Park in the multilevel
city parking lot accessed from Center Street. This tour will
take you around Main Street, starting from this point and will
return you to your car at completion. Please walk safely.
1. Leave the parking lot and turn
back toward Highway 50 on Center street to find an E. Clampus
Vitus marker in the parking lot of Z Pies. This marker is located
near the spot that tradition tells us the three men hanged in
1849 were buried.
2. Proceed back one short block to
Main Street, turn right and walk to Sacramento Street. Cross
Main at Sacramento and you will see two historic markers. One
commemorates the Pony Express Station, and the other Snowshoe
Thompson's famous treks to deliver mail across the Sierras.
The Chinese community was located near here and on Benham Street
which is up Sacramento Street on the left.
3. Continue a short way up Sacramento.
Just past the fire station you will see the modern Bank of America
building set back on your right. Here you will find a collection
of impressive gold nuggets from the Georgetown area displayed
in an old safe in their lobby. This exhibit is only accessible
during normal banking hours.
4.
Turn back to Main Street, crossing Sacramento, and proceed east
on Main to the location of the Cary House Hotel, established
in 1857. It was purchased by John Raffeto and in 1915 he tore
down the old building and replaced it with another three story
building called the Placerville Hotel. In 1926 it was remodeled
and the name changed to the Raffles Hotel. The fourth story
was added in 1931. In 1978 it was purchased by the Milton family
who at that time changed the name back to The Cary House. The
lobby contains a display of interesting historic items. Pause
a moment to feel the bustle that once surrounded this place
when it housed the Wells Fargo Office and served as the stage
stop. Imagine the amounts of gold and silver as well as the
famous people who alighted here.
5. 384 Main is the site of the Round
Tent Store established in 1849 as a clothing store in a round
canvas tent. When it succumbed to the 1856 fire, a stone structure
replaced it, but kept the popular name. In 1928 Main Street
was widened and as a result the second building was torn down
and when rebuilt it was set 17 feet back from its original location.
This building is the third at this location and is now a supper
club.
6. 432 Main, an Antique Store, is
the site of the Empire Theater, built in 1850 by John O'Donnell.
In 1852 C.B.M. Russell became a partner in the business which
furnished the miners with clean rooms, good food, a ten pin
alley, billiards, and a bar as well as stage plays. It burned
in the 1856 fire and was rebuilt in 1857 as the Placerville
Theater. With a capacity of 1500, its furnishings were comparable
with any San Francisco theater of its day. The present building
was completed in 1930 and again called the Empire Theater.
7.
524 Main is the Fountain/Tallman building which is the oldest
building on Placerville's Main Street. It was built as a soda
water factory in 1852 and survived the fires because of its
stone and brick construction. It now houses a small Museum which
is operated by El Dorado County Historical Society volunteers.
It is open from 12:00 to 4:00 on Saturday and Sunday during
the winter and 12:00 to 4:00 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
April through October.
8. 542 Main is the El Dorado County
Chamber of Commerce which is located in the Veterans Memorial
Building. Continuing up Main Street, on your right you are now
in the vicinity of The Pacific (the first deep quartz mine)
and the Mitchell Mine.
9. 594 Main is the Pearson Soda Works, built in 1859 by John McFarland Pearson. It was built in front of a mineshaft, which was used to store ice in the days before refrigeration. The second story and an elevator were added in 1897 by his son John Jr.
10. In the intersection of Main and
Cedar Ravine Streets, you will see the Druid Monument. Druids
were one of the fraternal organizations that enjoyed great popularity
in the 19th Century. Placerville was the site of the first Druid
Grove in California. On it is a plaque that reads: "The
Druids of California Erected this Monument to Fredrick Sieg
who instituted the Order in this State AD 1859, presented to
the City of Placerville 09/05/1926". This spot marks the
boundary between Placerville and Upper Placerville.
You might pause here to reflect on the astonishing
amount of gold taken from this very spot. Early miners took
$1,000,000 from the modest Cedar Ravine Creek, running nearby.
A.
