A hive of activity in its late 19th-century heyday, Nevadaville once had a bigger population than Denver and boasted everything from hotels, saloons and general stores to a church and schoolhouse.

But today, only a handful of residents and few buildings remain, the most notable being the historic lodge preserved for posterity by local Freemasons. Click or scroll on to discover the story behind this enigmatic settlement and why visitors to the site stray from the main drag – at their peril...

Amid the famed Pike's Peak Gold Rush, Nevadaville started out in 1859 as a makeshift camp after the precious metal was discovered in the nearby Gregory Digging. Dubbed the 'Fifty-Niners', prospectors descended on the area in their droves and what was a small ramshackle settlement morphed into a booming mining town virtually overnight.

By 1861, the central Colorado town's residents numbered 2,705, eclipsing the new state capital Denver's population of 2,603. But tragedy struck that same year when a devastating blaze ripped through the settlement, destroying 50 houses and many of the burgeoning businesses. However, the townspeople swiftly rebuilt, replacing the early log structures with more robust frame buildings.

Nevadaville's population likely peaked in the 1870s at around 3,000 and was made up mostly of immigrant Cornish and Irish miners. By this time, the town had numerous stores, including grocery shops, clothing boutiques and meat markets, along with five saloons, a church and more.

But the settlement's days were numbered. The most accessible gold in the surrounding mines had been nearly exhausted and the town became increasingly reliant on gold extracted from deeper ores, a far less profitable endeavour.

Nevadaville endured another major fire in 1887 that wiped out most of the commercial district, and while the key structures were rebuilt with stone foundations and brick facades, the town was on borrowed time. The settlement is said to have been nearly deserted following the Panic of 1893 – one of several national panics and depressions that affected Nevadaville over the years. Between 1893 and 1897, the United States experienced the worst economic downturn so far in its history, according to Encyclopedia.com.

As Wall Street brokerage firms collapsed, more than 600 banks and 16,000 businesses folded and national unemployment rates soared to approximately 20 per cent. While some cities were able to offer some financial relief to those hit hardest, the agricultural industry was devastated and thousands of farmers faced the loss of their land. 

Nevadaville, like the rest of the United States, did bounce back towards the end of the decade, though, when the population crept up to around 1,000. The town's renaissance was short-lived, however, as the surrounding mines became ever more depleted. By 1912, a mere 367 residents remained. Most of the buildings were abandoned in the 1920s and were either demolished or left to rot. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the population dwindled to between one and 25.

Two-thirds of Nevadaville's buildings had vanished by the mid-1950s and most had gone by the end of the 20th century. Thankfully, a handful of structures were saved, including the tiny City Hall, Bon-Ton Saloon, several houses, the trading post and general store and the town's Masonic lodge, the most impressive building remaining. It's had an interesting journey too...

Built in 1879, the handsome Masonic Lodge Block on Nevadaville's Main Street has been diligently preserved for posterity by members of the local fraternity.

The Freemasons have been prominent in the town from the get-go. Back in the 19th century, annual membership cost miners the equivalent of a month's wages, a worthwhile outlay for the prestige and protection that the organisation gave them.

The 'brethren' were said to support one another in times of need, and membership of the lodge offered a sort of social security without the stigma of charity. To this day, local Freemasons hold monthly meetings in the building and put on an annual pancake breakfast that is open to the public.

They also post lookouts at Halloween to protect the property from vandals and ensure the structure is properly maintained year-round.

Stepping inside the lodge, it's clear the local Freemasons take pride in the historic building. The meeting room has been exquisitely preserved and according to the lodge's Worshipful Master Patrick Dey, it retains its original wallpaper and wainscoting, a testament to the care and attention the structure has received from its stewards over the years.

While not all as well-maintained, Nevadaville has some other curious buildings for us to explore...

Next door to the Masonic Lodge Block is the old Kramer Saloon. One of five saloons that once graced the town, it was built by local entrepreneur Joseph Kramer in 1887.

The business passed to Kramer's sons in 1906, who operated it until 1914. Subsequently abandoned, the building was eventually confiscated by the local County due to unpaid taxes but is now privately owned.

Right opposite the Masonic Lodge Block and Kramer Saloon is the defunct City Hall, which doubled as the local fire department. As Nevadaville's oldest surviving commercial building, it was constructed around 1872 and saved in the late 1930s by miner William C Russell Jr, who safeguarded the structure from looters over many decades.

Further down Main Street is the old Bon-Ton Saloon, built in 1889 by businessman Thomas H Lawry. By all accounts, the rough-and-tumble establishment wasn't for the faint-hearted. If the caption on a 1930s photo is to be believed, Nevadaville's “only cold-blooded murder” was committed to the right of the building.

