Established in 1969, the Silverado Museum is a non-profit organization that houses one of the world's most distinguished collections of Stevensoniana. Currently the museum holds over 9,000 original items, many of which were acquired directly from heirs and friends of the Stevenson family. Original letters; manuscripts; journals; first, variant, early and presentation editions (including translations and annotated copies); rare periodicals; paintings and drawings; sculptures; photographs; scrapbooks; and memorabilia form the collection which includes: Stevenson's childhood letters and drawings; the last words he ever penned; two pages from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Stevenson's own copy of his first book, An Inland Voyage; the copy of A Child's Garden of Verses which he presented to his wife; his manuscript notes on The Master of Ballantrae and The Morals and Ethics of Life; unpublished manuscript poems; and over a hundred books from his library in Samoa. His lead soldiers; the desk at which he worked and composed Treasure Island; the box he made when learning carpentry as a boy; a girondole mirror; toll road sign; and his wedding ring are among many of the memorabilia comprising the collection.
