USA Old Hangtown Historic Building

The historic section of Placerville, CA was once called Hangtown. Located on one of the main routes from San Francisco, over the Sierras to Lake Tahoe and the east. Stagecoach robberies were a common event. Highwaymen who were caught were tried and hung in Placerville.

The first floor of this stone building was built in 1859. The walls were over 20 inches thick because it was originally an ice house. In 1897 the second story was added. (That is old for California!)

I love the old beer sign painted on the brick side wall and the fire escape going nowhere.

The building faces north, so the front is always in the shadows. I had to take three shots, one underexposed, one properly exposed and one overexposed and combine them for an HDR image in Lightroom. Naturally, a tripod is essential.

There is constant auto traffic, so you have to take your shots between the cars and trucks as they drive by.

The building is located on Main Street. Highway 50 runs through Placerville. You can park in the lot across the street. Note that this is about ten miles from Coloma, the location of Sutter's Mill, where gold was discovered in 1849. There are many historical shooting locations in the area.