Now if you want to extend your tour, you may proceed up Cedar
Ravine. On the east side of the street you will see the stately
Combellack-Blair House. Formerly the resident of a successful
merchant family (Note Combellack's store on Main Street), the
exquisite Victorian is a Bed and Breakfast Inn. It is beautifully
restored and maintained inside. During the holiday season, this
house and many other Historic Bed and Breakfast establishments
are open to the public on a Christmas tour.
B. You can now follow the blue sign
for the Federated Church and proceed up Thompson Way. Turn in
to the left where you see the S.H.A.R.E sign, walk up the drive
and you will see the remaining headstones of a gold rush era
cemetery to your right, below the historic Methodist Church.
Now back to the tour of Main Street.
11.
Using the crosswalk in front of Pearson's Soda Works, cross
Main Street. You are now at another of Placerville's public
parking lots, and the site of the Ivy House hotel, so named
because of the Ivy covered facade. The first hotel, the Central
House, was built on this site in 1864. At this site also was
the Placerville Academy. The Ivy House was torn down in 1964
when it was deemed too fragile to save. You will note a historical
marker directly in front of you behind the sign.
As you are walking past some restored Victorian
homes, consider Sweetie Pies as a breakfast or lunch stop.
12. Note the plaque to Studebaker on the wall of the modern Town Hall Building. It was next door to the west; in 1853 Hugh L. Hinds had his blacksmith and wagon shop and employed a young man name John Studebaker. John made enough money here to return home in 1858 and invest in the Studebaker wagon company.
13. At the intersection of Main and
Bedford, you will see the State Historic marker to "Placerville".
The old fire bell is on the lawn.
14.
As you cross Bedford, you are now in front of the El Dorado
County Courthouse. The structure you see was built in 1912.
The original Courthouse was built in 1859 and burned in1910.
Note the Civil War cannons that flank the entrance steps.
15. 489 Main has a plaque dedicated
to Emigrant Jane Johnson, a hardy woman who drove a herd of
horses west in 1859. It is said she earned the money to finance
this building in this fashion. Jane, also known as Mary Jane
Shroyers, was a successful business woman and renowned horsewoman.
16. Right next door at 487 Main St. is the Confidence Engine Company fire house building. As a town that has suffered its share of disastrous fires, its volunteer fir companies were valued and their members honored. For fund-raisers, they gave parties and balls that were eagerly attended.
17. Next you will see a public restroom.
On the exterior wall are some interesting and informative historic
displays that you won't want to miss. As you exit the parking
lot, note a plaque dedicated to Joseph Staples, Deputy Sheriff,
and the Bullion Bend Robbery.
18. The building at 467 Main is the
Odd Fellows Building, built in 1911 after the original building
burned in 1910. It has a spring loaded dance floor and was considered
one of the best places to hold a dance for miles around. Fraternal
organizations were very important in the lives of 19th Century
men and their families. You already saw the Druid Monument,
and later you will see the Masonic Lodge building. Fraternal
organizations provided a place to socialize and a promise of
financial relief to members and their families, including a
Christian burial.
19. Next at 441 Main is the Placerville
Hardware Store, the oldest continuously operating hardware store
west of the Mississippi. Go in and enjoy the atmosphere, with
its wooden floors and stock piled high, accessed by rolling
ladders attached to the ceiling. You can get practically anything
here! The east side of the building was the home of the Mountain
Democrat (a local newspaper) for over 100 years. The presses
were operated on water power from Hangtown Creek. It was annexed
by Placerville Hardware in 1990.
20. At 423 Main is the Hangtown Grill,
located in the Masonic Hall Building. Here you can sample a
Hangtown Fry. (see below for recipe)
21.
By now you are probably looking at the metal structure in the
street ahead of you. It is Placerville's beloved Bell Tower.
The first Bell Tower was placed there in 1865 for a fire alarm.
It was briefly moved, but returned to this spot after the fire
that consumed the Court House in 1910. Over the years it has
been rebuilt to its present appearance. It has lost its original
purpose, but remains a reminder of past days.
22. On your right as you pass the
Bell Tower is the Masonic Lodge Building, which has a nice chronology
of its occupancy on its wall. The Masons now meet in a building
on Cold Springs Road, where they have an extensive display of
their history as a Lodge.
23. At 409 Main is the Placerville
News Stand located in the Shelley Inch Building. This is a combination
of two one story brick buildings that were built in 1856. Davis
& Roy built the eastern building as a "book store and
periodical depot", and that's pretty much what it is today.
The upper story and cast iron front were added in 1898 by Shelley
Inch.
24. Now make the little jog in the street to continue on our walk on Main St. In 1876, 325 Main St. was the Tracey Show Store Building. Tracy had a reputation as an excellent boot maker. His store was built on the site of the 1856 assay office.
25.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Hangman's Tree at 305
Main, believed to be built directly over the stump of the Infamous
Hanging Tree. It, too, has a sociable resident ghost. Like many
spots in Placerville, this one has had many owners and many
uses, but none more famous than Collis P. Huntington, of railroad
fame, who got his start in a small store here.
C. Now you can return to your car
or if you continue on past the Carrows Restaurant to the Caboose,
you will find a memorial brick garden. These bricks were purchased
originally as a way to preserve family history. This is the
"Constitution Railroad Plaza," which commemorates
the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
This ends our guided tour of Main Street.
There is much more to see in the areas around Placerville. There
are some beautiful Victorian Houses located on Coloma Road,
Canal and Bedford Streets. Also on Bedford Street is a hard
rock mine shaft called the Gold Bug Mine. This small park is
open to visitors. You can walk into the mine shaft or view a
stamp mill in operation. The El Dorado County Historical Museum
is located at 104 Placerville Drive. The hours are 10:00 - 4:00
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It is open 9:00 -
3:00 on Tuesdays for research and 12:00 - 4:00 on Sundays.
Placerville's original name was "Dry
Diggins," so named because there was not a lot of water
to process the dirt for the placer mining done by the first
miners here. Murders and robberies were prevalent and with no
organized justice system the citizens were compelled to deal
out their own justice. When three men were found to be guilty
of robbery and murder it was decided to hang them from a large
oak tree in a bay yard near the center of town. After word of
the hangings spread to other areas in the gold fields "Old
Dry Diggins" was nicknamed "Hangtown". This acted
as a deterrent to lawlessness and the town was called this for
approximately three years. As the town grew it was
decided a more appropriate name should be chosen for its official
name. It became Placerville in 1854. Three years later Placerville
became the county seat for El Dorado County.
One story of the origin of "Hangtown
Fry" has a prospector coming to town after hitting a good
strike and ordering the "most expensive dish you have".
The cook, hearing this said, "The most expensive things
I have are oysters, eggs and bacon." So he mixed them all
together and thus was born the "Hangtown Fry".
Blue Bell Café recipe for the Hangtown
Fry:
1 egg beaten with one tbls. Milk
Breading mixture of cracker crumbs and bread crumbs
Oil
3 oysters
2 slices of bacon
2 eggs
Dip the oysters in egg mixture then breading.
Pan-fry until three-fourths cooked. While doing this, fry the
bacon in another skillet until just before it becomes crisp.
Beat the eggs lightly. Place the bacon like railroad tracks
off-center in a frying pan, pour in the remaining eggs. Cook
and then fold the omelet over the oysters. Place a lid over
it and cook until the steam blends together all the flavors.
Makes 1 serving.
Today some of Placerville main industries
include agriculture, recreation, light manufacturing and tourism.
It is famous for its vineyards and production of fine wines.
The Apple Hill area is a well known attraction for tourists
in the fall when the apples are in season. There are many orchards
which feature baked goods and local crafts during this time
of year.
This brochure and map were created by Ford
and Ellen Osborn with information taken from Heritage Association
publications archives at the El Dorado County Historical Museum.
The preparation and printing done by the
El Dorado County Museum Foundation.
For further information contact
The Historical Society, museum@co.el-dorado.ca.us
or The Heritage Association, mferie@dwebcom
May 2002
