National Register of Historic Places

Murphys Hotel

Murphys, Calaveras County, California
Listed
November 23, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000134

About this property

The Murphys Hotel in Murphys, California, is one of the oldest hotels still operating in the state of California. It was formerly known as Sperry and Perry Hotel, and the Mitchler Hotel. The hotel is registered as California Historical Landmark (No. 267); and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-1971000134). First called the Sperry and Perry Hotel, it was opened by James L. Sperry and John Perry on August 20, 1856. The town of Murphys was a popular stopping point along the stagecoach route from Milton to the Calaveras Big Trees. Thought to be fireproof due to its stone construction and iron shutters, the hotel was damaged in the fire of 1859 that destroyed most of the downtown area. However, it was quickly restored and reopened by spring of 1860. The new Sperry and Perry Hotel was considered one of the finest hotels outside of San Francisco, and was host to many famous people over the years. Copies of the original register show such signatures as Mark Twain, John Jacob Astor, Ulysses S. Grant, John Bidwell, Charles Bolles (alias Black Bart), Henry Ward Beecher, Horatio Alger, J.P. Morgan and Thomas Lipton. Renamed the Mitchler Hotel in 1882, and the Murphys Hotel in 1945 by the McKimins family, it has since had several owners. The Murphy name was derived the founders of the city of Murphys, California, Daniel Martin Murphy and John Marion Murphy, the sons of rancher Martin Murphy Sr. in the Santa Clara Valley. Gordon Ramsay's Hotel Hell American reality television series covered the hotel in an episode of the series, broadcast on September 9, 2014, on the U.S. Fox television network. It also appeared in the public television series Road Trip with Huell Howser, episode on the Mother Lode.

Location

Murphys, Calaveras County, California
38.13742, -120.46493

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Murphys Grammar School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Douglas Flat School
Industrial
1.5 mi
Choy, Sam, Brick Store
Industrial
6.2 mi
Calaveras County Bank
Industrial
6.2 mi
Utica Mansion
Industrial
6.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Murphys Hotel listed on the National Register?

Murphys Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Murphys Hotel?

Murphys Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Murphys Hotel?

The period of significance for Murphys Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Murphys Hotel?

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