National Register of Historic Places

Riverside

Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana
Listed
July 15, 1987
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
87001235

About this property

Riverside is a historic house museum in Hamilton, Montana. It was the private residence of Margaret Daly, copper magnate Marcus Daly's widow. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is surrounded by 26.5 acres of lawns with over 400 trees. The house was first built for homesteader Anthony Chaffin. After the home and surrounding ranchland was purchased by copper magnate Marcus Daly in 1886, it was redesigned in the Queen Anne architectural style, with a tower. Daly's widow, Margaret, hired architect A. J. Gibson to redesign it in the Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival styles in 1910. Margaret Daly died in 1941, and the house was ultimately inherited by her granddaughter, Countess Margit Sigray Bessenyey of Hungary, in the 1950s. When she died, it was inherited by her stepson, Francis Bakach-Bessenyey, who deeded it to the state of Montana in 1986 in exchange for forgiveness of $400,000 in inheritance taxes. The Daly Mansion Preservation Trust was established that same year, in part with a donation from him. In 1986, the Trust began renovations on the mansion, which had been abandoned and closed since 1941. By 1987 a few rooms had been restored and the building opened to the public. A more extensive renovation was started in 2005. The house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 16, 1987. It is now a house museum.

Location

Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana
46.26692, -114.14079

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Allison-Reinkeh House
Industrial
1.2 mi
Ellis, E. G., House
Industrial
1.2 mi
Drinkenberg's, F. H., First Home
Industrial
1.3 mi
Bean, Daniel V., House
Industrial
1.3 mi
Foye Rental Houses
Industrial
1.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Nez Perce — Bitterroot Valley March (Late July 1877)
1877Indian Wars
5.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Riverside listed on the National Register?

Riverside was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Riverside?

Riverside is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Riverside?

The period of significance for Riverside is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Riverside?

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