Georgetown Loop Railroad, or a drive up Guanella Pass.
- 📍 Georgetown
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 305 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444 (operated by Historic Georgetown, Inc.; the six-seat privy is the freestanding structure behind the main house)
Hours: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sat-Sun 12pm-4pm; rest of year by appointment only. Admission free, donations accepted. Confirm weekend hours seasonally.
Pair it with
- Hotel de Paris Museum — Walk two blocks down 6th Street to compare Hamill's private mansion with Louis Dupuy's French-brothel-turned-luxury-hotel where silver barons dined in style.
- Georgetown Energy Museum — Head two blocks north to see the 1900 hydroelectric plant that brought early electrical power to the same mining town.
- Bread Bar — Drive five minutes west to Silver Plume for craft cocktails inside an 1890s bakery after exploring Georgetown's historic core.
Good to know
How much does admission cost?
Admission is free, though voluntary donations to Historic Georgetown, Inc. are accepted to help preserve the house and grounds.
When is the museum open for walk-in tours?
Drop-in tours run Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Outside of summer weekends, visits are by appointment only.
Where should I park when visiting?
Free off-street parking is available behind the house near the west end of 4th Street.
What outbuildings sit on the property besides the mansion and privy?
The estate grounds include a cut-granite office building, a stone carriage house, a laundry and summer kitchen building, and the freestanding six-seat privy.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: historicgeorgetown.org · uncovercolorado.com · frommers.com · 9news.com
last checked: 2026-06-07