Fountain-Tallman Soda Works facts for kids
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Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
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 Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
Location in California
Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
Location in the United States
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| Location | 524 Main St., Placerville, California |
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| Built | 1853 |
| Architectural style | Rustic vernacular Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000770 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1984 |
The Fountain-Tallman Soda Works is a very old building in Placerville, California. It is now home to the Fountain & Tallman Museum. The El Dorado County Historical Society owns and runs this museum. This special stone and brick building has a rustic, old-fashioned look from the Victorian era. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1984.
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A Historic Building in Placerville
This two-story building was first built in 1852. John Fountain and Benjamin Tallman built it to be a factory for making soda water. The walls of the building are very thick, more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) wide. These thick walls helped keep ice and soda supplies cool inside.
A Building That Survived Fires
The strong stone and brick walls also protected the building from fires. Many buildings around it were destroyed by fires, especially in 1856. Because it survived, the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Placerville today.
How Soda Was Made Long Ago
Inside the factory, water was brought in from a spring behind the building. This water came through a small wooden hole in the wall. A special machine, called a pressure vessel, then added carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to the water. This made the water fizzy, just like soda pop today. After that, bottles were filled with the soda water. Workers then put caps on the bottles and used wire twists to hold them tightly in place. A copy of the old soda-making machine is now on display at the museum.
Many Lives of One Building
After the soda factory closed, the building was used for many different things. It was once the town jail. From 1927 to 1961, it was an office for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). It had other owners and uses too.
In 1981, Fay Ripley Cannon gave the building to the El Dorado County Historical Society. It became a museum with one condition: it had to be kept as a historical landmark for everyone to enjoy. This idea had actually started when PG&E sold the building earlier.
Discoveries During Renovation
When the building was being fixed up to become a museum, workers lifted the stone floor. They found some amazing things underneath! They discovered a bowie knife, though its handle had rotted away. They also found small flakes of gold and pieces of broken glass soda bottles. These bottle pieces still had the original owner's mark on them. All these items are now on display inside the museum.
The Museum Today
Many people helped turn the building into a museum. Funds from the estate of Stella Tracy, who grew up in Placerville, were also used. The museum was first called the Placerville Historical Museum. It shows some of Stella Tracy's furniture and photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It also has other exhibits with items from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Another old soda works building nearby, the John Pearson Soda Works, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
