While driving through Tombstone with his son and daughter-in law, Allen noticed a For Sale sign in front of an old house; the sign read “For Sale: Wyatt Earp House.” He didn’t even stop, but the next day (July 1, 2003), he had his daughter, Dawn, inquire about the property. Two days later, he purchased the house. Driven to restore the house to its original size and appearance, Allen poured over historical documents, maps and even some invaluable early photographs of the area. In one such photograph that was taken from a hill next to Boot Hill, Allen spotted a house. This was the Wyatt Earp House and this was what he wanted to preserve for posterity.

He began by tearing away the outer wooden skin of the house and then demolished two additions that had obviously been made during the 20th Century by the Smith family that had owned the house since 1942. A third addition to the Earp house was wood frame. The house today consists of two houses, an adobe house and a wood-framed house. We believe the wood-framed house stood on the corner lot and was moved over to enlarge the adobe house.

Allen meticulously worked to retain the original content and architecture of the house, which was a tiny (by today’s standards) 756 square feet, with a porch attached to the rear. The roof was a truss type with wood shingles that were held in place with square nails. When removing the added-on roof, Allen discovered some of the original shingles.

The house itself was sitting atop a rock foundation. Amazingly, the original ceilings were lined with linen cloth that was tacked on and then wallpapered over. Allen also installed windows, doors and transoms custom made to duplicate the materials and look of the time.

The finished product stands as a monument to a time and a place, as well as to a reverence for the past, a vision of the future, and the willingness and determination to bridge the two.