Billboard for Jack Dempsey Museum.

Jack Dempsey Statue and Museum

In the 1920s Jack Dempsey was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. He lived in many places, but spent at least a few childhood years in Manassa. His nickname, "The Manassa Mauler," cemented the relationship.

The town moved his tiny boyhood cabin to the town park in the 1960s and turned it into a mini-museum. Its hours grew increasingly spotty as Dempsey's fans aged, so the town erected a statue of Dempsey -- in a fight pose -- next to it in 1999 so that visitors would always have something to see. It's dedicated to Dempsey's mother, because he didn't like his dad.

Jack Dempsey Statue and Museum

Address:: Main St., Manassa, CO
Directions:: From US 285 in Romeo, turn east at the weather-beaten Jack Dempsey Museum billboard onto Hwy 142. Drive three miles. The museum and statue will be on the right, between 5th and 4th Sts.

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