The Amador County Museum was built as a home in 1859 by Armstead C. Brown, one of Jackson's earliest settlers. This classic Greek Revival-styled dwelling sits atop Corral or Court house hill overlooking downtown Jackson. Cedar trees tower on each side of the concrete walk to the front door, planted there we believe by Brown when he completed the house.
Today numerous trees and shrubs frame the surrounding lawns and gardens. Pathways lead through rose and herb gardens, and profuse varieties of camellias, azaleas, mock orange, rhododendron and seasonal blooms.
In 1849 A. C. Brown, older and more established than most gold seekers, left his Wisconsin home and law profession to "see the elephant" in the gold fields. Before coming to Jackson in 1850 or 51, he mined in what is now Shasta County, and is credited with actually naming the camp of Shasta City.
He arrived in Jackson in 1850, liked what he saw, and determined to bring his family west and settle. Thus overland he went again in 1851 to get family and return to Jackson. By 1852 the Browns lived in a rude, frame building near today's corner of North and North Main, which later became the first Catholic church in the village. Brown quickly began investing in town lots and buildings, and lived in more than one of them before moving into the new home circa 1859.
In early day Jackson, when the town was in Calaveras, Brown was a town trustee. He concentrated on his law practice, and his rental units. It the late 1860s he served a term as a legislator, and the next decade served a 2-year term as county judge.
Judge Brown served his community for a half century before his death in 1902. With his and wife Philippa's death, youngest son George W. Brown lived in the family home until 1947. Collateral Brown heirs sold the home to the county.
Entering the museum is a step back in time. It features a fascinating array of artifacts and items from the county's early days as a neglected "province" of Calaveras, the formation of Amador in 1854, and present day displays and exhibits. Visitors may wander through the many unusual exhibits that fill the 15-room home, with nostalgic background music setting the right restful ambiance.
The museum collections include: a "Gold History Exhibit," "Dressed to the Nines" or fashions of the past; a sewing and quilt exhibit; a Victorian bedroom and parlor; a Native American collection; a Chinese American collection; an old fashioned school room and much more.
