City: Colorado Springs, CO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (719) 635-7925

Address: 423 N. Cascade Ave.

Description: In a city where most of the first homes were constructed of wood, Maj. Henry McAllister and his wife, Elizabeth, chose to build theirs of brick. There is a photo of it from 1875 that closely pinpoints the date of its completion. Built by architect George Summers (who also designed Gen. Palmer’s Glen Eyrie and the Grace Episcopal Church downtown), it survived a wind storm that demolished many other nearby homes. Some of the woodwork was crafted by carpenter Winfield Scott Stratton, who later made a major gold find and became a millionaire. McAllister lived in the house till his death in 1921. For the next 30 years, it was rented by a woman who used it as a candy and gift shop. When she died, in 1958, it was sold. A few years later, it was acquired by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, who restored it and turned it into the museum seen today. Closed Sun, Mon, and the entire month of Jan.