Pansy's Parlor

House History

A Brief History of the Pansy’s Parlor House

THOMAS GOW and his wife, Mary were prominent Golden pioneers. They raised five children in this comfortable home.

BUFFALO BILL (William Cody) was a friend and visitor to Thomas Gow’s house, and allowed Gow’s young daughter, Jessie, to ride his horse.

JAMES GOW, architect ot Golden’s unique, turreted Armory Building & several other historical sites, lived here. He hauled 3300 wagon loads of rock, making the Armory the U.S.’s largest cobblestone building.

ALICE GOW, owner at the turn of the century, was an artist, and a career woman, ahead of her time. She was a map illustrator for the U.S. Government, and author of “Pictorial Toasts Reminiscent of the Gay 90’s”.

PANSY HOOK, a well known and revered Golden resident, and curator of the Golden Pioneer Museum for 28 years, was the last of five generations of Gow-Hooks to reside in the house until the 1980’s

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Buffalo Bill
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Armory and Post Office (1914) James Gow – Architect

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Mary Gow – Pioneer Mother
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Mayme Gow-Parshall (Pansy’s Mother)

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Jesse & Mayme Gow (Sisters)
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Pansy as a child, with “Aunt Alice” Gow

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Pansy in 1920s “flapper dress”
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Pansy

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The house “NOW”
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The house “THEN”
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Pansy’s childhood dollhouse… hand-carved furniture by ‘Uncle John’ Gow.