HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A 1903 Deadwood hotel said to be watched over by its early investor, Harris Franklin
709 Main Street, Deadwood, SD 57732
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Room rates vary by season; gaming complex, restaurants, and bars on site
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-story historic hotel in downtown Deadwood
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1903 · Gold Rush Era Hospitality · Named for Businessman Harris Franklin · Hosted Theodore Roosevelt
The Franklin opened in 1903, near the end of Deadwood's first gold-rush generation, and was named for businessman Harris Franklin, one of the city's prominent early figures. With its Victorian styling, columned entrance, and veranda above Main Street, the hotel was built as a statement of permanence in a town that had begun as a lawless mining camp.
The hotel's guest book over the following decades included well-known names. Theodore Roosevelt stayed at the Franklin when he returned to Deadwood to visit his friend Seth Bullock, and the hotel's own history cites visits by other national figures during its long run as the city's premier lodging.
Today the building anchors the Silverado-Franklin Historic Hotel and Gaming Complex, with dozens of guest rooms, gaming floors, restaurants, and bars. It remains one of Deadwood's landmark Main Street buildings, a survivor from the era when the city was rebuilding in brick after repeated fires.
Sources
The Franklin's resident-ghost story centers on Harris Franklin himself. Deadwood-area news coverage and ghost-tour accounts describe a presence associated with the hotel's namesake, said to keep an eye on operations across the hotel and its dining rooms. The framing is that of a proprietor still attending to the business that carries his name, rather than a malevolent haunting.
Reported activity follows the usual pattern for a building of this age: a sense of being watched, small unexplained disturbances, and the kind of stories that accumulate in a hotel that has operated continuously for more than a century. The claims appear in local press and on commercial ghost tours of Deadwood rather than in formal investigation, and the hotel itself trades primarily on its history and gaming rather than on the paranormal.
The association with Harris Franklin is presented in tellings as the most commonly cited identity for the hotel's reputed ghost, consistent with his real role as the early investor behind the 1903 building.
Notable Entities
Book a room in the 1903 Franklin, part of the Silverado-Franklin gaming complex. The Victorian hotel hosted figures including Theodore Roosevelt, and guests who follow its history can ask staff about the building's reputed resident presence.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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