Digging History. The McSween House

Site History:

The site of Alexander McSween’s grand adobe residence in Lincoln, New Mexico, remains a sad and memorable landmark in the history of the American Old West. Constructed in 1877 as a spacious 10 room home, likely under the supervision of builder George Peppin, this impressive U-shaped structure, built with thick adobe walls, stood as a symbol of prosperity and influence.

In the intense summer of 1878, the house became the focal point of the climactic violence during the Lincoln County War. On July 19, forces aligned with the Murphy/Dolan faction laid siege to the residence. Surrounded and perforated by gunfire, the building was deliberately ignited with coal oil, engulfing the home in a slow but fierce inferno. Alexander McSween and five others perished amid the flames and bullets that night, while several defenders, including the legendary Billy the Kid, narrowly escaped death, fleeing into the shadows along the Rio Bonito.

The ruins smoldered briefly as a stark reminder of the conflict before being cleared and leveled around 1879 or 1880 likely using a horse drawn Fresno scraper. Much of the debris was discarded in three locations along the Rio Bonito immediately behind the original site.

On this cleared ground, a new building was erected and sold to George Barber in 1880. A lawyer from Milwaukee, Barber had previously served as Alexander McSween’s inventory assessor. Described as an extraordinary individual, he became a dedicated contributor to Lincoln’s community needs and was regarded as a friend to many.

On June 20, 1880, George Barber married Susan McSween, Alexander’s widow. The couple operated a butcher shop from the new structure on the very site of the former McSween home. It is difficult to fathom the emotional weight Susan must have carried, conducting business on the precise spot where her husband met his tragic end. Utilizing her 400 acres of land and 40 head of cattle, the enterprise flourished for a time, though the marriage ultimately dissolved in divorce by 1892.

Ironically, the butcher shop later suffered the same fiery fate as the original McSween residence, burning down mysteriously on the identical location. In the early 1910s, likely around the time George Coe was photographed at the site, pointing toward ruins behind a pile of rubble that may or may not have belonged to the original structure, the grounds were again bladed and leveled.

By 1912, a modest home was constructed on the western half of the property, known today as the Fresquez home. Built directly over portions of the original McSween foundation, this private residence endures to the present. In the 1920s, the west wing of the Fresquez home was removed for unknown reasons, and in the 1960s or 1970s, an eastside porch was added, slightly altering its footprint once again.

The surge of interest following Walter Noble Burns’s bestselling 1924 book, The Saga of Billy the Kid, which captivated Hollywood and the public, drew treasure hunters and souvenir seekers to Lincoln in the 1930s. These visitors stripped away fragments of history from the McSween site and the nearby creek where rubble had been dumped.

In 1986, Human Systems Research secured permission for an archaeological excavation of the McSween home ruins. Led by Kathleen Chamberlain, Dr. David Kirkpatrick, and Phelps Anderson, the 6 week project was funded by the Lincoln County Heritage Trust Foundation and the New Mexico State Monuments Division/Department of Cultural Affairs. The dig attracted numerous locals and visitors, many of whom observed, inquired, and/or volunteered their assistance.

Led by local archaeologist Joe Ben Sanders and his crew, the effort aimed to recover artifacts with the vision of establishing a museum over the site. Discoveries included charred adobe, wood, and marble; spent ammunition; melted or damaged household items; and fragments of high quality goods possibly reflecting the McSweens’ social standing and refined domestic life. Downstream behind the foundation, additional finds emerged, such as a rosette from a cavalry horse’s chest plate.

Following the investigation, the historical marker, originally placed in 1950, was relocated to accurately reflect the house’s position as confirmed by the archaeological evidence. That marker stands today, preserving the memory of this layered and tragic chapter in Western history.