Thompson-Hickman Memorial Museum

Overview

The Thompson-Hickman Memorial Museum and Library is a sturdy, fireproof brick building that still serves as Virginia City's public library and local history museum today.

It was built between about 1918 and 1922 as a special gift to the community from a former resident who became very wealthy.

Who Paid for the Building?

The money for the building came from William Boyce Thompson, who was born in Virginia City on May 13, 1869.

He grew up in Montana mining towns, then studied engineering and went into the mining and finance business, eventually becoming a millionaire and founding Newmont Mining, one of the world's major mining companies.

Around 1918 he decided to give something back to his hometown by paying for a combined library and museum building on Wallace Street.

He named it the Thompson-Hickman Memorial Building to honor both his father, William Thompson, and his wife's father, Richard O. Hickman, who had been important businessmen in Virginia City during the mining boom.

William Thompson, the father, was a well-known builder who helped construct many of the original buildings in Alder Gulch and later worked on schools and public buildings in the area.

The small white "Thompson House" where William Boyce Thompson was born still stands just behind the museum today, reminding visitors that a boy from this tiny town went on to fund projects all over the country.

Library Upstairs

The public library in the Thompson-Hickman building sits in a bright, attractive upstairs room with tall shelves and windows.

The idea for a community library began earlier, in the early 1900s, when Mrs. McNulty and members of the Virginia City Women's Club gathered books and raised money to create a reading room for local families.

When the new memorial building opened in the early 1920s, their collection moved into the upstairs space, giving Virginia City a permanent library home.

In his will, William Boyce Thompson left the building and nearby property to Madison County with the rule that the structure must continue to be used as a library or ownership would return to his family?s heirs, helping protect it for future generations.

Today the Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library still operates here, serving residents and visitors with books, internet access, and programs.

Museum Collection Downstairs

The museum on the lower floor holds artifacts that tell the story of Virginia City, Alder Gulch, and Madison County.

The first pieces in the collection were gathered around 1920 by a local carpenter named Jim Elmslie, who began saving interesting objects such as tools, clothing, and photographs before they were lost or thrown away.

Over the years, the collection grew to include rare photos of Virginia City from the 1860s, firearms from the vigilante era, items used by Chinese residents, geological rock and mineral samples, early vehicles, and everyday objects from homes and businesses.

For many decades, the volunteer Vigilance Club of Virginia City, founded in 1938 when some people proposed splitting Madison County between Beaverhead and Gallatin counties, helped maintain and interpret the museum collection so that the county's history would stay together.

A Modern Role in Sharing History

Today, the Thompson-Hickman Memorial Museum and Library plays an important role in teaching people about Montana's past.

Visitors can see exhibits about the gold rush, vigilantes, Native peoples, immigrant communities, and later efforts to preserve Virginia City as a "living ghost town."

For students, the building shows how one person's generosity-a successful former resident who remembered his beginnings-can give a small rural community a strong library and museum that last for more than a century.

Credits