Fire House
The Folsom Fire House was constructed in 1929 by Pratt & Lohman, to create a permanent site for the Folsom Volunteer Fire Department following the demolition of the Fireman’s Hall in 1914. The mission style architecture features hollow tile construction, California stucco finished walls, and its iconic bell tower.In addition to housing the fire department’s equipment, the Fire House served as a City Hall and held offices for various city departments and officials. The Fire House was sold in 1959 when the Fire Department moved to a new station on Coloma Street.
Fireman’s Hall
Founded in 1857, Folsom’s first fire department was the Mutual Hook and Ladder Company. In 1868, the company opened Fireman’s Hall at the northwest corner of Wool and Sutter streets as a storage facility and town hall. Holiday celebrations, parties, and balls were commonly held in Fireman’s Hall. However, the building sat on land owned by the local railroad company, and in 1914 it had to be torn down to make room for a new Southern Pacific Railroad building.
Folsom Hotel
In 1885, Charles Zimmerman founded the New Western Hotel at the corner of Sutter and Riley, alongside his saloon. Not only did the hotel have rooms for guests and a “first class bar,” the building had offices and spaces for local businesses, including butchers, bakers, real estate agents, and more. In the 1920s, local businessman Giuseppe (Joe) Murer, renamed the building the Hotel Golden, and later, the Folsom Hotel.
Red Bank Winery Building
These three brick structures were constructed between 1855 and 1890 and have held a number of businesses throughout their history. In the early 1970s, Bud Davies renamed the three buildings as the Red Bank Winery Building, a tribute to his former farm in Mormon Island.
Chinese Settlers
One of the larger groups of people that came to Folsom during the Gold Rush was the Chinese immigrant community. They began to settle in the area in the 1850s, and by the 1880s, they made up almost half of the town’s population, taking on several roles beyond mining. Due to laws imposing taxes, bans on their immigration to the U.S., and violent campaigns, Chinese communities throughout California began migrating from smaller towns to larger cities or returning to China. By the mid-1900s, only the Chan family remained in Folsom.
The Square
In 1972, “Folsom Jim” Phillips leveled this property, once the Chamber of Commerce grounds, to create a mining exhibition space. Over the years, Folsom Jim constructed structures such as the Folsom Forge, Carriage House, and Homestead Cabin. This site became known as the Folsom Interpretive Area, where the public could come to learn about Folsom’s mining history.In 2002, Folsom History (formerly Folsom Historical Society), took over operations and in 2009 renamed the site Pioneer Village. Since then, the site has welcomed visitors to test their skill at gold panning, watch blacksmiths demonstrate a historic craft, and complete hands-on maker activities. In 2023, Folsom History renamed the site to The Square, focusing on making the space a location of gathering for the community.
Old Jail on Leidesdorff
The Folsom Town Jail was built in the 1870s to house one to three perpetrators for overnight sentences or until they were transferred to Sacramento. The jail was torn down in 1962.
William Alexander Leidesdorff
Leidesdorff Street is named after William Alexander Leidesdorff, a prominent San Francisco businessman and politician believed to be of African, Dutch, and Indigenous Caribbean descent. In 1844, he was granted land around present-day Rancho Cordova and Folsom but developed little on it. After his death in 1848, Joseph Libbey Folsom bought the estate and began developing what became the City of Folsom.
Folsom History Museum
Founded in 1961, the Folsom Historical Society (now Folsom History), opened the Folsom History Museum in 1976 in the reconstructed Wells Fargo Assay Office. In 1991, the addition to the building was constructed, allowing for larger exhibitions, office space, and an archive/collection area.Folsom History maintains a collection of artifacts, photos, documents, and more that relate directly to the history of Folsom and the surrounding region. Folsom History serves as a research institution and offers engaging, educational programming for all ages.
Livermore Sawmill
Horatio Gates Livermore arrived in California in 1850 and quickly began to envision Folsom as an industrial city powered by the American River. In the 1860s, he took over the Natoma Water and Mining Company which supplied water to gold miners. His son later took control of the company and built a lumber mill in 1888. However, the river’s terrain made it difficult to transport lumber and the expensive project failed. Today, only a portion of the foundation remains, carved into an empty canal that is visible from Riley Street.
Gold Panning
Gold panning was one of the earliest methods of gold mining during the Gold Rush. Miners used a shallow pan and water to separate gold from other materials. They would fill the pan with riverbed sediment, submerge it in water, and swirl it, allowing lighter materials to wash away. The heavier gold particles would then settle at the bottom, making them easier to collect.
Sluice Mining
Sluice boxes were used during the Gold Rush to process larger amounts of material than gold panning. The sluice was often placed in creeks and rivers. The box had a slanted bottom with many small barriers every few inches. These barriers would cause a break in the water flow, creating eddies in the water, giving the heavier material (black sand and gold) a chance to drop to the bottom.
