mackay mansion

Virginia City, Nevada is the site of the Comstock silver discovery in 1859. The boomtown has retained much of the frontier flavor and is worth visiting for many reasons. Situated at 6000 plus foot elevation it is reached by a steep scenic road. There are many old buildings--most still in use as well as "touristy" places in town, not worth a visit. However, the Mackay Mansion is well worth a visit. John Mackay was one of the wealthiest mine owners, a fabulous character and important figure in the development of US industry. His story is engagingly told on a visit to the home he built, a mid 1800s, 3 story dwelling and complex of outbuildings locate one block east of the "main drag".

I am very glad we stopped by this place. At first I was a little hesitant that the tour guide would talk on and on but what he shared was informative and well worth the time. We got a real sense of what silver mining could produce and found out about Mackay. The place is obviously a labor of love and well maintained. The stairs could be a little challenging for some, but you don't have to go upstairs. (I recommend you make the climb) the staff member was friendly and happy to show us around. I'd recommend this place to friends.

We were greeted by a very friendly staff member who was more than eager to take my wife and I on a tour, (..we were the only people in the mansion at the time..), but we personally like to self-tour in old buildings etc.. to get a real sense of how people lived and survived minus all the modern things we have today.. without having informative chatter in the background. I think he was dismayed that we declined his extensive knowledge, and for that I apologize.But.. back to the awesome Mackay Mansion! Beautiful and ornate furniture, rugs, beds and glassware. In fact, everything was very well taken care of for it's age. We were very impressed with the Mansion, and will definitely come back and opt for the guided tour next time! (..all money they collect goes to the preservation of the Mackay Mansion, too.)

Because he married the grand daughter of John William Mackay, an Irish American who came to the New Continent very young and found riches quite soon. This was a second marriage for Irving Berlin, and an elopement, no less! Ellin Mackay's grand father had made the money in silver in Virginia City, NV, where he was known as one of the four "Silver Kings" of the silver Bonanza. His son, Clarence, added to the family fortune by diversifying into Telegraph and Telephone companies, eventually selling to ITT. Clarence, being very much Catholic, did not look with a good eye on his daughter's infatuation with Israel Isidore Baline (Irving Berlin's real Jewish name) and sent her to Europe hoping she would find a new Beau. It did not work Ellin and Israel eloped and got married in a simple civil ceremony. This story is too good not to be told here. Johnny Depp stayed in the mansion when he was filming Dead Man and claimed he saw a little girl in white dress ghost...But you can expect anything from Hollywood celebrities, right? On the day of the Annual Camel Races in Virginia City, we end up in the Mackay Mansion in the early afternoon. We have just visited the historical museum of St. Mary's in the Mountains (separate review) and remember seeing a clipping in the paper from 40 years ago, that claims that camels "spit, fart, jump and have bad breath", so we decide not to go to the races and choose instead the Mansion. We are met by a flamboyant docent, as Irish as they come, who enthusiastically takes us to a tour of the house. He's full with panache and you have the feeling he would burst if you don't give him the chance to tell you all his stories. I ask him to pose for a photo and he obliges with joy, right in front of "John Mackay's very own chair" (see photo) Once the house tour is over, we are urged to explore the premises outside, where we share the ground with a proud rooster and his harem, before saying Au Revoir! Entertaining, Educating and Enjoyable, that's what our visit to this place is. Highly recommended.

The Mackay Mansion is a glorious old mansion, and one of the best IMO in Virginia City. The guide is excellent and a "hoot" with a great sense of humor. It is filled with vintage furniture and decorations of the period. The tour is fairly short, but you do have to negotiate stairs if you want to see the whole mansion. The tale of the Comstock mine and the celebrated visitors, such as Mark Twain, is quite interesting. It's well worth the admission price, and a wonderful look back into time when Virginia City was a mining paradise.

Definitely my favorite stop in Virginia City. An amazing piece of history that you can walk through for $5. Built by George Hearst and later owned by John Mackay, everything is preserved in it's original form, which is remarkable. The first indoor bathroom in the western US, the silver chandeliers, and the grounds outside were all perfect. It will take you back through time.

