Adventure 051, Site 103 – John Pearson (Placerville) Soda Works

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 051, Site 103 – John Pearson (Placerville) Soda Works

National Registry ID: 1985003326

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 27, 2012

Location:

Latitude: N 38° 43.730

Longitude: W 120° 47.801

Address: 594 Main Street, Placerville, CA

Description:

Date Built: 1859

We came to the eastern end of our walk in Placerville and found the “other” soda company in Placerville—John Pearsons (Placerville) Soda Works. It is no longer a soda place, but a couple of stores. One is a natural foods cafe, the Cozmic Cafe—there was some unappetizing smells from the place. So we decided to continue on and see what other foods Placerville had in store for us.

From NRHP:
The John Pearson Soda Works Building is located at the upper end of Placerville's Main Street. The two-story brick and stone building was constructed in two stages: the original 1859 stone building forms the lower floor, while the second story of brick and stone was added in 1897. Integrity is fair; the ground floor was altered in 1974 with the addition of a central stone pillar flanked by two doors which replaced the earlier storefront bay.



This property, one of several early Soda Works in Placerville, is a significant reminder of one of the city's important 19th century economic activities. It is associated with an important local merchant and his family who used the property for ice storage, bottled beverage production, and liquor sales. The building is a notable local example of its type and method of construction, with an 1859 lower story of cut stone and an 1897 upper story of stone and brick; it remains as one of the city's oldest commercial buildings without major alterations. The building has been identified in the current survey as historically significant to the local community.

John McFarland Pearson, a native of Scotland, came to Placerville in the early 1850s. He established himself as an ice merchant, and in 1859 he purchased the old Fountain House property from John and James Kitto. The site had a mine going back into the hill. He built a single story stone building on the property that same year. Pearson moved his ice depot from Bedford Avenue into the new building, which would become the famous John Pearson Soda Works, and stored the ice in the tunnel. The natural refrigeration in the tunnel allowed him to store other perishable items, primarily butter. Existing deeds and mortgages indicate that he was an aggressive businessman. Over a period of 50 years, the business continued to grow. In 1884 an item appeared in the Mountain Democrat newspaper...."A gentleman here from Chicago, who travels for a large drug house declared that Pearson's Creme Soda was the best in the United States". In 1891, John died, and his sons, John Jr. and William, continued the business and expanded in 1897 by adding the second story containing a bottling room and installing the water-powered elevator. The 1898 Souvenir Edition of the Mountain Democrat stated that the firm kept a depot for ice and butter, manufactured soda, syrups, and cider, dealt in wines, liquors, and imported English ales and porter, as well as being the local agent for Wielands,Enterprise, and Pabst beers and agents for the Royal and Norwich Union Insurance Co.

References:

• Wikipedia
  
• National Registry of Historical Places-Documents and Photos
  
• Noehill
  
• Waymarking
  

Overall Landmark References:

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