The Pioneer Home, standing on its original site, was built by the Summer family in 1881. It was part of the Summer complex known as the "Summer's Block." In the Fairplay Flume of May 19, 1881, an article stated: Leonhard Summer will move into the neat frame building next to his saloon on Front Street. His former residence is for rent (on the second floor of the Summer Brewery).
The last residents of the house were the Dan Denny family. Mr. Denny, known as Uncle Dan, was a blacksmith and had his shop in a building (no longer standing) east of the Brewery Building. He also worked on the gold dredge doing repair work. Though the house was owned by A.F. Wilmarth, internationally known political cartoonist and publisher of the Fairplay Flume, many old-timers still think of it as the Denny House.
In the second quarter of this century, Mr. and Mrs. Denny moved into the home in less-than-perfect condition. In 1950 Col. Mayer, whose house is across the street, celebrated his 100th birthday in this house with the Dennys. The South Park Historical Society obtained the property in the late 1950s.
