Tucked away on the steep slope of Nanny Goat Hill, this 1899 Queen Anne style home suffered years of neglect until the Butte Historic Trust rescued it from collapse in 2021. Rehabilitation efforts secured the foundation, restored the brick and shingle siding, and replaced the missing turned posts, scrolled brackets, and spindlework frieze on the distinctive front porch. Many of the home’s early occupants reflected the neighborhood’s thriving Irish population. Police chief William Dawson, his wife Nellie, and their children lived here from 1899 to 1904. Irish widow Mary Murphy, her four children, and boarders lived here from 1907 to 1913, followed by Hennessey’s Department store manager James Murphy and wife Agnes from 1913 to 1919. Irish immigrants and newlyweds Jeremiah “Jerry” and Mary Egan purchased the home in 1919. Jerry, a mine shift boss, fell ill in 1924 and died of lung disease at age forty-three in 1926. Mary persevered, raising her young sons on her own and renting rooms to make ends meet. Both sons earned degrees in engineering and Mary remained here until she died in 1966.
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