We bought our discounted tickets at the Visitor Center first & discovered our time was running out on the places we chose to see, so we unfortunately had to hurry through this tour. The building used to be the business offices of George Hearst before he left Virginia City & it later became a mansion. The thick vault can be seen at the end of the front room on the 1st floor. There are 3 floors & all the elegantly appointed rooms are packed full of rich furnishings typical of the time. It was interesting seeing the different bedrooms: 1 for John Mackay (1 of the 4 "Silver Kings"), 1 for his wife who often was not there & others for the children. We have never seen such a decorated toilet as here with flowers all around the bowl. The dining room downstairs is full of various silver sets & also has a unique chandelier. There are pretty grounds outside & plenty of off-street parking in front, a plus in this town.

This is an amazing place. It is considered a mansion of its time but is small by today's standards. Privately owned so you are able to roam and take pictures. Guide was very friendly, made jokes and told a lot of history not only of this mansion but the area in general. Can't beat $5. Well worth it.

This house has a lot of history! Good little tour and the money helps with the up keep, as it is privately owned.

The tour guide interjects jokes while discussing the history of the Mackay Mansion which we found interesting. We enjoyed the tour and some of the unique items in the Mansion. The tour definitely gives you a perspective of wealth, mining and history of Virginia City.We were able to visit free since it was "Flashback Friday" : all museums are free the first Friday of the month during the summer.

It was my forth or fifth time in Virginia City but my first time with just my wife. And as a history buff, I told her that this time I would like to see some museums and old buildings around there. I never heard of Mackay Mansion until then and it was just by coincidence that we passed by it and the tour guide was working on the garden and asked us if we wanted to see the mansion.We ended up in a guided tour completely funny and full of history. The mansion and its antiques are impressive although I think that some "old" furniture are replicas but I didn't want to ask. One funny and interesting thing is the "register" that he uses to store the money: it is one of the old cast iron cash registers from the beginning of the 20th century!The house is in very good maintenance, except for the backyard that needs some clean up work. There is an old carriage in the back, stored in a wood garage that need more protection. Both the carriage and the garage.One minor thing: the lightly bad smell at the main entrance.I would recommend this tour.

Our docent was fabulous - he was engaging, knowledgeable and charismatic - we totally enjoyed our tour, and wish there was more of it! Well worth the price of admission to see the interior of the mansion and help support the upkeep and maintenance of this beautiful building and museum. Highly recommended!!

We loved our tour of the mansion with the wonderful J. Paul Horgan. He's such a lovely character, and a decendant of Samuel Clemens, who has true interest in the history of the house and of Virginia City. Of course the rooms are not as large as modern mansions! I have found some of the prior reviews plain silly. Really FIVE dollars was too much to pay? If you are a true history buff and a fan of Virginia City, this is well worth the $5, and if you are lucky like I was, you may get a personal reading of one of Mr. Horgans poems.

The mansion is worth seeing, and at the grand admission price of $5, it's a steal. However, the guide leaves much to be desired. Before you even get started you will be assaulted with political opinions and bad Obama jokes. If you're eager to see the entire house, you'll have to wait. You'll be stuck in the back room starring at a few photos for too long while the guide tell stories that interest him, but probably not many on the tour. Again, you'll be subjected to opinionated banter and sarcasm. The best part is when you're left alone to wander upstairs and downstairs. Savor this time and take lots of photos. If you are visiting because of ghostly curiosity or haunted myth and legends, DON'T mention this to the guide. He has strong opinions about this and will proceed to slander Amy Allan from the Dead Files and the owners of the Washoe Club. Somehow his dislike is directly tied to political corruption, greed and his desire to bring prohibition back (since that worked so great last time). I'm not easily offended, but I must say I lost my cool after having all I could take of political slams, racist implications and unsupportive slander about people and other businesses. I ended up having to simply walk away from the tour. I salvaged the experience by focusing on the opportunity to see the home. I'd sincerely advise the owners of the Mackay Mansion to reconsider the tour guide. If you're goal is to keep people away and discourage historical haunted history and insult guests, he'll surely do that! I tour places for a living and this was the worst guided tour experience I've ever had!

After touring this Mansion I felt I knew a lot more of the History of Virginia City...the stories were great to hear it put you back in time for sure. The Mansion its self was a little dissapointing I felt it should of been much more grand.I have toured many Mansions with rich History that were very lavish this paled in comparsion. All in all I am glad to have taken the tour for the History