Placerville is located in northern California near Nevada and it’s Mother Lode Region. From 1849-54, it was known as Hangtown, but the name was changed for obvious reasons. Many buildings from the mining days remain, so much so that the entire town is a California Historical Landmark. Several of the more prominent buildings are:
Cary Hotel
The Cary Hotel was built in 1856 and has hosted the likes of Buffalo Bill, Mark Twain, U.S. Grant, Betty Davis, and Elvis, to name a few. The first photo is undated.
Combellack-Blair House
The Combellack-Blair House was built in 1895. It is the subject of a Thomas Kinkade painting known as Victorian Christmas. Kinkade was from Placerville, and the painting was so nostalgic for him that he put Norman Rockwell in the lower left hand corner. The first photo is undated.
Hangman’s Tree Saloon
The Hangman’s Tree Saloon opened in 1895 and operated for several decades. Later it was saved from demolition and opened as an ice cream parlor in 2017. The first photo is dated 1890.
Residence
Note the children on the porch. Photo is undated.
Placerville Hardware
The current Placerville Hardware store was built in 1856. It started as Sturgis & Alderson in 1852, making it the oldest hardware store west of the Mississippi River. Rolling ladders were installed in 1900, and those ladders are still in use today. The first photo is undated.
Main Street
The bell in the tower on Main Street was cast in England in 1860. It arrived in Placerville in 1865, but was not placed in the tower until 1878. A new, steel tower was erected in 1898 and the first photo shows the re-dedication ceremony. The second photo is dated 1900.