Rocker Box
Rocker boxes were used during the Gold Rush to process larger amounts of material than gold panning. The box had a slanted bottom and a screen to filter out rocks. Rocks were shoveled onto the screen, and the box was rocked back and forth as water poured over it. This motion helped separate gold and heavier materials from lighter dirt and gravel, making it easier to collect the gold.
Gold Dredging
Gold dredging uses a large, floating machine to scoop up sediment from riverbeds, lakes, or flooded plains and process it for gold. The dredge separates the heavier gold particles from lighter materials, allowing the gold to be collected. While this method allowed corporations to extract large quantities of gold more efficiently than traditional methods, it also caused significant destruction to California’s landscape. The large piles of rocks along Folsom Boulevard, known as tailings, are the remnants of dredging.
Wells Fargo Assay Office
The Assay Office was a staple for many gold rush communities. These offices allowed miners to have their precious metals tested and reviewed for purity and to determine value. The Wells Fargo Assay Office was constructed in 1860 for Folsom’s Wells Fargo agents, Charles Palmer and Roger Day.After 1903, the building was used as a storage and distribution center by Sacramento based Buffalo Brewing Company, an Ice and Soda Works by Everett Shumway, a rural telephone check service, and finally the Folsom Plumbing & Electrical Supply Co.In 1959, the historic structure was torn down to make way for an extension of the Shell Gas Station that was next door. Luckily, a group of Folsom residents saved the original granite façade and metal doors. In the process, this group formed the Folsom Historical Society in 1961. After the office was torn down, the gas station never expanded, leaving an empty plot that the Folsom Historical Society would eventually purchase. From 1972-1975 the Assay Office was reconstructed and in 1976 it opened as the Folsom History Museum.
Railroad Block
The Sacramento Valley Railroad was the first chartered railroad in California. The train route was surveyed by Theodore Judah in 1855, the same man who surveyed the route of the Trans Continental Railroad through Sierra Nevada. His wife, Anna, often traveled with him as he did surveys, pressing plants into her notebooks and painting the scenery around them.The Railyard Area: The two blocks between Reading and Wool Streets were set aside by Judah to become the railyard for the Sacramento Valley Railroad. Repair shops and warehouses were all constructed here in the 1860s, staying until the Southern Pacific Railroad purchased the railroad in 1888. After that, all warehouses and repair buildings moved to Sacramento. Passenger services to Folsom, ended in the 1930s, and freight shipments ended in the 1970s.
Depot Building
The Folsom Depot that stands today is not the original depot. The first two depots were destroyed in fires. The current depot was built in the early 1900s, and it too partially burned in 1913. However, much of the building survived, and eventually, an extension was added to the back.
Roundhouse
The original Sacramento Valley Railroad roundhouse was built in 1869 and was used to house train cars for maintenance and storage. The roundhouse was torn down in the late 1880s, when all warehouses and repair buildings in Folsom moved to Sacramento. Amazingly, no photos of Folsom's roundhouse have ever been discovered. The current roundhouse is a model of what roundhouses would have looked like during the late 1800s. During construction of the current building, archaeologists found the original foundation. In 2019, local developer Jerry Bernau completed the construction of this modern roundhouse that is reminiscent of the nineteenth century structures.
Turntable
There was a total of five different turntables at this site throughout the railyard's history. The current one is a model of common turntables during the late 1800s. However, the brick foundation that surrounds the turntable was discovered during an excavation project in 1996 and restored.
Powerhouse
In the 1850s, Horatio Gates Livermore and later his sons, Horatio P. and Charles E., pioneered the development of ditches and dams on the American River for industry and agriculture. One historic result was Folsom Powerhouse, which began operations in July 1895. Power was delivered to Sacramento at 11,000 volts, a new achievement in long-distance high-voltage transmission which the capital celebrated by a grand electric carnival September 9, 1895. The original generating plant, still in place, remained in continuous operation until 1952. The plant was donated by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to the State of California to preserve its historical values. The current Visitor Center offers context and information about the park's significance in the history of electricity.
Cohn-Fait Mansion
In 1858, Simon Cohn emigrated from Poland and opened a general store on Sutter Street in Folsom. As his prosperity grew, he built a home on this property and later constructed the Queen Anne Victorian mansion that stands today. Designed in the early 1890s, the five-story residence featured a wraparound porch, a cupola with sweeping views, and a basement built from granite quarried at Folsom Prison.Following the Cohn family’s ownership, the home fell into disrepair and was sold in 1964. That same year, Glenn and Sharon Fait purchased the property and began a meticulous, family-led restoration. Their efforts preserved the mansion’s historic character while updating its interior for modern living. In recognition of its architectural and historical significance, the Cohn-Fait Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, where its preservation continues today.
