Abraham Curry
Abraham Van Santvoord Curry | |
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Nevada Territorial Legislature | |
In office 1863–1864 | |
Governor | James W. Nye |
1st Warden of Nevada Territorial Prison | |
In office January 1, 1862 – March 1, 1864 | |
Governor | James W. Nye |
Succeeded by | Robert M. Howland |
Personal details | |
Born | South Trenton, New York | February 19, 1815
Died | October 19, 1873 Carson City, Nevada | (aged 58)
Resting place | Lone Mountain Cemetery Carson City, Nevada |
Spouse | Mary Ann Cowen |
Children | Charles A., Mary Etta, Emma, Lucy, Elvira, Jane |
Profession | Businessman |
Website | carson.org |
Abraham (or Abram or Abe) Van Santvoord Curry (February 19, 1815 October 19, 1873) is considered the founding father of
Curry served as an assemblyman of the
Curry spent the final years of his life building facilities for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in Carson City. Though he had achieved prominence in Nevada, his wife claimed that he had only one dollar in his pocket when he died in 1873.[4]
Biography
Abraham Van Santvoord Curry was born on February 19, 1815, in the hamlet of
Travel to the West
After his daughters, Elvira and Jane, were each married, Curry and his son Charles took a steamship from New York City that sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco between 1854 and 1855. In 1856, the two were in the mining town of Red Dog, where Curry opened a bowling alley and established the first branch "tribe" of the Improved Order of Red Men in California. He met future business partners Benjamin F. Green, John J. Musser, and Francis "Frank" Marion Proctor in the nearby town of Downieville.[2]
Settlement in Nevada
Abraham Curry House | |
Location | Carson City, Nevada |
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Coordinates | 39°9′57″N 119°46′8″W / 39.16583°N 119.76889°W |
Built | 1871 |
Architect | Abraham Curry |
Architectural style | Vernacular with elements of Georgian and Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 87000501[6] |
Added to NRHP | March 30, 1987 |
In 1858, Curry traveled by
Curry partnered with Musser and Proctor to purchase the Eagle Ranch trading post and 865 acres of the surrounding valley for a down payment of $300 in coins out of a total sale price of $1,000.[2] Musser and Proctor, who were both attorneys, worked to carve a separate territory from Utah, while Curry promoted the newly founded Carson City.[8] Curry set aside and donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land for the site of the Nevada State Capitol.[4]
In July 1859, Musser became president and Proctor became vice-president of the constitutional convention to establish the Territory of Nevada. Curry served as the delegate from Eagle Valley.[8] In 1859, the discovery of the Comstock Lode east of Carson City was made public, bringing tens of thousands of miners into the area.[9] In 1861, Curry built a 100-foot stone hotel on top of warm springs about two miles east of the city center. A large wooden eagle was placed on the top of the hotel.[2]
In 1862, the
In 1865, the United States Congress approved the establishment of a branch of the United States Mint in Carson City. Curry was named one of the planning commissioners and became the first superintendent when the Carson City Mint began operating in 1870. Later that year, Curry left the Mint to accept a commission to supervise the building of an engine house and machine shop for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Construction began in 1872 with stone provided by the prison quarry. Following its completion on July 4, 1873, the engine house hosted a celebratory grand ball.[4] The Central Pacific Railroad stated that the shops built in Carson City equaled or exceeded their own locomotive facilities in Sacramento, California.[10]
In 1871, Curry had also designed and built a home for his family in Carson City, where he would spend the last two years of his life.[6]
Death and legacy
Three months after the completion of the railroad project, Curry died of a stroke on October 19, 1873. In homage to its first superintendent, the Carson City Mint was closed that day. He was buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery in the largest funeral ever held in Carson City.[4] A popular legend recounts that he had left only one silver dollar in his pocket for his wife Mary at the time of his death.[11]
Abraham Curry's house was passed down to his daughter Elvira, who in turn passed it on to her son W. H. Cowan, in 1902. The house remained in the family until 1919, and is presently used as a private law office.[6] The house is reportedly haunted by his spirit.[11]
Abraham Curry's funeral procession has been reenacted as part of Carson City's annual Ghost Walk event, which is traditionally held during the weekend before Halloween and Nevada Day.[12]
Curry was portrayed by the
Other offices and affiliations
- Founding member, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Carson Encampment No. 2. (1867)
- Member, Masonic LodgeNo. 1, Carson City
- Surveyor of Ormsby County (1871–1873)[4]
See also
- History of Nevada
- List of reportedly haunted locations in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Carson City, Nevada
References
- ^ "Abraham Curry House". National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Cerveri, Doris (September 27, 2007). "Abraham Curry: The Father of Carson City". Carson City, Nevada. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^ "Abraham Curry". Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2010. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Marshall, Sandra (September 29, 2010). "Abraham Curry". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^ a b "NDOC: Organization". Nevada Department of Corrections. September 22, 2008. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. March 30, 1987. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ "Carson City: History". City-Data. 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Rocha, Guy (2010). "Myth #24: Eagle Valley and Carson City". Nevada State Library and Archives. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ "Carson City's Living History". Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ Drew, Stephen E. (May 2007). "The Virginia & Truckee: Nevada's Bonanza Railroad". Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Abraham Curry House". HauntedHouses.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ "Carson City's annual Ghost Walk 'sees' dead people". Traveling Nevada. October 14, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
- Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
Further reading
- Cerveri, Doris (1990). With Curry's Compliments: The Story of Abraham Curry. Elko, Nevada: Nostalgia Press.
- Goe, Rusty (2004). The Mint on Carson Street. Reno, Nevada: Southgate Coins. OCLC 54381615.
- Hulse, James W. (1998). The Silver State: Nevada Heritage Reinterpreted. Reno, Nevada: OCLC 39217040.
External links
- Abraham Curry: The Father of Carson City at the official Carson City, Nevada, website
- Abraham Curry at the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Abraham Curry at the Carsonpedia
- Abraham Curry at the Online Nevada Encyclopedia
- Abraham Curry House at the National Park Service