Adventure 051, Site 102 – Fountain-Tailsman Soda Works

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 051, Site 102 – Fountain-Tailsman Soda Works

National Registry ID: 1984000770

Placerville Local Registry ID: Number is unknown

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 27, 2012

Location:

Latitude: 38° 43.771′ N

Longitude: 120° 47.919′ W

Address: 524 Main St, Placerville, CA

Description:

Date Built: 1852

Soda works? Building name is Fountain. Should be pretty easy to get a soft drink here, right? Well not so fast. The soda works has long been past and Fountain was the name of the person who initially owned the building, along with his partner, Tallman. This partnership did not last more than five years and then it broke up, passing on in rapid success through a number of owners. Today it houses the El Dorado County Historical Society Museum.

From HMDB:
The Fountain/Tallman building is the oldest building on Placerville's Main Street. It was built as a soda water factory in 1852 and survived the three major fires that hit Placerville in the 1850's due to its stone and brick construction. It now houses a small museum which is operated by the El Dorado County Historical Society. It is also the first permanent building erected in Placerville.



From NRHP:
The significance of the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works lies not only in the period of its construction, between 1853-1854, the peak of the Gold Rush, but also in ;the architectural form of the building, and the relationship of the soda works to the rise of mercantilism in Placerville. Chiefly, the building represents a period in the history of Placerville, the nation, and the world, which had a marked impact on those groups of individuals who participated in the exodus to the Mother Lode. Architecturally the building is the earliest documented stone masonry structure in Placerville, and is thought to be one of the oldest surviving structures in the city.



References:

• Wikipedia
  
• National Registry of Historical Places-Documents and Photos
  
• Noehill
  
• Historical Marker Database (HMDB.org)
  
• Waymarking
  
• City of Placerville Historical Registry
  
• El Dorado County Historical Society Museum
  

Overall Landmark References:

• National Registry of Historical Places (NRHP)
  
• Noehill (NOE)
  
• Historical Marker Database (HMDB)
  
• WayMarking (WAY)