Thexton House

A steeply pitched roof and windows with pointed arches reveal Gothic Revival style influence in this finely-crafted 1884 residence, built by George Thexton. The style, often adapted to the frontier in wood, is here expressed in stone as was the norm back east. Fancy brackets between porch supports and a decorative bargeboard in the front central gable echo the arch motif.

Thexton, an early Virginia City blacksmith and alderman who later branched out into mining and ranching, forged the machinery used to bore the town’s wooden water pipes (some of which were still in use as late as 1971). Restored to its 1880s likeness, the home reflects cosmopolitan tastes that extended even to the western frontier.