The Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home, a white Victorian house with a wide front porch, in Ritzville

Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home Museum

Photo: Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home Museum via Google Maps

On West Main Avenue in Ritzville, the Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home preserves the house of the town’s longtime doctor. Built in 1889 and extensively remodeled in 1902, the year electricity came to Ritzville, it is a beautifully kept home filled with historic items, many of them original to the house.

The home belongs to the City of Ritzville and is opened to visitors by the Ritzville Museum Board, an all volunteer nonprofit founded in the 1980s. If you are crossing eastern Washington on I-90, it is a rewarding reason to pull off in Ritzville and see how a prominent family lived at the turn of the last century.

What You’ll See

Here the house itself is the exhibit. When it was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, it still held original furnishings, wallpaper and floor coverings from its 1902 remodel, and that sense of a home frozen in time is what makes it special.

  • The doctor’s study. Dr. Burroughs’s study held his medical instruments and his library, a window into the working life of a small town physician.
  • The parlor. Look up for the ornamental beam work in the parlor.
  • Woodwork and furnishings. Ornate woodwork, carved banisters, an antique piano, period furniture and the family’s personal belongings fill the rooms.
  • The architecture. California architect J. Flood Walker designed the 1902 alterations, blending classic revival details with clapboard siding, Tuscan columns, decorative brackets and multiple gables.

The Story Behind It

Dr. Frank R. Burroughs arrived in Ritzville in 1888 and became the town’s primary physician, delivering many of its babies and caring for its residents until his death in 1925. He also served as a city councilman, mayor, postmaster and Adams County health officer, and his National Register nomination calls him “the father of Ritzville.” He built a modest house here in 1889 and greatly expanded it in 1902, during the region’s agricultural boom.

The house stood vacant from the late 1940s, was set aside for museum use, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975.

Tips for Your Visit

  • The museum is seasonal, opening from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Outside the season, group tours with a volunteer docent are available year round by appointment.
  • Because the museums are run by volunteers, hours depend on docent availability, so call or email ahead to make sure the doors will be open.
  • Pair it with the Railroad Depot Museum, the board’s other museum in town, which has turn of the century memorabilia, a restored Northern Pacific caboose and working telegraph equipment.
  • Can’t make it in person? The museum website offers a 3D virtual tour of the Burroughs Home and a video about its history.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 408 W Main Ave, Ritzville, WA 99169
Phone: 509.659.1930
Website: ritzvillemuseums.com
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps