This was a beautiful mansion full of all sorts of knick knacks from different time periods. The authenticity was lost when we noticed boxes of light bulbs on the kitchen table, lego blocks, vacuums in the hallways.
Had a great 2 hour tour of William Clark's mansion in Butte. The guide was excellent. The woodwork and Tiffany glass is gorgeous. William Clark was the father of Hugett, the main character of the best-seller "Empty Mansions". This is a must see if you are in the area. It is an operating B and B, and tours are apparently given only in the summer.
Great tour of a beautiful piece of history. Tour guides were very knowledgeable. This home has a lot of history. Looks like a fun place to stay.Don't miss this home when in Butte.
It's a little pricey to tour but very interesting. We bought the book to read more about the original owners history.
Maybe it was our guide Todd, but our visit was more than a tour of a palatial residence, it was an opportunity to learn about the lifestyle of one of America's wealthiest Victorians. The house has not been completely restored, but that does not detract from one's appreciation of the experience. The home is filled with beautiful objects and fine architectural detail. Spend an hour here and it will be an hour of enjoyable learning.
The mansion is beautiful and a fascinating trip back into the history and life style of the Copper Kings. It would be wonderful to have afternoon tea with the ladies of the mansion and hear what was important to them as the elite of the mining town.
You really must take the time to tour the Copper King Mansion during your visit to Butte. So much of the foundational history of the town is wrapped up in the Clark's. I've toured this mansion three times in my visits to Butte through the years…and if you can get Todd as the tour guide, you are in for a treat. He not only has incredible knowledge of the Clark family, but also a vast knowledge of the history of Butte…AND he's entertaining as well! My family would also LOVE to stay here for the bed and breakfast - another trip, I'm sure.
I completely agree with all the other reviewers who were frustrated that there was way too much detail about the current Cote family living in the mansion. I get that they have lived in the mansion the last 40 years and they are proud of their contribution to the home; but they want to talk about themselves--their doll collections which they show you--the pipe organ they bought--portraits of family members, their social life in Butte, etc. It is like an ego trip for their family! We came to hear about the Copper King--the history of the mansion as it related to William Clark and his family. Since there is no original furniture left, I think they need to work extra hard to keep the focus on all the interesting architectural details inside the home and the original family who built the home. Maybe it depends on the guide you have, our guide was a Cote family member. She spoke way too fast and my mom couldn't catch most of what she said. This could be a great tour if the family reads the reviews and tweaks things to focus on why people are coming to the tour - to hear about the Copper King!!
My friends and I toured all three Copper Kings Mansions this week and this was the worst. The tour guide could answer basic questions but nothing more. They have a funky system of adding and deleting people from tours. We understood it was so they could not turn people away but it was distracting. We all agreed that they need to decide if they are a historic house with tours or a bed and breakfast. The house had pictures and junk from the current owners and it was distracting to the Copper King tour we were taking. The guide told too much of the current owners. The tour we purchased was for William Clark's mansion, not the Cote Family mansion. I read Empty Mansions prior to going and was so disappointed in the tour.
We had a personal tour of the Mansion by a young man from the local high school who was extremely personable and knowledgeable. The Mansion is a wonderful snapshot into Butte's mining history.