KOTA Territory NewsFurniture moves into McGillycuddy Home in Rapid City

Furniture moves into McGillycuddy Home in Rapid City

The building is purchased, the heat and water is turned on, and now the McGillycuddy home in Rapid City takes another step toward becoming a museum.

Workers moved 11 pieces of original furniture into the house Saturday.

This is the same furniture that used to be in the house back in the 1880s.

Those items include a bed, tent closet, mirror, desk, and a 2,000-pound square grand piano.

Volunteers say preserving history is important because it brings people in, and they point to the new revitalized downtown as a prime example.

"It's a vibrant downtown. It's exciting, it's a place where people want to go. They shop downtown, they eat downtown. The activities downtown have changes dramatically. And to a large degree, it's because the historic character of Rapid City's downtown has come alive," said Architect Fred Thurston.

The McGillycuddy house is set to open to the public as a museum on Valentine's Day. But restoration of the house will continue for another year.