Gold Hill ยท Gold Hill
Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon
The 1861 stone Riesen House; the hotel says a runaway steam engine crashed through its dining room in 1871. Book an original room, not the 1987 wing.
- Built
- 1861The stone core began as the Riesen House, recorded as under construction in July 1861 (the hotel says the popular 1859 date is wrong). A wood wing holding the restaurant, front desk and 8 rooms was added in a 1987 renovation.
- Type
- Inn
- Area
- Gold Hill
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Built as the Riesen House in 1861, the hotel was bought in late 1862 by Horace M. Vesey, who added a wooden section and ran it as the Vesey House. Miners from Gold Hill and Virginia City first assembled in front of it on August 6, 1864 to adopt a constitution, the first attempt in the West to organize. In 1871 a runaway 60-horsepower steam engine crashed through the dining room during supper. By 1907 it was a private residence; it has been the Gold Hill Hotel since at least 1958, and Tony and Jill Clough have owned it since April 2021.
The ghost story
The Virginia City Tourism Commission says guests report the scent of roses with no explanation, the sound of children running through the halls, and a lingering smell of tobacco in 'William's Room'; the hotel itself says Rosie's Room (#4) and William's Room (#5) are said to be haunted by benign, friendly spirits.
Source: visitvirginiacitynv.com
Good to know
- Pets welcome
- Address: 1540 S Main St, Virginia City, NV 89440
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.