Virginia City's oldest hotel, built 1876, with a 16-foot silver-dollar portrait and Room 11's long-reported Rosie presence
28 N C St, Virginia City, NV 89440
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Nightly room rates vary by season; ghost tours depart Thursday through Saturday from the saloon — see website for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Victorian hotel; stairs throughout, uneven historic flooring
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1876 · Oldest Hotel in Virginia City · Comstock Lode Era Commercial Architecture · Silver Dollar Portrait (1958) · Virginia City Historic District
Virginia City's C Street was the commercial spine of the Comstock Lode district, and the Silver Queen Hotel has occupied a prominent position on it since its construction in 1876. The building went up during the period of peak Comstock output — within three years of the discovery of the Big Bonanza vein — when Virginia City was among the most economically significant addresses in the American West.
The hotel endured the long decline that followed the exhaustion of the Comstock workings through the late 1870s and 1880s. Virginia City's population dropped from a peak near 25,000 to a fraction of that figure by 1900. The Silver Queen remained in operation through successive owners and iterations, preserving the three-story Victorian structure on what was becoming a ghost-town landmark main street.
The hotel's most distinctive visual feature is the large full-body painting in the saloon known as the Silver Queen, a 16-foot portrait of a woman assembled from 3,261 genuine Morgan silver dollars. The painting was commissioned in 1958 by then-owner Carroll Eaton and depicts his wife Jerry. It became one of Virginia City's most photographed objects and anchored the hotel's tourism identity through the late 20th century.
The building has 28 guest rooms, a saloon, and a wedding chapel. It continues to operate as an independent hotel and has appeared in regional and national paranormal travel coverage for decades.
Sources
Room 11 on the Silver Queen's upper floors has generated consistent visitor reports over the years. The figure associated with the room goes by Rosie in hotel and paranormal tourism literature. Accounts describe her as a woman from the Comstock era whose death occurred in the room; historical documentation specific to this individual has not been located, and published sources acknowledge that records are sparse. Reports from Room 11 include unexplained tapping on walls and the door, disembodied voices from empty spaces, and apparitions perceived in dim light. Activity appears most frequently when male guests occupy the room, according to staff accounts.
A second presence called Annie is described in multiple sources as responsible for footsteps heard on upper floors, a distinct voice, and shadowy appearances in corridors. The division between Rosie and Annie accounts for two distinct paranormal identities within the same building.
The hotel's wedding chapel security cameras have reportedly captured unexplained shapes and movement, and this footage has circulated in regional paranormal coverage. Rooms 11 and 13 are both cited as active areas, with Room 13 generating reports of door movement and temperature changes. The hotel appeared on Ghost Adventures, which contributed to its prominence in Virginia City's paranormal-tourism ecosystem. Ghost tours depart from the saloon on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The hotel offers 28 restored rooms in its 1876 structure. Room 11 and Room 13 are most frequently associated with reported paranormal activity. Guests have access to the saloon, which houses the large silver-dollar portrait of the Silver Queen.
Ghost tours depart from the hotel's saloon Thursday through Saturday nights. Tours cover Virginia City's Comstock-era history alongside the hotel's own reported activity, including the Room 11 lore.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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