Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The memorial stone
Balloon Corner
View from inside the forest
The Magnificent Forest
Underground Mills
Entrance to Hulen
Hulen in Bergen
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Caru' cu Bere
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Museum founder Paul Stewart often traveled to local classrooms, like this Denver elementary school, to share the stories of Colorado’s Black Cowboys.
The Black American West Museum Celebrates the Black Cowboy
about 2 hours ago
Charlie’s Place: Music, Mystery & Civil Rights.
Charlie’s Place Episode 1: Whispering Pines
1 day ago
The Golden Gate Bridge as seen from the Marin Headlands at sunrise.
Listener Stories of Leaving Home: From San Francisco to Japan
3 days ago
Aerial view of Bell Labs Holmdel
How the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex Inspired ‘Severance’
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum
AO Edited

Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum

The former home of the "Manassa Mauler" is now a museum dedicated to his legendary boxing career.

Manassa, Colorado

Added By
PatientRock
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum   PatientRock / Atlas Obscura User
Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum   PatientRock / Atlas Obscura User
Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum  
Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum   PatientRock / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

As visitors approach this location, they are immediately greeted by a hulking, bronzed statue of the “Manassa Mauler” himself, heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey.

Beyond the statue is the one-room house where William Harrison Dempsey was born in 1895 and raised in Manassa, Colorado. One of several children, Dempsey was determined to do something with his life. As he grew in size and stature, he found himself using his fists to earn a living. He lived a fast and dangerous life jumping on trains to go fight prize matches in dark saloons with desperate men from the area's mines.

Taking the pseudonym, “Jack Dempsey,” he fought his way across the west, slowly earning notoriety until he got his big break on July 4, 1919. That day he fought and defeated the boxing world champion, Jess Willard. A storied career followed thereafter.

His childhood home has been turned into a museum and is packed with memorabilia from Dempsey’s life and career. Covering the walls are well-labeled photos of him rubbing elbows with United States presidents, Hollywood starlets, and other boxing notables. Throughout the room are other artifacts from his life, including the gloves he wore during the fight which became boxing’s first million-dollar gate.

The small museum provides an amazing visual journey of a man who fought his way out of a tiny, dust-covered Colorado town to worldwide prominence.

Related Tags

Boxing Sports Museums

Know Before You Go

The museum does not have an entry fee, but has small merchandise for sale.

Community Contributors

Added By

PatientRock

Edited By

jonathancarey

  • jonathancarey

Published

August 27, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Jack Dempsey Birthplace and Museum
412 Main St
Manassa, Colorado, 81140
United States
37.173615, -105.936
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cano's Castle

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

El Santuario de los Pobladores

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

Indiana Jones Home

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colorado

Colorado

United States

Places 311
Stories 31

Nearby Places

Cano's Castle

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

El Santuario de los Pobladores

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

Indiana Jones Home

Antonito, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colorado

Colorado

United States

Places 311
Stories 31

Related Places

  • Ty Cobb’s uniform on display at the museum.

    Royston, Georgia

    Ty Cobb Museum

    A museum dedicated to the Georgia Peach, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

  • York, Pennsylvania

    Weightlifting Hall of Fame

    Take a walk through the history of strength sports—from the early Olympic Games to modern day.

  • Inside the museum.

    Danville, Alabama

    Jesse Owens Museum

    A fascinating museum near the birthplace of the greatest track and field athlete of all time.

  • Entrance to the museum.

    Aranjuez, Spain

    Aranjuez Bullfighting Museum

    This bullfighting museum is part of a bullfighting coliseum (plaza de toros) built in the 18th century.

  • Vernier, Switzerland

    Geneva Skateboard Musuem

    One of the world's largest skateboard collections is on display inside a historical mansion.

  • Recreation of the ski production

    Morgedal, Norway

    Norsk Skieventyr

    This small museum celebrates the father of modern skiing, as well as Norway's other notable contributions to skiing.

  • A model of the plane

    Montevideo, Uruguay

    Museo Andes 1972

    Curated with the cooperation of the passengers and their families, this museum tells the story of the 29 victims and 16 survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571.

  • The museum is located within the larger Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Jim Thorpe Museum

    This small museum inside a larger sports complex honors the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the U.S., and his life of achievement and struggle.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.