On the other side of Main Street from the Bon-Ton Saloon is the Bald Mountain Trading Post and General Store. Interestingly, Bald Mountain was actually Nevadaville's official moniker during the 19th century, so as not to confuse it with the territory (and then state) of the same name.

The last commercial building built in the town, it was constructed around 1897 and initially called the Rachofsky Dry Goods Store.

The trading post and general store was partially rebuilt at the end of the 20th century, with some of the brick facade replaced by a wooden shop front. Until quite recently, the store was open to the public and housed a mini museum. According to Zillow, the property was sold in 2020 for the bargain sum of $4,400 (£3.6k).

A stone's throw from the Masonic Lodge Block, the Gest house (sic) is one of 11 historic homes that remain in Nevadaville. Together with the Devinney-Mansur-Prouse-Russell House, it was built circa 1862, which would make these two structures the oldest surviving constructions in the town.

Although its seemingly misspelled name might suggest an ability to stay inside, these days, the hipped-roof box home is privately owned and strictly out of bounds to visitors.

Perhaps winning a prize for 'longest named home', here's the venerable Devinney-Mansur-Prouse-Russell House, which is the next home along from the Gest House heading west from Nevadaville's commercial centre.

Obscured by trees and foliage, the home was purchased by the aforementioned William C Russell Jr in 1937, and chances are it remains in the late miner's family.

Elsewhere, set back from Nevadaville's Main Street is the Rice-Andrews-Paul House. The gable front and wing building dates from around 1870.

The two-storey property was last sold in 2012 for a bargain $45,000 (£37k) and it has retained many of its original features, including a fireplace and wood stoves, hardwood flooring and a claw-foot tub. Although pictures from inside are scarce like many of Nevadaville's homes.

Further up Main Street to the west of the commercial centre of Nevadaville is the Henry Richards House. Another gable front and wing construction, it was built during the 1880s and is accessed by a staircase built into the hillside.

Once again with this privacy-loving town, the property is privately owned and visitors are forbidden to enter.

Also west of the commercial centre is the, rather cute, Ellis-Quick-Furze-James House. Dating from the 1870s, the side gable home was sold for $433,000 (£360k) in 2021 along with a Dutch Colonial revival property that was built in the late 20th century.

The properties were used as a weekend retreat by the former owners. This time, we can head inside...

Lovingly maintained over the years, the historic home, which spans 852 square feet, is brimming with character and features two bedrooms and a bathroom, together with this charming living room.

Other 19th-century homes to the west of Nevadaville's commercial centre include the Nannie Reseigh and Bennetts Houses, both built in the 1880s. 

But it's not all quaint old houses in Nevadaville. To the east of Nevadaville proper was a neighbourhood called Dogtown, which is thought to have housed Italian workers.

Nothing remains of the erstwhile enclave aside from this singular stone building, the Kevelin-Quackenbush House. With a grand Romanesque style, it was constructed around 1886 and has a nearby creepy addition....

Said to be one of the most haunted places in Colorado, a Masonic cemetery dating from the early 1860s lies close to the Dogtown stone house.

Local legend has it that the grave of John Cameron, who died in the 1880s at the age of 27, is visited every year on 1 November by a ghostly lady in black, and there have also been reports of mysterious orbs and strange sounds emanating from the site. 

Less ghostly, but scary in a different way, a number of mine structures remain from Nevadaville's peak in the 19th century and beyond, including this mill complex.

These buildings look ripe for exploration, but only the very foolhardy would dare venture inside. Indeed, unless you have a death wish, you really don't want to wander off the beaten track here.

The risk of these dilapidated structured collapsing is very real, since they are totally unmaintained. Moreover, the ground they were built on, which is pockmarked with old mines, is very shaky indeed.

Sinkholes abound in the area and what looks like stable ground could very well be on the verge of giving way.

In fact, one sinkhole in the area, called "the Glory Hold", is an incredible 1,450 feet deep, meaning it could comfortably swallow up Chicago's Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).

Other sinkholes in the vicinity, while not as deep, nonetheless go down hundreds of feet, so straying from Main Street is a seriously bad idea. You never know what could be down there.

It's worth reiterating that while Nevadaville is a wonderful slice of history, the surviving commercial buildings and homes are private property and trespassers are liable for prosecution.

If you do decide to visit Nevadaville, stick to the main road, refrain from entering any properties without permission and respect the few remaining locals, who, along with the Freemasons, have thrown this intriguing ghost town a lifeline. And watch out for the ghosts!

Loved this? See more abandoned properties with amazing stories to tell