Filed Under Virginia City
S.L. Simpson Building (Barber Shop)
Virginia City National Historic Landmark District
This narrow frame building may be one of Virginia City’s earliest structures, dating to the summer of 1863, when buildings like this were rented for up to $175 during the initial gold rush. Its odd-sized door appears to have been locally handmade. First owner D. H. Weston also owned a “hotel” across the street, and S. L. Simpson and J. G. Vetters, owners in the 1870s, may have rented this building as a tonsorial parlor. An early photo shows a barber pole out front. The building served as a residence from the 1880s until 1946, when the Boveys acquired it.