Filed Under Virginia City

Kramer Building (Dress Shop)

Virginia City National Historic Landmark District

The hasty construction of this remarkably preserved early dwelling reflects the excitement of the gold rush to Alder Gulch during the summer of 1863. Its original dirt-covered pole roof predates the first saw mills; the roof was later covered over with sawn boards. The interior illustrates the once-common use of muslin stretched over logs to imitate a smooth plastered wall. Early occupants were blacksmiths, and during the 1880s and 1890s Julius and Frederick Kramer operated a saddlery here. Living quarters were located in the rear, a common arrangement in mining camps and frontier towns.

Images

Kramer Dress Shop, Virginia City
Kramer Dress Shop, Virginia City View looking north at building facade, Wallace Street. Source: Courtesy of Montana Heritage Commission Creator: Kate Steeley, Montana Heritage Commission Date: Oct 2019
Kramer Building (Dress Shop)
Kramer Building (Dress Shop) Still image capture of the Kramer building at 323 West Wallace, Virginia City, Montana. Image information drawn from related images in Kramer building files at the State Historic Preservation Office. Information is not recorded on print verso. b&w print. Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: ca. 1989

Location

316 West Wallace Street, Virginia City, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Kramer Building (Dress Shop),” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/54.